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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.
…		…
112	=item ev_tstamp ev_time ()	129	=item ev_tstamp ev_time ()
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.
		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 ()>.
117		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
…		…
173	See the description of C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.	196	See the description of C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.
174		197
175	=item ev_set_allocator (void *(*cb)(void *ptr, long size))	198	=item ev_set_allocator (void *(*cb)(void *ptr, long size))
176		199
177	Sets the allocation function to use (the prototype is similar - the	200	Sets the allocation function to use (the prototype is similar - the
178	semantics is identical - to the realloc C function). It is used to	201	semantics are identical to the C<realloc> C89/SuS/POSIX function). It is
179	allocate and free memory (no surprises here). If it returns zero when	202	used to allocate and free memory (no surprises here). If it returns zero
180	memory needs to be allocated, the library might abort or take some	203	when memory needs to be allocated (C<size != 0>), the library might abort
181	potentially destructive action. The default is your system realloc	204	or take some potentially destructive action.
182	function.	205
		206	Since some systems (at least OpenBSD and Darwin) fail to implement
		207	correct C<realloc> semantics, libev will use a wrapper around the system
		208	C<realloc> and C<free> functions by default.
183		209
184	You could override this function in high-availability programs to, say,	210	You could override this function in high-availability programs to, say,
185	free some memory if it cannot allocate memory, to use a special allocator,	211	free some memory if it cannot allocate memory, to use a special allocator,
186	or even to sleep a while and retry until some memory is available.	212	or even to sleep a while and retry until some memory is available.
187		213
188	Example: Replace the libev allocator with one that waits a bit and then	214	Example: Replace the libev allocator with one that waits a bit and then
189	retries).	215	retries (example requires a standards-compliant C<realloc>).
190		216
191	static void *	217	static void *
192	persistent_realloc (void *ptr, size_t size)	218	persistent_realloc (void *ptr, size_t size)
193	{	219	{
194	for (;;)	220	for (;;)
…		…
233		259
234	An event loop is described by a C<struct ev_loop *>. The library knows two	260	An event loop is described by a C<struct ev_loop *>. The library knows two
235	types of such loops, the I<default> loop, which supports signals and child	261	types of such loops, the I<default> loop, which supports signals and child
236	events, and dynamically created loops which do not.	262	events, and dynamically created loops which do not.
237		263
238	If you use threads, a common model is to run the default event loop
239	in your main thread (or in a separate thread) and for each thread you
240	create, you also create another event loop. Libev itself does no locking
241	whatsoever, so if you mix calls to the same event loop in different
242	threads, make sure you lock (this is usually a bad idea, though, even if
243	done correctly, because it's hideous and inefficient).
244
245	=over 4	264	=over 4
246		265
247	=item struct ev_loop *ev_default_loop (unsigned int flags)	266	=item struct ev_loop *ev_default_loop (unsigned int flags)
248		267
249	This will initialise the default event loop if it hasn't been initialised	268	This will initialise the default event loop if it hasn't been initialised
…		…
251	false. If it already was initialised it simply returns it (and ignores the	270	false. If it already was initialised it simply returns it (and ignores the
252	flags. If that is troubling you, check C<ev_backend ()> afterwards).	271	flags. If that is troubling you, check C<ev_backend ()> afterwards).
253		272
254	If you don't know what event loop to use, use the one returned from this	273	If you don't know what event loop to use, use the one returned from this
255	function.	274	function.
		275
		276	Note that this function is I<not> thread-safe, so if you want to use it
		277	from multiple threads, you have to lock (note also that this is unlikely,
		278	as loops cannot bes hared easily between threads anyway).
		279
		280	The default loop is the only loop that can handle C<ev_signal> and
		281	C<ev_child> watchers, and to do this, it always registers a handler
		282	for C<SIGCHLD>. If this is a problem for your app you can either
		283	create a dynamic loop with C<ev_loop_new> that doesn't do that, or you
		284	can simply overwrite the C<SIGCHLD> signal handler I<after> calling
		285	C<ev_default_init>.
256		286
257	The flags argument can be used to specify special behaviour or specific	287	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>).	288	backends to use, and is usually specified as C<0> (or C<EVFLAG_AUTO>).
259		289
260	The following flags are supported:	290	The following flags are supported:
…		…
282	enabling this flag.	312	enabling this flag.
283		313
284	This works by calling C<getpid ()> on every iteration of the loop,	314	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	315	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	316	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	317	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	318	without a syscall and thus I<very> fast, but my GNU/Linux system also has
289	C<pthread_atfork> which is even faster).	319	C<pthread_atfork> which is even faster).
290		320
291	The big advantage of this flag is that you can forget about fork (and	321	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	322	forget about forgetting to tell libev about forking) when you use this
293	flag.	323	flag.
…		…
298	=item C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> (value 1, portable select backend)	328	=item C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> (value 1, portable select backend)
299		329
300	This is your standard select(2) backend. Not I<completely> standard, as	330	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,	331	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	332	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	333	using this backend. It doesn't scale too well (O(highest_fd)), but its
304	the fastest backend for a low number of fds.	334	usually the fastest backend for a low number of (low-numbered :) fds.
		335
		336	To get good performance out of this backend you need a high amount of
		337	parallelity (most of the file descriptors should be busy). If you are
		338	writing a server, you should C<accept ()> in a loop to accept as many
		339	connections as possible during one iteration. You might also want to have
		340	a look at C<ev_set_io_collect_interval ()> to increase the amount of
		341	readyness notifications you get per iteration.
305		342
306	=item C<EVBACKEND_POLL> (value 2, poll backend, available everywhere except on windows)	343	=item C<EVBACKEND_POLL> (value 2, poll backend, available everywhere except on windows)
307		344
308	And this is your standard poll(2) backend. It's more complicated than	345	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	346	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	347	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).	348	considerably with a lot of inactive fds). It scales similarly to select,
		349	i.e. O(total_fds). See the entry for C<EVBACKEND_SELECT>, above, for
		350	performance tips.
312		351
313	=item C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL> (value 4, Linux)	352	=item C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL> (value 4, Linux)
314		353
315	For few fds, this backend is a bit little slower than poll and select,	354	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	355	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	356	like O(total_fds) where n is the total number of fds (or the highest fd),
318	either O(1) or O(active_fds).	357	epoll scales either O(1) or O(active_fds). The epoll design has a number
		358	of shortcomings, such as silently dropping events in some hard-to-detect
		359	cases and requiring a syscall per fd change, no fork support and bad
		360	support for dup.
319		361
320	While stopping and starting an I/O watcher in the same iteration will	362	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	363	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	364	(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	365	best to avoid that. Also, C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors might not work
324	well if you register events for both fds.	366	very well if you register events for both fds.
325		367
326	Please note that epoll sometimes generates spurious notifications, so you	368	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	369	need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid blocking when no data
328	(or space) is available.	370	(or space) is available.
329		371
		372	Best performance from this backend is achieved by not unregistering all
		373	watchers for a file descriptor until it has been closed, if possible, i.e.
		374	keep at least one watcher active per fd at all times.
		375
		376	While nominally embeddeble in other event loops, this feature is broken in
		377	all kernel versions tested so far.
		378
330	=item C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE> (value 8, most BSD clones)	379	=item C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE> (value 8, most BSD clones)
331		380
332	Kqueue deserves special mention, as at the time of this writing, it	381	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	382	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	383	with anything but sockets and pipes, except on Darwin, where of course
335	completely useless). For this reason its not being "autodetected"	384	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	385	unless you explicitly specify it explicitly in the flags (i.e. using
337	C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>).	386	C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>) or libev was compiled on a known-to-be-good (-enough)
		387	system like NetBSD.
		388
		389	You still can embed kqueue into a normal poll or select backend and use it
		390	only for sockets (after having made sure that sockets work with kqueue on
		391	the target platform). See C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.
338		392
339	It scales in the same way as the epoll backend, but the interface to the	393	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	394	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	395	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	396	cause an extra syscall as with C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL>, it still adds up to
343	incident, so its best to avoid that.	397	two event changes per incident, support for C<fork ()> is very bad and it
		398	drops fds silently in similarly hard-to-detect cases.
		399
		400	This backend usually performs well under most conditions.
		401
		402	While nominally embeddable in other event loops, this doesn't work
		403	everywhere, so you might need to test for this. And since it is broken
		404	almost everywhere, you should only use it when you have a lot of sockets
		405	(for which it usually works), by embedding it into another event loop
		406	(e.g. C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>) and using it only for
		407	sockets.
344		408
345	=item C<EVBACKEND_DEVPOLL> (value 16, Solaris 8)	409	=item C<EVBACKEND_DEVPOLL> (value 16, Solaris 8)
346		410
347	This is not implemented yet (and might never be).	411	This is not implemented yet (and might never be, unless you send me an
		412	implementation). According to reports, C</dev/poll> only supports sockets
		413	and is not embeddable, which would limit the usefulness of this backend
		414	immensely.
348		415
349	=item C<EVBACKEND_PORT> (value 32, Solaris 10)	416	=item C<EVBACKEND_PORT> (value 32, Solaris 10)
350		417
351	This uses the Solaris 10 port mechanism. As with everything on Solaris,	418	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)).	419	it's really slow, but it still scales very well (O(active_fds)).
353		420
354	Please note that solaris ports can result in a lot of spurious	421	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	422	notifications, so you need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid
356	blocking when no data (or space) is available.	423	blocking when no data (or space) is available.
		424
		425	While this backend scales well, it requires one system call per active
		426	file descriptor per loop iteration. For small and medium numbers of file
		427	descriptors a "slow" C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL> backend
		428	might perform better.
		429
		430	On the positive side, ignoring the spurious readyness notifications, this
		431	backend actually performed to specification in all tests and is fully
		432	embeddable, which is a rare feat among the OS-specific backends.
357		433
358	=item C<EVBACKEND_ALL>	434	=item C<EVBACKEND_ALL>
359		435
360	Try all backends (even potentially broken ones that wouldn't be tried	436	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	437	with C<EVFLAG_AUTO>). Since this is a mask, you can do stuff such as
362	C<EVBACKEND_ALL & ~EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>.	438	C<EVBACKEND_ALL & ~EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>.
363		439
		440	It is definitely not recommended to use this flag.
		441
364	=back	442	=back
365		443
366	If one or more of these are ored into the flags value, then only these	444	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	445	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	446	specified, all backends in C<ev_recommended_backends ()> will be tried.
369	order of their flag values :)
370		447
371	The most typical usage is like this:	448	The most typical usage is like this:
372		449
373	if (!ev_default_loop (0))	450	if (!ev_default_loop (0))
374	fatal ("could not initialise libev, bad $LIBEV_FLAGS in environment?");	451	fatal ("could not initialise libev, bad $LIBEV_FLAGS in environment?");
…		…
388		465
389	Similar to C<ev_default_loop>, but always creates a new event loop that is	466	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	467	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	468	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).	469	undefined behaviour (or a failed assertion if assertions are enabled).
		470
		471	Note that this function I<is> thread-safe, and the recommended way to use
		472	libev with threads is indeed to create one loop per thread, and using the
		473	default loop in the "main" or "initial" thread.
393		474
394	Example: Try to create a event loop that uses epoll and nothing else.	475	Example: Try to create a event loop that uses epoll and nothing else.
395		476
396	struct ev_loop *epoller = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_EPOLL | EVFLAG_NOENV);	477	struct ev_loop *epoller = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_EPOLL | EVFLAG_NOENV);
397	if (!epoller)	478	if (!epoller)
…		…
402	Destroys the default loop again (frees all memory and kernel state	483	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	484	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	485	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>	486	responsibility to either stop all watchers cleanly yoursef I<before>
406	calling this function, or cope with the fact afterwards (which is usually	487	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	488	the easiest thing, you can just ignore the watchers and/or C<free ()> them
408	for example).	489	for example).
		490
		491	Note that certain global state, such as signal state, will not be freed by
		492	this function, and related watchers (such as signal and child watchers)
		493	would need to be stopped manually.
		494
		495	In general it is not advisable to call this function except in the
		496	rare occasion where you really need to free e.g. the signal handling
		497	pipe fds. If you need dynamically allocated loops it is better to use
		498	C<ev_loop_new> and C<ev_loop_destroy>).
409		499
410	=item ev_loop_destroy (loop)	500	=item ev_loop_destroy (loop)
411		501
412	Like C<ev_default_destroy>, but destroys an event loop created by an	502	Like C<ev_default_destroy>, but destroys an event loop created by an
413	earlier call to C<ev_loop_new>.	503	earlier call to C<ev_loop_new>.
414		504
415	=item ev_default_fork ()	505	=item ev_default_fork ()
416		506
		507	This function sets a flag that causes subsequent C<ev_loop> iterations
417	This function reinitialises the kernel state for backends that have	508	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	509	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	510	the child process (or both child and parent, but that again makes little
420	again makes little sense).	511	sense). You I<must> call it in the child before using any of the libev
		512	functions, and it will only take effect at the next C<ev_loop> iteration.
421		513
422	You I<must> call this function in the child process after forking if and	514	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	515	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.	516	you just fork+exec, you don't have to call it at all.
425		517
426	The function itself is quite fast and it's usually not a problem to call	518	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	519	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>:	520	quite nicely into a call to C<pthread_atfork>:
429		521
430	pthread_atfork (0, 0, ev_default_fork);	522	pthread_atfork (0, 0, ev_default_fork);
431		523
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)	524	=item ev_loop_fork (loop)
437		525
438	Like C<ev_default_fork>, but acts on an event loop created by	526	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	527	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.	528	after fork, and how you do this is entirely your own problem.
		529
		530	=item int ev_is_default_loop (loop)
		531
		532	Returns true when the given loop actually is the default loop, false otherwise.
441		533
442	=item unsigned int ev_loop_count (loop)	534	=item unsigned int ev_loop_count (loop)
443		535
444	Returns the count of loop iterations for the loop, which is identical to	536	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	537	the number of times libev did poll for new events. It starts at C<0> and
…		…
458		550
459	Returns the current "event loop time", which is the time the event loop	551	Returns the current "event loop time", which is the time the event loop
460	received events and started processing them. This timestamp does not	552	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	553	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	554	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).	555	event occurring (or more correctly, libev finding out about it).
464		556
465	=item ev_loop (loop, int flags)	557	=item ev_loop (loop, int flags)
466		558
467	Finally, this is it, the event handler. This function usually is called	559	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	560	after you initialised all your watchers and you want to start handling
…		…
490	usually a better approach for this kind of thing.	582	usually a better approach for this kind of thing.
491		583
492	Here are the gory details of what C<ev_loop> does:	584	Here are the gory details of what C<ev_loop> does:
493		585
494	- Before the first iteration, call any pending watchers.	586	- Before the first iteration, call any pending watchers.
495	* If there are no active watchers (reference count is zero), return.	587	* If EVFLAG_FORKCHECK was used, check for a fork.
496	- Queue all prepare watchers and then call all outstanding watchers.	588	- If a fork was detected, queue and call all fork watchers.
		589	- Queue and call all prepare watchers.
497	- If we have been forked, recreate the kernel state.	590	- If we have been forked, recreate the kernel state.
498	- Update the kernel state with all outstanding changes.	591	- Update the kernel state with all outstanding changes.
499	- Update the "event loop time".	592	- Update the "event loop time".
500	- Calculate for how long to block.	593	- Calculate for how long to sleep or block, if at all
		594	(active idle watchers, EVLOOP_NONBLOCK or not having
		595	any active watchers at all will result in not sleeping).
		596	- Sleep if the I/O and timer collect interval say so.
501	- Block the process, waiting for any events.	597	- Block the process, waiting for any events.
502	- Queue all outstanding I/O (fd) events.	598	- Queue all outstanding I/O (fd) events.
503	- Update the "event loop time" and do time jump handling.	599	- Update the "event loop time" and do time jump handling.
504	- Queue all outstanding timers.	600	- Queue all outstanding timers.
505	- Queue all outstanding periodics.	601	- Queue all outstanding periodics.
506	- If no events are pending now, queue all idle watchers.	602	- If no events are pending now, queue all idle watchers.
507	- Queue all check watchers.	603	- Queue all check watchers.
508	- Call all queued watchers in reverse order (i.e. check watchers first).	604	- 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	605	Signals and child watchers are implemented as I/O watchers, and will
510	be handled here by queueing them when their watcher gets executed.	606	be handled here by queueing them when their watcher gets executed.
511	- If ev_unloop has been called or EVLOOP_ONESHOT or EVLOOP_NONBLOCK	607	- If ev_unloop has been called, or EVLOOP_ONESHOT or EVLOOP_NONBLOCK
512	were used, return, otherwise continue with step *.	608	were used, or there are no active watchers, return, otherwise
		609	continue with step *.
513		610
514	Example: Queue some jobs and then loop until no events are outsanding	611	Example: Queue some jobs and then loop until no events are outstanding
515	anymore.	612	anymore.
516		613
517	... queue jobs here, make sure they register event watchers as long	614	... 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..)	615	... as they still have work to do (even an idle watcher will do..)
519	ev_loop (my_loop, 0);	616	ev_loop (my_loop, 0);
…		…
523		620
524	Can be used to make a call to C<ev_loop> return early (but only after it	621	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	622	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	623	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.	624	C<EVUNLOOP_ALL>, which will make all nested C<ev_loop> calls return.
		625
		626	This "unloop state" will be cleared when entering C<ev_loop> again.
528		627
529	=item ev_ref (loop)	628	=item ev_ref (loop)
530		629
531	=item ev_unref (loop)	630	=item ev_unref (loop)
532		631
…		…
537	returning, ev_unref() after starting, and ev_ref() before stopping it. For	636	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	637	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	638	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	639	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	640	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>.	641	libraries. Just remember to I<unref after start> and I<ref before stop>
		642	(but only if the watcher wasn't active before, or was active before,
		643	respectively).
543		644
544	Example: Create a signal watcher, but keep it from keeping C<ev_loop>	645	Example: Create a signal watcher, but keep it from keeping C<ev_loop>
545	running when nothing else is active.	646	running when nothing else is active.
546		647
547	struct ev_signal exitsig;	648	struct ev_signal exitsig;
…		…
551		652
552	Example: For some weird reason, unregister the above signal handler again.	653	Example: For some weird reason, unregister the above signal handler again.
553		654
554	ev_ref (loop);	655	ev_ref (loop);
555	ev_signal_stop (loop, &exitsig);	656	ev_signal_stop (loop, &exitsig);
		657
		658	=item ev_set_io_collect_interval (loop, ev_tstamp interval)
		659
		660	=item ev_set_timeout_collect_interval (loop, ev_tstamp interval)
		661
		662	These advanced functions influence the time that libev will spend waiting
		663	for events. Both are by default C<0>, meaning that libev will try to
		664	invoke timer/periodic callbacks and I/O callbacks with minimum latency.
		665
		666	Setting these to a higher value (the C<interval> I<must> be >= C<0>)
		667	allows libev to delay invocation of I/O and timer/periodic callbacks to
		668	increase efficiency of loop iterations.
		669
		670	The background is that sometimes your program runs just fast enough to
		671	handle one (or very few) event(s) per loop iteration. While this makes
		672	the program responsive, it also wastes a lot of CPU time to poll for new
		673	events, especially with backends like C<select ()> which have a high
		674	overhead for the actual polling but can deliver many events at once.
		675
		676	By setting a higher I<io collect interval> you allow libev to spend more
		677	time collecting I/O events, so you can handle more events per iteration,
		678	at the cost of increasing latency. Timeouts (both C<ev_periodic> and
		679	C<ev_timer>) will be not affected. Setting this to a non-null value will
		680	introduce an additional C<ev_sleep ()> call into most loop iterations.
		681
		682	Likewise, by setting a higher I<timeout collect interval> you allow libev
		683	to spend more time collecting timeouts, at the expense of increased
		684	latency (the watcher callback will be called later). C<ev_io> watchers
		685	will not be affected. Setting this to a non-null value will not introduce
		686	any overhead in libev.
		687
		688	Many (busy) programs can usually benefit by setting the io collect
		689	interval to a value near C<0.1> or so, which is often enough for
		690	interactive servers (of course not for games), likewise for timeouts. It
		691	usually doesn't make much sense to set it to a lower value than C<0.01>,
		692	as this approsaches the timing granularity of most systems.
556		693
557	=back	694	=back
558		695
559		696
560	=head1 ANATOMY OF A WATCHER	697	=head1 ANATOMY OF A WATCHER
…		…
659		796
660	=item C<EV_FORK>	797	=item C<EV_FORK>
661		798
662	The event loop has been resumed in the child process after fork (see	799	The event loop has been resumed in the child process after fork (see
663	C<ev_fork>).	800	C<ev_fork>).
		801
		802	=item C<EV_ASYNC>
		803
		804	The given async watcher has been asynchronously notified (see C<ev_async>).
664		805
665	=item C<EV_ERROR>	806	=item C<EV_ERROR>
666		807
667	An unspecified error has occured, the watcher has been stopped. This might	808	An unspecified error has occured, the watcher has been stopped. This might
668	happen because the watcher could not be properly started because libev	809	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	1027	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	1028	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	1029	descriptors to non-blocking mode is also usually a good idea (but not
889	required if you know what you are doing).	1030	required if you know what you are doing).
890		1031
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	1032	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	1033	(at the time of this writing, this includes only C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> and
899	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>).	1034	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>).
900		1035
901	Another thing you have to watch out for is that it is quite easy to	1036	Another thing you have to watch out for is that it is quite easy to
…		…
913	such as poll (fortunately in our Xlib example, Xlib already does this on	1048	such as poll (fortunately in our Xlib example, Xlib already does this on
914	its own, so its quite safe to use).	1049	its own, so its quite safe to use).
915		1050
916	=head3 The special problem of disappearing file descriptors	1051	=head3 The special problem of disappearing file descriptors
917		1052
918	Some backends (e.g kqueue, epoll) need to be told about closing a file	1053	Some backends (e.g. kqueue, epoll) need to be told about closing a file
919	descriptor (either by calling C<close> explicitly or by any other means,	1054	descriptor (either by calling C<close> explicitly or by any other means,
920	such as C<dup>). The reason is that you register interest in some file	1055	such as C<dup>). The reason is that you register interest in some file
921	descriptor, but when it goes away, the operating system will silently drop	1056	descriptor, but when it goes away, the operating system will silently drop
922	this interest. If another file descriptor with the same number then is	1057	this interest. If another file descriptor with the same number then is
923	registered with libev, there is no efficient way to see that this is, in	1058	registered with libev, there is no efficient way to see that this is, in
…		…
932		1067
933	This is how one would do it normally anyway, the important point is that	1068	This is how one would do it normally anyway, the important point is that
934	the libev application should not optimise around libev but should leave	1069	the libev application should not optimise around libev but should leave
935	optimisations to libev.	1070	optimisations to libev.
936		1071
		1072	=head3 The special problem of dup'ed file descriptors
		1073
		1074	Some backends (e.g. epoll), cannot register events for file descriptors,
		1075	but only events for the underlying file descriptions. That means when you
		1076	have C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors or weirder constellations, and register
		1077	events for them, only one file descriptor might actually receive events.
		1078
		1079	There is no workaround possible except not registering events
		1080	for potentially C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors, or to resort to
		1081	C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
		1082
		1083	=head3 The special problem of fork
		1084
		1085	Some backends (epoll, kqueue) do not support C<fork ()> at all or exhibit
		1086	useless behaviour. Libev fully supports fork, but needs to be told about
		1087	it in the child.
		1088
		1089	To support fork in your programs, you either have to call
		1090	C<ev_default_fork ()> or C<ev_loop_fork ()> after a fork in the child,
		1091	enable C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>, or resort to C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or
		1092	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
		1093
		1094	=head3 The special problem of SIGPIPE
		1095
		1096	While not really specific to libev, it is easy to forget about SIGPIPE:
		1097	when reading from a pipe whose other end has been closed, your program
		1098	gets send a SIGPIPE, which, by default, aborts your program. For most
		1099	programs this is sensible behaviour, for daemons, this is usually
		1100	undesirable.
		1101
		1102	So when you encounter spurious, unexplained daemon exits, make sure you
		1103	ignore SIGPIPE (and maybe make sure you log the exit status of your daemon
		1104	somewhere, as that would have given you a big clue).
		1105
		1106
		1107	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions
937		1108
938	=over 4	1109	=over 4
939		1110
940	=item ev_io_init (ev_io *, callback, int fd, int events)	1111	=item ev_io_init (ev_io *, callback, int fd, int events)
941		1112
…		…
952	=item int events [read-only]	1123	=item int events [read-only]
953		1124
954	The events being watched.	1125	The events being watched.
955		1126
956	=back	1127	=back
		1128
		1129	=head3 Examples
957		1130
958	Example: Call C<stdin_readable_cb> when STDIN_FILENO has become, well	1131	Example: Call C<stdin_readable_cb> when STDIN_FILENO has become, well
959	readable, but only once. Since it is likely line-buffered, you could	1132	readable, but only once. Since it is likely line-buffered, you could
960	attempt to read a whole line in the callback.	1133	attempt to read a whole line in the callback.
961		1134
…		…
995		1168
996	The callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when its timeout has passed,	1169	The callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when its timeout has passed,
997	but if multiple timers become ready during the same loop iteration then	1170	but if multiple timers become ready during the same loop iteration then
998	order of execution is undefined.	1171	order of execution is undefined.
999		1172
		1173	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1174
1000	=over 4	1175	=over 4
1001		1176
1002	=item ev_timer_init (ev_timer *, callback, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)	1177	=item ev_timer_init (ev_timer *, callback, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)
1003		1178
1004	=item ev_timer_set (ev_timer *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)	1179	=item ev_timer_set (ev_timer *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)
…		…
1012	configure a timer to trigger every 10 seconds, then it will trigger at	1187	configure a timer to trigger every 10 seconds, then it will trigger at
1013	exactly 10 second intervals. If, however, your program cannot keep up with	1188	exactly 10 second intervals. If, however, your program cannot keep up with
1014	the timer (because it takes longer than those 10 seconds to do stuff) the	1189	the timer (because it takes longer than those 10 seconds to do stuff) the
1015	timer will not fire more than once per event loop iteration.	1190	timer will not fire more than once per event loop iteration.
1016		1191
1017	=item ev_timer_again (loop)	1192	=item ev_timer_again (loop, ev_timer *)
1018		1193
1019	This will act as if the timer timed out and restart it again if it is	1194	This will act as if the timer timed out and restart it again if it is
1020	repeating. The exact semantics are:	1195	repeating. The exact semantics are:
1021		1196
1022	If the timer is pending, its pending status is cleared.	1197	If the timer is pending, its pending status is cleared.
…		…
1057	or C<ev_timer_again> is called and determines the next timeout (if any),	1232	or C<ev_timer_again> is called and determines the next timeout (if any),
1058	which is also when any modifications are taken into account.	1233	which is also when any modifications are taken into account.
1059		1234
1060	=back	1235	=back
1061		1236
		1237	=head3 Examples
		1238
1062	Example: Create a timer that fires after 60 seconds.	1239	Example: Create a timer that fires after 60 seconds.
1063		1240
1064	static void	1241	static void
1065	one_minute_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	1242	one_minute_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_timer *w, int revents)
1066	{	1243	{
…		…
1109		1286
1110	As with timers, the callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when the	1287	As with timers, the callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when the
1111	time (C<at>) has been passed, but if multiple periodic timers become ready	1288	time (C<at>) has been passed, but if multiple periodic timers become ready
1112	during the same loop iteration then order of execution is undefined.	1289	during the same loop iteration then order of execution is undefined.
1113		1290
		1291	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1292
1114	=over 4	1293	=over 4
1115		1294
1116	=item ev_periodic_init (ev_periodic *, callback, ev_tstamp at, ev_tstamp interval, reschedule_cb)	1295	=item ev_periodic_init (ev_periodic *, callback, ev_tstamp at, ev_tstamp interval, reschedule_cb)
1117		1296
1118	=item ev_periodic_set (ev_periodic *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat, reschedule_cb)	1297	=item ev_periodic_set (ev_periodic *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat, reschedule_cb)
…		…
1127	In this configuration the watcher triggers an event at the wallclock time	1306	In this configuration the watcher triggers an event at the wallclock time
1128	C<at> and doesn't repeat. It will not adjust when a time jump occurs,	1307	C<at> and doesn't repeat. It will not adjust when a time jump occurs,
1129	that is, if it is to be run at January 1st 2011 then it will run when the	1308	that is, if it is to be run at January 1st 2011 then it will run when the
1130	system time reaches or surpasses this time.	1309	system time reaches or surpasses this time.
1131		1310
1132	=item * non-repeating interval timer (at = offset, interval > 0, reschedule_cb = 0)	1311	=item * repeating interval timer (at = offset, interval > 0, reschedule_cb = 0)
1133		1312
1134	In this mode the watcher will always be scheduled to time out at the next	1313	In this mode the watcher will always be scheduled to time out at the next
1135	C<at + N * interval> time (for some integer N, which can also be negative)	1314	C<at + N * interval> time (for some integer N, which can also be negative)
1136	and then repeat, regardless of any time jumps.	1315	and then repeat, regardless of any time jumps.
1137		1316
…		…
1214		1393
1215	The current reschedule callback, or C<0>, if this functionality is	1394	The current reschedule callback, or C<0>, if this functionality is
1216	switched off. Can be changed any time, but changes only take effect when	1395	switched off. Can be changed any time, but changes only take effect when
1217	the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.	1396	the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.
1218		1397
		1398	=item ev_tstamp at [read-only]
		1399
		1400	When active, contains the absolute time that the watcher is supposed to
		1401	trigger next.
		1402
1219	=back	1403	=back
		1404
		1405	=head3 Examples
1220		1406
1221	Example: Call a callback every hour, or, more precisely, whenever the	1407	Example: Call a callback every hour, or, more precisely, whenever the
1222	system clock is divisible by 3600. The callback invocation times have	1408	system clock is divisible by 3600. The callback invocation times have
1223	potentially a lot of jittering, but good long-term stability.	1409	potentially a lot of jittering, but good long-term stability.
1224		1410
…		…
1264	with the kernel (thus it coexists with your own signal handlers as long	1450	with the kernel (thus it coexists with your own signal handlers as long
1265	as you don't register any with libev). Similarly, when the last signal	1451	as you don't register any with libev). Similarly, when the last signal
1266	watcher for a signal is stopped libev will reset the signal handler to	1452	watcher for a signal is stopped libev will reset the signal handler to
1267	SIG_DFL (regardless of what it was set to before).	1453	SIG_DFL (regardless of what it was set to before).
1268		1454
		1455	If possible and supported, libev will install its handlers with
		1456	C<SA_RESTART> behaviour enabled, so syscalls should not be unduly
		1457	interrupted. If you have a problem with syscalls getting interrupted by
		1458	signals you can block all signals in an C<ev_check> watcher and unblock
		1459	them in an C<ev_prepare> watcher.
		1460
		1461	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1462
1269	=over 4	1463	=over 4
1270		1464
1271	=item ev_signal_init (ev_signal *, callback, int signum)	1465	=item ev_signal_init (ev_signal *, callback, int signum)
1272		1466
1273	=item ev_signal_set (ev_signal *, int signum)	1467	=item ev_signal_set (ev_signal *, int signum)
…		…
1279		1473
1280	The signal the watcher watches out for.	1474	The signal the watcher watches out for.
1281		1475
1282	=back	1476	=back
1283		1477
		1478	=head3 Examples
		1479
		1480	Example: Try to exit cleanly on SIGINT and SIGTERM.
		1481
		1482	static void
		1483	sigint_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_signal *w, int revents)
		1484	{
		1485	ev_unloop (loop, EVUNLOOP_ALL);
		1486	}
		1487
		1488	struct ev_signal signal_watcher;
		1489	ev_signal_init (&signal_watcher, sigint_cb, SIGINT);
		1490	ev_signal_start (loop, &sigint_cb);
		1491
1284		1492
1285	=head2 C<ev_child> - watch out for process status changes	1493	=head2 C<ev_child> - watch out for process status changes
1286		1494
1287	Child watchers trigger when your process receives a SIGCHLD in response to	1495	Child watchers trigger when your process receives a SIGCHLD in response to
1288	some child status changes (most typically when a child of yours dies).	1496	some child status changes (most typically when a child of yours dies). It
		1497	is permissible to install a child watcher I<after> the child has been
		1498	forked (which implies it might have already exited), as long as the event
		1499	loop isn't entered (or is continued from a watcher).
		1500
		1501	Only the default event loop is capable of handling signals, and therefore
		1502	you can only rgeister child watchers in the default event loop.
		1503
		1504	=head3 Process Interaction
		1505
		1506	Libev grabs C<SIGCHLD> as soon as the default event loop is
		1507	initialised. This is necessary to guarantee proper behaviour even if
		1508	the first child watcher is started after the child exits. The occurance
		1509	of C<SIGCHLD> is recorded asynchronously, but child reaping is done
		1510	synchronously as part of the event loop processing. Libev always reaps all
		1511	children, even ones not watched.
		1512
		1513	=head3 Overriding the Built-In Processing
		1514
		1515	Libev offers no special support for overriding the built-in child
		1516	processing, but if your application collides with libev's default child
		1517	handler, you can override it easily by installing your own handler for
		1518	C<SIGCHLD> after initialising the default loop, and making sure the
		1519	default loop never gets destroyed. You are encouraged, however, to use an
		1520	event-based approach to child reaping and thus use libev's support for
		1521	that, so other libev users can use C<ev_child> watchers freely.
		1522
		1523	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1289		1524
1290	=over 4	1525	=over 4
1291		1526
1292	=item ev_child_init (ev_child *, callback, int pid)	1527	=item ev_child_init (ev_child *, callback, int pid, int trace)
1293		1528
1294	=item ev_child_set (ev_child *, int pid)	1529	=item ev_child_set (ev_child *, int pid, int trace)
1295		1530
1296	Configures the watcher to wait for status changes of process C<pid> (or	1531	Configures the watcher to wait for status changes of process C<pid> (or
1297	I<any> process if C<pid> is specified as C<0>). The callback can look	1532	I<any> process if C<pid> is specified as C<0>). The callback can look
1298	at the C<rstatus> member of the C<ev_child> watcher structure to see	1533	at the C<rstatus> member of the C<ev_child> watcher structure to see
1299	the status word (use the macros from C<sys/wait.h> and see your systems	1534	the status word (use the macros from C<sys/wait.h> and see your systems
1300	C<waitpid> documentation). The C<rpid> member contains the pid of the	1535	C<waitpid> documentation). The C<rpid> member contains the pid of the
1301	process causing the status change.	1536	process causing the status change. C<trace> must be either C<0> (only
		1537	activate the watcher when the process terminates) or C<1> (additionally
		1538	activate the watcher when the process is stopped or continued).
1302		1539
1303	=item int pid [read-only]	1540	=item int pid [read-only]
1304		1541
1305	The process id this watcher watches out for, or C<0>, meaning any process id.	1542	The process id this watcher watches out for, or C<0>, meaning any process id.
1306		1543
…		…
1313	The process exit/trace status caused by C<rpid> (see your systems	1550	The process exit/trace status caused by C<rpid> (see your systems
1314	C<waitpid> and C<sys/wait.h> documentation for details).	1551	C<waitpid> and C<sys/wait.h> documentation for details).
1315		1552
1316	=back	1553	=back
1317		1554
1318	Example: Try to exit cleanly on SIGINT and SIGTERM.	1555	=head3 Examples
		1556
		1557	Example: C<fork()> a new process and install a child handler to wait for
		1558	its completion.
		1559
		1560	ev_child cw;
1319		1561
1320	static void	1562	static void
1321	sigint_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_signal *w, int revents)	1563	child_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_child *w, int revents)
1322	{	1564	{
1323	ev_unloop (loop, EVUNLOOP_ALL);	1565	ev_child_stop (EV_A_ w);
		1566	printf ("process %d exited with status %x\n", w->rpid, w->rstatus);
1324	}	1567	}
1325		1568
1326	struct ev_signal signal_watcher;	1569	pid_t pid = fork ();
1327	ev_signal_init (&signal_watcher, sigint_cb, SIGINT);	1570
1328	ev_signal_start (loop, &sigint_cb);	1571	if (pid < 0)
		1572	// error
		1573	else if (pid == 0)
		1574	{
		1575	// the forked child executes here
		1576	exit (1);
		1577	}
		1578	else
		1579	{
		1580	ev_child_init (&cw, child_cb, pid, 0);
		1581	ev_child_start (EV_DEFAULT_ &cw);
		1582	}
1329		1583
1330		1584
1331	=head2 C<ev_stat> - did the file attributes just change?	1585	=head2 C<ev_stat> - did the file attributes just change?
1332		1586
1333	This watches a filesystem path for attribute changes. That is, it calls	1587	This watches a filesystem path for attribute changes. That is, it calls
…		…
1362	semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers, which means that libev sometimes needs	1616	semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers, which means that libev sometimes needs
1363	to fall back to regular polling again even with inotify, but changes are	1617	to fall back to regular polling again even with inotify, but changes are
1364	usually detected immediately, and if the file exists there will be no	1618	usually detected immediately, and if the file exists there will be no
1365	polling.	1619	polling.
1366		1620
		1621	=head3 ABI Issues (Largefile Support)
		1622
		1623	Libev by default (unless the user overrides this) uses the default
		1624	compilation environment, which means that on systems with optionally
		1625	disabled large file support, you get the 32 bit version of the stat
		1626	structure. When using the library from programs that change the ABI to
		1627	use 64 bit file offsets the programs will fail. In that case you have to
		1628	compile libev with the same flags to get binary compatibility. This is
		1629	obviously the case with any flags that change the ABI, but the problem is
		1630	most noticably with ev_stat and largefile support.
		1631
		1632	=head3 Inotify
		1633
		1634	When C<inotify (7)> support has been compiled into libev (generally only
		1635	available on Linux) and present at runtime, it will be used to speed up
		1636	change detection where possible. The inotify descriptor will be created lazily
		1637	when the first C<ev_stat> watcher is being started.
		1638
		1639	Inotify presence does not change the semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers
		1640	except that changes might be detected earlier, and in some cases, to avoid
		1641	making regular C<stat> calls. Even in the presence of inotify support
		1642	there are many cases where libev has to resort to regular C<stat> polling.
		1643
		1644	(There is no support for kqueue, as apparently it cannot be used to
		1645	implement this functionality, due to the requirement of having a file
		1646	descriptor open on the object at all times).
		1647
		1648	=head3 The special problem of stat time resolution
		1649
		1650	The C<stat ()> syscall only supports full-second resolution portably, and
		1651	even on systems where the resolution is higher, many filesystems still
		1652	only support whole seconds.
		1653
		1654	That means that, if the time is the only thing that changes, you might
		1655	miss updates: on the first update, C<ev_stat> detects a change and calls
		1656	your callback, which does something. When there is another update within
		1657	the same second, C<ev_stat> will be unable to detect it.
		1658
		1659	The solution to this is to delay acting on a change for a second (or till
		1660	the next second boundary), using a roughly one-second delay C<ev_timer>
		1661	(C<ev_timer_set (w, 0., 1.01); ev_timer_again (loop, w)>). The C<.01>
		1662	is added to work around small timing inconsistencies of some operating
		1663	systems.
		1664
		1665	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1666
1367	=over 4	1667	=over 4
1368		1668
1369	=item ev_stat_init (ev_stat *, callback, const char *path, ev_tstamp interval)	1669	=item ev_stat_init (ev_stat *, callback, const char *path, ev_tstamp interval)
1370		1670
1371	=item ev_stat_set (ev_stat *, const char *path, ev_tstamp interval)	1671	=item ev_stat_set (ev_stat *, const char *path, ev_tstamp interval)
…		…
1378		1678
1379	The callback will be receive C<EV_STAT> when a change was detected,	1679	The callback will be receive C<EV_STAT> when a change was detected,
1380	relative to the attributes at the time the watcher was started (or the	1680	relative to the attributes at the time the watcher was started (or the
1381	last change was detected).	1681	last change was detected).
1382		1682
1383	=item ev_stat_stat (ev_stat *)	1683	=item ev_stat_stat (loop, ev_stat *)
1384		1684
1385	Updates the stat buffer immediately with new values. If you change the	1685	Updates the stat buffer immediately with new values. If you change the
1386	watched path in your callback, you could call this fucntion to avoid	1686	watched path in your callback, you could call this fucntion to avoid
1387	detecting this change (while introducing a race condition). Can also be	1687	detecting this change (while introducing a race condition). Can also be
1388	useful simply to find out the new values.	1688	useful simply to find out the new values.
…		…
1406	=item const char *path [read-only]	1706	=item const char *path [read-only]
1407		1707
1408	The filesystem path that is being watched.	1708	The filesystem path that is being watched.
1409		1709
1410	=back	1710	=back
		1711
		1712	=head3 Examples
1411		1713
1412	Example: Watch C</etc/passwd> for attribute changes.	1714	Example: Watch C</etc/passwd> for attribute changes.
1413		1715
1414	static void	1716	static void
1415	passwd_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_stat *w, int revents)	1717	passwd_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_stat *w, int revents)
…		…
1428	}	1730	}
1429		1731
1430	...	1732	...
1431	ev_stat passwd;	1733	ev_stat passwd;
1432		1734
1433	ev_stat_init (&passwd, passwd_cb, "/etc/passwd");	1735	ev_stat_init (&passwd, passwd_cb, "/etc/passwd", 0.);
1434	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);	1736	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);
		1737
		1738	Example: Like above, but additionally use a one-second delay so we do not
		1739	miss updates (however, frequent updates will delay processing, too, so
		1740	one might do the work both on C<ev_stat> callback invocation I<and> on
		1741	C<ev_timer> callback invocation).
		1742
		1743	static ev_stat passwd;
		1744	static ev_timer timer;
		1745
		1746	static void
		1747	timer_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
		1748	{
		1749	ev_timer_stop (EV_A_ w);
		1750
		1751	/* now it's one second after the most recent passwd change */
		1752	}
		1753
		1754	static void
		1755	stat_cb (EV_P_ ev_stat *w, int revents)
		1756	{
		1757	/* reset the one-second timer */
		1758	ev_timer_again (EV_A_ &timer);
		1759	}
		1760
		1761	...
		1762	ev_stat_init (&passwd, stat_cb, "/etc/passwd", 0.);
		1763	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);
		1764	ev_timer_init (&timer, timer_cb, 0., 1.01);
1435		1765
1436		1766
1437	=head2 C<ev_idle> - when you've got nothing better to do...	1767	=head2 C<ev_idle> - when you've got nothing better to do...
1438		1768
1439	Idle watchers trigger events when no other events of the same or higher	1769	Idle watchers trigger events when no other events of the same or higher
…		…
1453	Apart from keeping your process non-blocking (which is a useful	1783	Apart from keeping your process non-blocking (which is a useful
1454	effect on its own sometimes), idle watchers are a good place to do	1784	effect on its own sometimes), idle watchers are a good place to do
1455	"pseudo-background processing", or delay processing stuff to after the	1785	"pseudo-background processing", or delay processing stuff to after the
1456	event loop has handled all outstanding events.	1786	event loop has handled all outstanding events.
1457		1787
		1788	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1789
1458	=over 4	1790	=over 4
1459		1791
1460	=item ev_idle_init (ev_signal *, callback)	1792	=item ev_idle_init (ev_signal *, callback)
1461		1793
1462	Initialises and configures the idle watcher - it has no parameters of any	1794	Initialises and configures the idle watcher - it has no parameters of any
1463	kind. There is a C<ev_idle_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,	1795	kind. There is a C<ev_idle_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
1464	believe me.	1796	believe me.
1465		1797
1466	=back	1798	=back
		1799
		1800	=head3 Examples
1467		1801
1468	Example: Dynamically allocate an C<ev_idle> watcher, start it, and in the	1802	Example: Dynamically allocate an C<ev_idle> watcher, start it, and in the
1469	callback, free it. Also, use no error checking, as usual.	1803	callback, free it. Also, use no error checking, as usual.
1470		1804
1471	static void	1805	static void
1472	idle_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_idle *w, int revents)	1806	idle_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_idle *w, int revents)
1473	{	1807	{
1474	free (w);	1808	free (w);
1475	// now do something you wanted to do when the program has	1809	// now do something you wanted to do when the program has
1476	// no longer asnything immediate to do.	1810	// no longer anything immediate to do.
1477	}	1811	}
1478		1812
1479	struct ev_idle *idle_watcher = malloc (sizeof (struct ev_idle));	1813	struct ev_idle *idle_watcher = malloc (sizeof (struct ev_idle));
1480	ev_idle_init (idle_watcher, idle_cb);	1814	ev_idle_init (idle_watcher, idle_cb);
1481	ev_idle_start (loop, idle_cb);	1815	ev_idle_start (loop, idle_cb);
…		…
1523		1857
1524	It is recommended to give C<ev_check> watchers highest (C<EV_MAXPRI>)	1858	It is recommended to give C<ev_check> watchers highest (C<EV_MAXPRI>)
1525	priority, to ensure that they are being run before any other watchers	1859	priority, to ensure that they are being run before any other watchers
1526	after the poll. Also, C<ev_check> watchers (and C<ev_prepare> watchers,	1860	after the poll. Also, C<ev_check> watchers (and C<ev_prepare> watchers,
1527	too) should not activate ("feed") events into libev. While libev fully	1861	too) should not activate ("feed") events into libev. While libev fully
1528	supports this, they will be called before other C<ev_check> watchers did	1862	supports this, they will be called before other C<ev_check> watchers
1529	their job. As C<ev_check> watchers are often used to embed other event	1863	did their job. As C<ev_check> watchers are often used to embed other
1530	loops those other event loops might be in an unusable state until their	1864	(non-libev) event loops those other event loops might be in an unusable
1531	C<ev_check> watcher ran (always remind yourself to coexist peacefully with	1865	state until their C<ev_check> watcher ran (always remind yourself to
1532	others).	1866	coexist peacefully with others).
		1867
		1868	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1533		1869
1534	=over 4	1870	=over 4
1535		1871
1536	=item ev_prepare_init (ev_prepare *, callback)	1872	=item ev_prepare_init (ev_prepare *, callback)
1537		1873
…		…
1540	Initialises and configures the prepare or check watcher - they have no	1876	Initialises and configures the prepare or check watcher - they have no
1541	parameters of any kind. There are C<ev_prepare_set> and C<ev_check_set>	1877	parameters of any kind. There are C<ev_prepare_set> and C<ev_check_set>
1542	macros, but using them is utterly, utterly and completely pointless.	1878	macros, but using them is utterly, utterly and completely pointless.
1543		1879
1544	=back	1880	=back
		1881
		1882	=head3 Examples
1545		1883
1546	There are a number of principal ways to embed other event loops or modules	1884	There are a number of principal ways to embed other event loops or modules
1547	into libev. Here are some ideas on how to include libadns into libev	1885	into libev. Here are some ideas on how to include libadns into libev
1548	(there is a Perl module named C<EV::ADNS> that does this, which you could	1886	(there is a Perl module named C<EV::ADNS> that does this, which you could
1549	use for an actually working example. Another Perl module named C<EV::Glib>	1887	use for an actually working example. Another Perl module named C<EV::Glib>
…		…
1718	portable one.	2056	portable one.
1719		2057
1720	So when you want to use this feature you will always have to be prepared	2058	So when you want to use this feature you will always have to be prepared
1721	that you cannot get an embeddable loop. The recommended way to get around	2059	that you cannot get an embeddable loop. The recommended way to get around
1722	this is to have a separate variables for your embeddable loop, try to	2060	this is to have a separate variables for your embeddable loop, try to
1723	create it, and if that fails, use the normal loop for everything:	2061	create it, and if that fails, use the normal loop for everything.
		2062
		2063	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		2064
		2065	=over 4
		2066
		2067	=item ev_embed_init (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)
		2068
		2069	=item ev_embed_set (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)
		2070
		2071	Configures the watcher to embed the given loop, which must be
		2072	embeddable. If the callback is C<0>, then C<ev_embed_sweep> will be
		2073	invoked automatically, otherwise it is the responsibility of the callback
		2074	to invoke it (it will continue to be called until the sweep has been done,
		2075	if you do not want thta, you need to temporarily stop the embed watcher).
		2076
		2077	=item ev_embed_sweep (loop, ev_embed *)
		2078
		2079	Make a single, non-blocking sweep over the embedded loop. This works
		2080	similarly to C<ev_loop (embedded_loop, EVLOOP_NONBLOCK)>, but in the most
		2081	apropriate way for embedded loops.
		2082
		2083	=item struct ev_loop *other [read-only]
		2084
		2085	The embedded event loop.
		2086
		2087	=back
		2088
		2089	=head3 Examples
		2090
		2091	Example: Try to get an embeddable event loop and embed it into the default
		2092	event loop. If that is not possible, use the default loop. The default
		2093	loop is stored in C<loop_hi>, while the mebeddable loop is stored in
		2094	C<loop_lo> (which is C<loop_hi> in the acse no embeddable loop can be
		2095	used).
1724		2096
1725	struct ev_loop *loop_hi = ev_default_init (0);	2097	struct ev_loop *loop_hi = ev_default_init (0);
1726	struct ev_loop *loop_lo = 0;	2098	struct ev_loop *loop_lo = 0;
1727	struct ev_embed embed;	2099	struct ev_embed embed;
1728		2100
…		…
1739	ev_embed_start (loop_hi, &embed);	2111	ev_embed_start (loop_hi, &embed);
1740	}	2112	}
1741	else	2113	else
1742	loop_lo = loop_hi;	2114	loop_lo = loop_hi;
1743		2115
1744	=over 4	2116	Example: Check if kqueue is available but not recommended and create
		2117	a kqueue backend for use with sockets (which usually work with any
		2118	kqueue implementation). Store the kqueue/socket-only event loop in
		2119	C<loop_socket>. (One might optionally use C<EVFLAG_NOENV>, too).
1745		2120
1746	=item ev_embed_init (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)	2121	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_init (0);
		2122	struct ev_loop *loop_socket = 0;
		2123	struct ev_embed embed;
		2124
		2125	if (ev_supported_backends () & ~ev_recommended_backends () & EVBACKEND_KQUEUE)
		2126	if ((loop_socket = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_KQUEUE))
		2127	{
		2128	ev_embed_init (&embed, 0, loop_socket);
		2129	ev_embed_start (loop, &embed);
		2130	}
1747		2131
1748	=item ev_embed_set (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)	2132	if (!loop_socket)
		2133	loop_socket = loop;
1749		2134
1750	Configures the watcher to embed the given loop, which must be	2135	// now use loop_socket for all sockets, and loop for everything else
1751	embeddable. If the callback is C<0>, then C<ev_embed_sweep> will be
1752	invoked automatically, otherwise it is the responsibility of the callback
1753	to invoke it (it will continue to be called until the sweep has been done,
1754	if you do not want thta, you need to temporarily stop the embed watcher).
1755
1756	=item ev_embed_sweep (loop, ev_embed *)
1757
1758	Make a single, non-blocking sweep over the embedded loop. This works
1759	similarly to C<ev_loop (embedded_loop, EVLOOP_NONBLOCK)>, but in the most
1760	apropriate way for embedded loops.
1761
1762	=item struct ev_loop *loop [read-only]
1763
1764	The embedded event loop.
1765
1766	=back
1767		2136
1768		2137
1769	=head2 C<ev_fork> - the audacity to resume the event loop after a fork	2138	=head2 C<ev_fork> - the audacity to resume the event loop after a fork
1770		2139
1771	Fork watchers are called when a C<fork ()> was detected (usually because	2140	Fork watchers are called when a C<fork ()> was detected (usually because
…		…
1774	event loop blocks next and before C<ev_check> watchers are being called,	2143	event loop blocks next and before C<ev_check> watchers are being called,
1775	and only in the child after the fork. If whoever good citizen calling	2144	and only in the child after the fork. If whoever good citizen calling
1776	C<ev_default_fork> cheats and calls it in the wrong process, the fork	2145	C<ev_default_fork> cheats and calls it in the wrong process, the fork
1777	handlers will be invoked, too, of course.	2146	handlers will be invoked, too, of course.
1778		2147
		2148	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		2149
1779	=over 4	2150	=over 4
1780		2151
1781	=item ev_fork_init (ev_signal *, callback)	2152	=item ev_fork_init (ev_signal *, callback)
1782		2153
1783	Initialises and configures the fork watcher - it has no parameters of any	2154	Initialises and configures the fork watcher - it has no parameters of any
1784	kind. There is a C<ev_fork_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,	2155	kind. There is a C<ev_fork_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
1785	believe me.	2156	believe me.
		2157
		2158	=back
		2159
		2160
		2161	=head2 C<ev_async> - how to wake up another event loop
		2162
		2163	In general, you cannot use an C<ev_loop> from multiple threads or other
		2164	asynchronous sources such as signal handlers (as opposed to multiple event
		2165	loops - those are of course safe to use in different threads).
		2166
		2167	Sometimes, however, you need to wake up another event loop you do not
		2168	control, for example because it belongs to another thread. This is what
		2169	C<ev_async> watchers do: as long as the C<ev_async> watcher is active, you
		2170	can signal it by calling C<ev_async_send>, which is thread- and signal
		2171	safe.
		2172
		2173	This functionality is very similar to C<ev_signal> watchers, as signals,
		2174	too, are asynchronous in nature, and signals, too, will be compressed
		2175	(i.e. the number of callback invocations may be less than the number of
		2176	C<ev_async_sent> calls).
		2177
		2178	Unlike C<ev_signal> watchers, C<ev_async> works with any event loop, not
		2179	just the default loop.
		2180
		2181	=head3 Queueing
		2182
		2183	C<ev_async> does not support queueing of data in any way. The reason
		2184	is that the author does not know of a simple (or any) algorithm for a
		2185	multiple-writer-single-reader queue that works in all cases and doesn't
		2186	need elaborate support such as pthreads.
		2187
		2188	That means that if you want to queue data, you have to provide your own
		2189	queue. But at least I can tell you would implement locking around your
		2190	queue:
		2191
		2192	=over 4
		2193
		2194	=item queueing from a signal handler context
		2195
		2196	To implement race-free queueing, you simply add to the queue in the signal
		2197	handler but you block the signal handler in the watcher callback. Here is an example that does that for
		2198	some fictitiuous SIGUSR1 handler:
		2199
		2200	static ev_async mysig;
		2201
		2202	static void
		2203	sigusr1_handler (void)
		2204	{
		2205	sometype data;
		2206
		2207	// no locking etc.
		2208	queue_put (data);
		2209	ev_async_send (EV_DEFAULT_ &mysig);
		2210	}
		2211
		2212	static void
		2213	mysig_cb (EV_P_ ev_async *w, int revents)
		2214	{
		2215	sometype data;
		2216	sigset_t block, prev;
		2217
		2218	sigemptyset (&block);
		2219	sigaddset (&block, SIGUSR1);
		2220	sigprocmask (SIG_BLOCK, &block, &prev);
		2221
		2222	while (queue_get (&data))
		2223	process (data);
		2224
		2225	if (sigismember (&prev, SIGUSR1)
		2226	sigprocmask (SIG_UNBLOCK, &block, 0);
		2227	}
		2228
		2229	(Note: pthreads in theory requires you to use C<pthread_setmask>
		2230	instead of C<sigprocmask> when you use threads, but libev doesn't do it
		2231	either...).
		2232
		2233	=item queueing from a thread context
		2234
		2235	The strategy for threads is different, as you cannot (easily) block
		2236	threads but you can easily preempt them, so to queue safely you need to
		2237	employ a traditional mutex lock, such as in this pthread example:
		2238
		2239	static ev_async mysig;
		2240	static pthread_mutex_t mymutex = PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER;
		2241
		2242	static void
		2243	otherthread (void)
		2244	{
		2245	// only need to lock the actual queueing operation
		2246	pthread_mutex_lock (&mymutex);
		2247	queue_put (data);
		2248	pthread_mutex_unlock (&mymutex);
		2249
		2250	ev_async_send (EV_DEFAULT_ &mysig);
		2251	}
		2252
		2253	static void
		2254	mysig_cb (EV_P_ ev_async *w, int revents)
		2255	{
		2256	pthread_mutex_lock (&mymutex);
		2257
		2258	while (queue_get (&data))
		2259	process (data);
		2260
		2261	pthread_mutex_unlock (&mymutex);
		2262	}
		2263
		2264	=back
		2265
		2266
		2267	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		2268
		2269	=over 4
		2270
		2271	=item ev_async_init (ev_async *, callback)
		2272
		2273	Initialises and configures the async watcher - it has no parameters of any
		2274	kind. There is a C<ev_asynd_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
		2275	believe me.
		2276
		2277	=item ev_async_send (loop, ev_async *)
		2278
		2279	Sends/signals/activates the given C<ev_async> watcher, that is, feeds
		2280	an C<EV_ASYNC> event on the watcher into the event loop. Unlike
		2281	C<ev_feed_event>, this call is safe to do in other threads, signal or
		2282	similar contexts (see the dicusssion of C<EV_ATOMIC_T> in the embedding
		2283	section below on what exactly this means).
		2284
		2285	This call incurs the overhead of a syscall only once per loop iteration,
		2286	so while the overhead might be noticable, it doesn't apply to repeated
		2287	calls to C<ev_async_send>.
		2288
		2289	=item bool = ev_async_pending (ev_async *)
		2290
		2291	Returns a non-zero value when C<ev_async_send> has been called on the
		2292	watcher but the event has not yet been processed (or even noted) by the
		2293	event loop.
		2294
		2295	C<ev_async_send> sets a flag in the watcher and wakes up the loop. When
		2296	the loop iterates next and checks for the watcher to have become active,
		2297	it will reset the flag again. C<ev_async_pending> can be used to very
		2298	quickly check wether invoking the loop might be a good idea.
		2299
		2300	Not that this does I<not> check wether the watcher itself is pending, only
		2301	wether it has been requested to make this watcher pending.
1786		2302
1787	=back	2303	=back
1788		2304
1789		2305
1790	=head1 OTHER FUNCTIONS	2306	=head1 OTHER FUNCTIONS
…		…
1862		2378
1863	=item * Priorities are not currently supported. Initialising priorities	2379	=item * Priorities are not currently supported. Initialising priorities
1864	will fail and all watchers will have the same priority, even though there	2380	will fail and all watchers will have the same priority, even though there
1865	is an ev_pri field.	2381	is an ev_pri field.
1866		2382
		2383	=item * In libevent, the last base created gets the signals, in libev, the
		2384	first base created (== the default loop) gets the signals.
		2385
1867	=item * Other members are not supported.	2386	=item * Other members are not supported.
1868		2387
1869	=item * The libev emulation is I<not> ABI compatible to libevent, you need	2388	=item * The libev emulation is I<not> ABI compatible to libevent, you need
1870	to use the libev header file and library.	2389	to use the libev header file and library.
1871		2390
…		…
1999		2518
2000	=item w->stop ()	2519	=item w->stop ()
2001		2520
2002	Stops the watcher if it is active. Again, no C<loop> argument.	2521	Stops the watcher if it is active. Again, no C<loop> argument.
2003		2522
2004	=item w->again () C<ev::timer>, C<ev::periodic> only	2523	=item w->again () (C<ev::timer>, C<ev::periodic> only)
2005		2524
2006	For C<ev::timer> and C<ev::periodic>, this invokes the corresponding	2525	For C<ev::timer> and C<ev::periodic>, this invokes the corresponding
2007	C<ev_TYPE_again> function.	2526	C<ev_TYPE_again> function.
2008		2527
2009	=item w->sweep () C<ev::embed> only	2528	=item w->sweep () (C<ev::embed> only)
2010		2529
2011	Invokes C<ev_embed_sweep>.	2530	Invokes C<ev_embed_sweep>.
2012		2531
2013	=item w->update () C<ev::stat> only	2532	=item w->update () (C<ev::stat> only)
2014		2533
2015	Invokes C<ev_stat_stat>.	2534	Invokes C<ev_stat_stat>.
2016		2535
2017	=back	2536	=back
2018		2537
…		…
2021	Example: Define a class with an IO and idle watcher, start one of them in	2540	Example: Define a class with an IO and idle watcher, start one of them in
2022	the constructor.	2541	the constructor.
2023		2542
2024	class myclass	2543	class myclass
2025	{	2544	{
2026	ev_io io; void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents);	2545	ev::io io; void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents);
2027	ev_idle idle void idle_cb (ev::idle &w, int revents);	2546	ev:idle idle void idle_cb (ev::idle &w, int revents);
2028		2547
2029	myclass ();	2548	myclass (int fd)
2030	}
2031
2032	myclass::myclass (int fd)
2033	{	2549	{
2034	io .set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb > (this);	2550	io .set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb > (this);
2035	idle.set <myclass, &myclass::idle_cb> (this);	2551	idle.set <myclass, &myclass::idle_cb> (this);
2036		2552
2037	io.start (fd, ev::READ);	2553	io.start (fd, ev::READ);
		2554	}
2038	}	2555	};
		2556
		2557
		2558	=head1 OTHER LANGUAGE BINDINGS
		2559
		2560	Libev does not offer other language bindings itself, but bindings for a
		2561	numbe rof languages exist in the form of third-party packages. If you know
		2562	any interesting language binding in addition to the ones listed here, drop
		2563	me a note.
		2564
		2565	=over 4
		2566
		2567	=item Perl
		2568
		2569	The EV module implements the full libev API and is actually used to test
		2570	libev. EV is developed together with libev. Apart from the EV core module,
		2571	there are additional modules that implement libev-compatible interfaces
		2572	to C<libadns> (C<EV::ADNS>), C<Net::SNMP> (C<Net::SNMP::EV>) and the
		2573	C<libglib> event core (C<Glib::EV> and C<EV::Glib>).
		2574
		2575	It can be found and installed via CPAN, its homepage is found at
		2576	L<http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/EV>.
		2577
		2578	=item Ruby
		2579
		2580	Tony Arcieri has written a ruby extension that offers access to a subset
		2581	of the libev API and adds filehandle abstractions, asynchronous DNS and
		2582	more on top of it. It can be found via gem servers. Its homepage is at
		2583	L<http://rev.rubyforge.org/>.
		2584
		2585	=item D
		2586
		2587	Leandro Lucarella has written a D language binding (F<ev.d>) for libev, to
		2588	be found at L<http://git.llucax.com.ar/?p=software/ev.d.git;a=summary>.
		2589
		2590	=back
2039		2591
2040		2592
2041	=head1 MACRO MAGIC	2593	=head1 MACRO MAGIC
2042		2594
2043	Libev can be compiled with a variety of options, the most fundemantal is	2595	Libev can be compiled with a variety of options, the most fundamantal
2044	C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>. This option determines whether (most) functions and	2596	of which is C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>. This option determines whether (most)
2045	callbacks have an initial C<struct ev_loop *> argument.	2597	functions and callbacks have an initial C<struct ev_loop *> argument.
2046		2598
2047	To make it easier to write programs that cope with either variant, the	2599	To make it easier to write programs that cope with either variant, the
2048	following macros are defined:	2600	following macros are defined:
2049		2601
2050	=over 4	2602	=over 4
…		…
2079		2631
2080	=item C<EV_DEFAULT>, C<EV_DEFAULT_>	2632	=item C<EV_DEFAULT>, C<EV_DEFAULT_>
2081		2633
2082	Similar to the other two macros, this gives you the value of the default	2634	Similar to the other two macros, this gives you the value of the default
2083	loop, if multiple loops are supported ("ev loop default").	2635	loop, if multiple loops are supported ("ev loop default").
		2636
		2637	=item C<EV_DEFAULT_UC>, C<EV_DEFAULT_UC_>
		2638
		2639	Usage identical to C<EV_DEFAULT> and C<EV_DEFAULT_>, but requires that the
		2640	default loop has been initialised (C<UC> == unchecked). Their behaviour
		2641	is undefined when the default loop has not been initialised by a previous
		2642	execution of C<EV_DEFAULT>, C<EV_DEFAULT_> or C<ev_default_init (...)>.
		2643
		2644	It is often prudent to use C<EV_DEFAULT> when initialising the first
		2645	watcher in a function but use C<EV_DEFAULT_UC> afterwards.
2084		2646
2085	=back	2647	=back
2086		2648
2087	Example: Declare and initialise a check watcher, utilising the above	2649	Example: Declare and initialise a check watcher, utilising the above
2088	macros so it will work regardless of whether multiple loops are supported	2650	macros so it will work regardless of whether multiple loops are supported
…		…
2104	Libev can (and often is) directly embedded into host	2666	Libev can (and often is) directly embedded into host
2105	applications. Examples of applications that embed it include the Deliantra	2667	applications. Examples of applications that embed it include the Deliantra
2106	Game Server, the EV perl module, the GNU Virtual Private Ethernet (gvpe)	2668	Game Server, the EV perl module, the GNU Virtual Private Ethernet (gvpe)
2107	and rxvt-unicode.	2669	and rxvt-unicode.
2108		2670
2109	The goal is to enable you to just copy the neecssary files into your	2671	The goal is to enable you to just copy the necessary files into your
2110	source directory without having to change even a single line in them, so	2672	source directory without having to change even a single line in them, so
2111	you can easily upgrade by simply copying (or having a checked-out copy of	2673	you can easily upgrade by simply copying (or having a checked-out copy of
2112	libev somewhere in your source tree).	2674	libev somewhere in your source tree).
2113		2675
2114	=head2 FILESETS	2676	=head2 FILESETS
…		…
2184		2746
2185	libev.m4	2747	libev.m4
2186		2748
2187	=head2 PREPROCESSOR SYMBOLS/MACROS	2749	=head2 PREPROCESSOR SYMBOLS/MACROS
2188		2750
2189	Libev can be configured via a variety of preprocessor symbols you have to define	2751	Libev can be configured via a variety of preprocessor symbols you have to
2190	before including any of its files. The default is not to build for multiplicity	2752	define before including any of its files. The default in the absense of
2191	and only include the select backend.	2753	autoconf is noted for every option.
2192		2754
2193	=over 4	2755	=over 4
2194		2756
2195	=item EV_STANDALONE	2757	=item EV_STANDALONE
2196		2758
…		…
2204		2766
2205	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the	2767	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the
2206	monotonic clock option at both compiletime and runtime. Otherwise no use	2768	monotonic clock option at both compiletime and runtime. Otherwise no use
2207	of the monotonic clock option will be attempted. If you enable this, you	2769	of the monotonic clock option will be attempted. If you enable this, you
2208	usually have to link against librt or something similar. Enabling it when	2770	usually have to link against librt or something similar. Enabling it when
2209	the functionality isn't available is safe, though, althoguh you have	2771	the functionality isn't available is safe, though, although you have
2210	to make sure you link against any libraries where the C<clock_gettime>	2772	to make sure you link against any libraries where the C<clock_gettime>
2211	function is hiding in (often F<-lrt>).	2773	function is hiding in (often F<-lrt>).
2212		2774
2213	=item EV_USE_REALTIME	2775	=item EV_USE_REALTIME
2214		2776
2215	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the	2777	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the
2216	realtime clock option at compiletime (and assume its availability at	2778	realtime clock option at compiletime (and assume its availability at
2217	runtime if successful). Otherwise no use of the realtime clock option will	2779	runtime if successful). Otherwise no use of the realtime clock option will
2218	be attempted. This effectively replaces C<gettimeofday> by C<clock_get	2780	be attempted. This effectively replaces C<gettimeofday> by C<clock_get
2219	(CLOCK_REALTIME, ...)> and will not normally affect correctness. See tzhe note about libraries	2781	(CLOCK_REALTIME, ...)> and will not normally affect correctness. See the
2220	in the description of C<EV_USE_MONOTONIC>, though.	2782	note about libraries in the description of C<EV_USE_MONOTONIC>, though.
		2783
		2784	=item EV_USE_NANOSLEEP
		2785
		2786	If defined to be C<1>, libev will assume that C<nanosleep ()> is available
		2787	and will use it for delays. Otherwise it will use C<select ()>.
		2788
		2789	=item EV_USE_EVENTFD
		2790
		2791	If defined to be C<1>, then libev will assume that C<eventfd ()> is
		2792	available and will probe for kernel support at runtime. This will improve
		2793	C<ev_signal> and C<ev_async> performance and reduce resource consumption.
		2794	If undefined, it will be enabled if the headers indicate GNU/Linux + Glibc
		2795	2.7 or newer, otherwise disabled.
2221		2796
2222	=item EV_USE_SELECT	2797	=item EV_USE_SELECT
2223		2798
2224	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the	2799	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the
2225	C<select>(2) backend. No attempt at autodetection will be done: if no	2800	C<select>(2) backend. No attempt at autodetection will be done: if no
…		…
2244	be used is the winsock select). This means that it will call	2819	be used is the winsock select). This means that it will call
2245	C<_get_osfhandle> on the fd to convert it to an OS handle. Otherwise,	2820	C<_get_osfhandle> on the fd to convert it to an OS handle. Otherwise,
2246	it is assumed that all these functions actually work on fds, even	2821	it is assumed that all these functions actually work on fds, even
2247	on win32. Should not be defined on non-win32 platforms.	2822	on win32. Should not be defined on non-win32 platforms.
2248		2823
		2824	=item EV_FD_TO_WIN32_HANDLE
		2825
		2826	If C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> is enabled, then libev needs a way to map
		2827	file descriptors to socket handles. When not defining this symbol (the
		2828	default), then libev will call C<_get_osfhandle>, which is usually
		2829	correct. In some cases, programs use their own file descriptor management,
		2830	in which case they can provide this function to map fds to socket handles.
		2831
2249	=item EV_USE_POLL	2832	=item EV_USE_POLL
2250		2833
2251	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the C<poll>(2)	2834	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the C<poll>(2)
2252	backend. Otherwise it will be enabled on non-win32 platforms. It	2835	backend. Otherwise it will be enabled on non-win32 platforms. It
2253	takes precedence over select.	2836	takes precedence over select.
2254		2837
2255	=item EV_USE_EPOLL	2838	=item EV_USE_EPOLL
2256		2839
2257	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux	2840	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux
2258	C<epoll>(7) backend. Its availability will be detected at runtime,	2841	C<epoll>(7) backend. Its availability will be detected at runtime,
2259	otherwise another method will be used as fallback. This is the	2842	otherwise another method will be used as fallback. This is the preferred
2260	preferred backend for GNU/Linux systems.	2843	backend for GNU/Linux systems. If undefined, it will be enabled if the
		2844	headers indicate GNU/Linux + Glibc 2.4 or newer, otherwise disabled.
2261		2845
2262	=item EV_USE_KQUEUE	2846	=item EV_USE_KQUEUE
2263		2847
2264	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the BSD style	2848	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the BSD style
2265	C<kqueue>(2) backend. Its actual availability will be detected at runtime,	2849	C<kqueue>(2) backend. Its actual availability will be detected at runtime,
…		…
2284		2868
2285	=item EV_USE_INOTIFY	2869	=item EV_USE_INOTIFY
2286		2870
2287	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux inotify	2871	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux inotify
2288	interface to speed up C<ev_stat> watchers. Its actual availability will	2872	interface to speed up C<ev_stat> watchers. Its actual availability will
2289	be detected at runtime.	2873	be detected at runtime. If undefined, it will be enabled if the headers
		2874	indicate GNU/Linux + Glibc 2.4 or newer, otherwise disabled.
		2875
		2876	=item EV_ATOMIC_T
		2877
		2878	Libev requires an integer type (suitable for storing C<0> or C<1>) whose
		2879	access is atomic with respect to other threads or signal contexts. No such
		2880	type is easily found in the C language, so you can provide your own type
		2881	that you know is safe for your purposes. It is used both for signal handler "locking"
		2882	as well as for signal and thread safety in C<ev_async> watchers.
		2883
		2884	In the absense of this define, libev will use C<sig_atomic_t volatile>
		2885	(from F<signal.h>), which is usually good enough on most platforms.
2290		2886
2291	=item EV_H	2887	=item EV_H
2292		2888
2293	The name of the F<ev.h> header file used to include it. The default if	2889	The name of the F<ev.h> header file used to include it. The default if
2294	undefined is C<< <ev.h> >> in F<event.h> and C<"ev.h"> in F<ev.c>. This	2890	undefined is C<"ev.h"> in F<event.h>, F<ev.c> and F<ev++.h>. This can be
2295	can be used to virtually rename the F<ev.h> header file in case of conflicts.	2891	used to virtually rename the F<ev.h> header file in case of conflicts.
2296		2892
2297	=item EV_CONFIG_H	2893	=item EV_CONFIG_H
2298		2894
2299	If C<EV_STANDALONE> isn't C<1>, this variable can be used to override	2895	If C<EV_STANDALONE> isn't C<1>, this variable can be used to override
2300	F<ev.c>'s idea of where to find the F<config.h> file, similarly to	2896	F<ev.c>'s idea of where to find the F<config.h> file, similarly to
2301	C<EV_H>, above.	2897	C<EV_H>, above.
2302		2898
2303	=item EV_EVENT_H	2899	=item EV_EVENT_H
2304		2900
2305	Similarly to C<EV_H>, this macro can be used to override F<event.c>'s idea	2901	Similarly to C<EV_H>, this macro can be used to override F<event.c>'s idea
2306	of how the F<event.h> header can be found.	2902	of how the F<event.h> header can be found, the default is C<"event.h">.
2307		2903
2308	=item EV_PROTOTYPES	2904	=item EV_PROTOTYPES
2309		2905
2310	If defined to be C<0>, then F<ev.h> will not define any function	2906	If defined to be C<0>, then F<ev.h> will not define any function
2311	prototypes, but still define all the structs and other symbols. This is	2907	prototypes, but still define all the structs and other symbols. This is
…		…
2362	=item EV_FORK_ENABLE	2958	=item EV_FORK_ENABLE
2363		2959
2364	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then fork watchers are supported. If	2960	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then fork watchers are supported. If
2365	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.	2961	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
2366		2962
		2963	=item EV_ASYNC_ENABLE
		2964
		2965	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then async watchers are supported. If
		2966	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
		2967
2367	=item EV_MINIMAL	2968	=item EV_MINIMAL
2368		2969
2369	If you need to shave off some kilobytes of code at the expense of some	2970	If you need to shave off some kilobytes of code at the expense of some
2370	speed, define this symbol to C<1>. Currently only used for gcc to override	2971	speed, define this symbol to C<1>. Currently only used for gcc to override
2371	some inlining decisions, saves roughly 30% codesize of amd64.	2972	some inlining decisions, saves roughly 30% codesize of amd64.
…		…
2377	than enough. If you need to manage thousands of children you might want to	2978	than enough. If you need to manage thousands of children you might want to
2378	increase this value (I<must> be a power of two).	2979	increase this value (I<must> be a power of two).
2379		2980
2380	=item EV_INOTIFY_HASHSIZE	2981	=item EV_INOTIFY_HASHSIZE
2381		2982
2382	C<ev_staz> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by	2983	C<ev_stat> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by
2383	inotify watch id. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_MINIMAL>),	2984	inotify watch id. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_MINIMAL>),
2384	usually more than enough. If you need to manage thousands of C<ev_stat>	2985	usually more than enough. If you need to manage thousands of C<ev_stat>
2385	watchers you might want to increase this value (I<must> be a power of	2986	watchers you might want to increase this value (I<must> be a power of
2386	two).	2987	two).
2387		2988
…		…
2404		3005
2405	=item ev_set_cb (ev, cb)	3006	=item ev_set_cb (ev, cb)
2406		3007
2407	Can be used to change the callback member declaration in each watcher,	3008	Can be used to change the callback member declaration in each watcher,
2408	and the way callbacks are invoked and set. Must expand to a struct member	3009	and the way callbacks are invoked and set. Must expand to a struct member
2409	definition and a statement, respectively. See the F<ev.v> header file for	3010	definition and a statement, respectively. See the F<ev.h> header file for
2410	their default definitions. One possible use for overriding these is to	3011	their default definitions. One possible use for overriding these is to
2411	avoid the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument in all cases, or to use	3012	avoid the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument in all cases, or to use
2412	method calls instead of plain function calls in C++.	3013	method calls instead of plain function calls in C++.
		3014
		3015	=head2 EXPORTED API SYMBOLS
		3016
		3017	If you need to re-export the API (e.g. via a dll) and you need a list of
		3018	exported symbols, you can use the provided F<Symbol.*> files which list
		3019	all public symbols, one per line:
		3020
		3021	Symbols.ev for libev proper
		3022	Symbols.event for the libevent emulation
		3023
		3024	This can also be used to rename all public symbols to avoid clashes with
		3025	multiple versions of libev linked together (which is obviously bad in
		3026	itself, but sometimes it is inconvinient to avoid this).
		3027
		3028	A sed command like this will create wrapper C<#define>'s that you need to
		3029	include before including F<ev.h>:
		3030
		3031	<Symbols.ev sed -e "s/.*/#define & myprefix_&/" >wrap.h
		3032
		3033	This would create a file F<wrap.h> which essentially looks like this:
		3034
		3035	#define ev_backend myprefix_ev_backend
		3036	#define ev_check_start myprefix_ev_check_start
		3037	#define ev_check_stop myprefix_ev_check_stop
		3038	...
2413		3039
2414	=head2 EXAMPLES	3040	=head2 EXAMPLES
2415		3041
2416	For a real-world example of a program the includes libev	3042	For a real-world example of a program the includes libev
2417	verbatim, you can have a look at the EV perl module	3043	verbatim, you can have a look at the EV perl module
…		…
2440		3066
2441	#include "ev_cpp.h"	3067	#include "ev_cpp.h"
2442	#include "ev.c"	3068	#include "ev.c"
2443		3069
2444		3070
		3071	=head1 THREADS AND COROUTINES
		3072
		3073	=head2 THREADS
		3074
		3075	Libev itself is completely threadsafe, but it uses no locking. This
		3076	means that you can use as many loops as you want in parallel, as long as
		3077	only one thread ever calls into one libev function with the same loop
		3078	parameter.
		3079
		3080	Or put differently: calls with different loop parameters can be done in
		3081	parallel from multiple threads, calls with the same loop parameter must be
		3082	done serially (but can be done from different threads, as long as only one
		3083	thread ever is inside a call at any point in time, e.g. by using a mutex
		3084	per loop).
		3085
		3086	If you want to know which design is best for your problem, then I cannot
		3087	help you but by giving some generic advice:
		3088
		3089	=over 4
		3090
		3091	=item * most applications have a main thread: use the default libev loop
		3092	in that thread, or create a seperate thread running only the default loop.
		3093
		3094	This helps integrating other libraries or software modules that use libev
		3095	themselves and don't care/know about threading.
		3096
		3097	=item * one loop per thread is usually a good model.
		3098
		3099	Doing this is almost never wrong, sometimes a better-performance model
		3100	exists, but it is always a good start.
		3101
		3102	=item * other models exist, such as the leader/follower pattern, where one
		3103	loop is handed through multiple threads in a kind of round-robbin fashion.
		3104
		3105	Chosing a model is hard - look around, learn, know that usually you cna do
		3106	better than you currently do :-)
		3107
		3108	=item * often you need to talk to some other thread which blocks in the
		3109	event loop - C<ev_async> watchers can be used to wake them up from other
		3110	threads safely (or from signal contexts...).
		3111
		3112	=back
		3113
		3114	=head2 COROUTINES
		3115
		3116	Libev is much more accomodating to coroutines ("cooperative threads"):
		3117	libev fully supports nesting calls to it's functions from different
		3118	coroutines (e.g. you can call C<ev_loop> on the same loop from two
		3119	different coroutines and switch freely between both coroutines running the
		3120	loop, as long as you don't confuse yourself). The only exception is that
		3121	you must not do this from C<ev_periodic> reschedule callbacks.
		3122
		3123	Care has been invested into making sure that libev does not keep local
		3124	state inside C<ev_loop>, and other calls do not usually allow coroutine
		3125	switches.
		3126
		3127
2445	=head1 COMPLEXITIES	3128	=head1 COMPLEXITIES
2446		3129
2447	In this section the complexities of (many of) the algorithms used inside	3130	In this section the complexities of (many of) the algorithms used inside
2448	libev will be explained. For complexity discussions about backends see the	3131	libev will be explained. For complexity discussions about backends see the
2449	documentation for C<ev_default_init>.	3132	documentation for C<ev_default_init>.
…		…
2458		3141
2459	=item Starting and stopping timer/periodic watchers: O(log skipped_other_timers)	3142	=item Starting and stopping timer/periodic watchers: O(log skipped_other_timers)
2460		3143
2461	This means that, when you have a watcher that triggers in one hour and	3144	This means that, when you have a watcher that triggers in one hour and
2462	there are 100 watchers that would trigger before that then inserting will	3145	there are 100 watchers that would trigger before that then inserting will
2463	have to skip those 100 watchers.	3146	have to skip roughly seven (C<ld 100>) of these watchers.
2464		3147
2465	=item Changing timer/periodic watchers (by autorepeat, again): O(log skipped_other_timers)	3148	=item Changing timer/periodic watchers (by autorepeat or calling again): O(log skipped_other_timers)
2466		3149
2467	That means that for changing a timer costs less than removing/adding them	3150	That means that changing a timer costs less than removing/adding them
2468	as only the relative motion in the event queue has to be paid for.	3151	as only the relative motion in the event queue has to be paid for.
2469		3152
2470	=item Starting io/check/prepare/idle/signal/child watchers: O(1)	3153	=item Starting io/check/prepare/idle/signal/child/fork/async watchers: O(1)
2471		3154
2472	These just add the watcher into an array or at the head of a list.	3155	These just add the watcher into an array or at the head of a list.
		3156
2473	=item Stopping check/prepare/idle watchers: O(1)	3157	=item Stopping check/prepare/idle/fork/async watchers: O(1)
2474		3158
2475	=item Stopping an io/signal/child watcher: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_(fd/signal/pid % EV_PID_HASHSIZE))	3159	=item Stopping an io/signal/child watcher: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_(fd/signal/pid % EV_PID_HASHSIZE))
2476		3160
2477	These watchers are stored in lists then need to be walked to find the	3161	These watchers are stored in lists then need to be walked to find the
2478	correct watcher to remove. The lists are usually short (you don't usually	3162	correct watcher to remove. The lists are usually short (you don't usually
2479	have many watchers waiting for the same fd or signal).	3163	have many watchers waiting for the same fd or signal).
2480		3164
2481	=item Finding the next timer per loop iteration: O(1)	3165	=item Finding the next timer in each loop iteration: O(1)
		3166
		3167	By virtue of using a binary heap, the next timer is always found at the
		3168	beginning of the storage array.
2482		3169
2483	=item Each change on a file descriptor per loop iteration: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_fd)	3170	=item Each change on a file descriptor per loop iteration: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_fd)
2484		3171
2485	A change means an I/O watcher gets started or stopped, which requires	3172	A change means an I/O watcher gets started or stopped, which requires
2486	libev to recalculate its status (and possibly tell the kernel).	3173	libev to recalculate its status (and possibly tell the kernel, depending
		3174	on backend and wether C<ev_io_set> was used).
2487		3175
2488	=item Activating one watcher: O(1)	3176	=item Activating one watcher (putting it into the pending state): O(1)
2489		3177
2490	=item Priority handling: O(number_of_priorities)	3178	=item Priority handling: O(number_of_priorities)
2491		3179
2492	Priorities are implemented by allocating some space for each	3180	Priorities are implemented by allocating some space for each
2493	priority. When doing priority-based operations, libev usually has to	3181	priority. When doing priority-based operations, libev usually has to
2494	linearly search all the priorities.	3182	linearly search all the priorities, but starting/stopping and activating
		3183	watchers becomes O(1) w.r.t. priority handling.
		3184
		3185	=item Sending an ev_async: O(1)
		3186
		3187	=item Processing ev_async_send: O(number_of_async_watchers)
		3188
		3189	=item Processing signals: O(max_signal_number)
		3190
		3191	Sending involves a syscall I<iff> there were no other C<ev_async_send>
		3192	calls in the current loop iteration. Checking for async and signal events
		3193	involves iterating over all running async watchers or all signal numbers.
2495		3194
2496	=back	3195	=back
2497		3196
2498		3197
		3198	=head1 Win32 platform limitations and workarounds
		3199
		3200	Win32 doesn't support any of the standards (e.g. POSIX) that libev
		3201	requires, and its I/O model is fundamentally incompatible with the POSIX
		3202	model. Libev still offers limited functionality on this platform in
		3203	the form of the C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> backend, and only supports socket
		3204	descriptors. This only applies when using Win32 natively, not when using
		3205	e.g. cygwin.
		3206
		3207	There is no supported compilation method available on windows except
		3208	embedding it into other applications.
		3209
		3210	Due to the many, low, and arbitrary limits on the win32 platform and the
		3211	abysmal performance of winsockets, using a large number of sockets is not
		3212	recommended (and not reasonable). If your program needs to use more than
		3213	a hundred or so sockets, then likely it needs to use a totally different
		3214	implementation for windows, as libev offers the POSIX model, which cannot
		3215	be implemented efficiently on windows (microsoft monopoly games).
		3216
		3217	=over 4
		3218
		3219	=item The winsocket select function
		3220
		3221	The winsocket C<select> function doesn't follow POSIX in that it requires
		3222	socket I<handles> and not socket I<file descriptors>. This makes select
		3223	very inefficient, and also requires a mapping from file descriptors
		3224	to socket handles. See the discussion of the C<EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET>,
		3225	C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> and C<EV_FD_TO_WIN32_HANDLE> preprocessor
		3226	symbols for more info.
		3227
		3228	The configuration for a "naked" win32 using the microsoft runtime
		3229	libraries and raw winsocket select is:
		3230
		3231	#define EV_USE_SELECT 1
		3232	#define EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET 1 /* forces EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET, too */
		3233
		3234	Note that winsockets handling of fd sets is O(n), so you can easily get a
		3235	complexity in the O(n²) range when using win32.
		3236
		3237	=item Limited number of file descriptors
		3238
		3239	Windows has numerous arbitrary (and low) limits on things. Early versions
		3240	of winsocket's select only supported waiting for a max. of C<64> handles
		3241	(probably owning to the fact that all windows kernels can only wait for
		3242	C<64> things at the same time internally; microsoft recommends spawning a
		3243	chain of threads and wait for 63 handles and the previous thread in each).
		3244
		3245	Newer versions support more handles, but you need to define C<FD_SETSIZE>
		3246	to some high number (e.g. C<2048>) before compiling the winsocket select
		3247	call (which might be in libev or elsewhere, for example, perl does its own
		3248	select emulation on windows).
		3249
		3250	Another limit is the number of file descriptors in the microsoft runtime
		3251	libraries, which by default is C<64> (there must be a hidden I<64> fetish
		3252	or something like this inside microsoft). You can increase this by calling
		3253	C<_setmaxstdio>, which can increase this limit to C<2048> (another
		3254	arbitrary limit), but is broken in many versions of the microsoft runtime
		3255	libraries.
		3256
		3257	This might get you to about C<512> or C<2048> sockets (depending on
		3258	windows version and/or the phase of the moon). To get more, you need to
		3259	wrap all I/O functions and provide your own fd management, but the cost of
		3260	calling select (O(n²)) will likely make this unworkable.
		3261
		3262	=back
		3263
		3264
		3265	=head1 PORTABILITY REQUIREMENTS
		3266
		3267	In addition to a working ISO-C implementation, libev relies on a few
		3268	additional extensions:
		3269
		3270	=over 4
		3271
		3272	=item C<sig_atomic_t volatile> must be thread-atomic as well
		3273
		3274	The type C<sig_atomic_t volatile> (or whatever is defined as
		3275	C<EV_ATOMIC_T>) must be atomic w.r.t. accesses from different
		3276	threads. This is not part of the specification for C<sig_atomic_t>, but is
		3277	believed to be sufficiently portable.
		3278
		3279	=item C<sigprocmask> must work in a threaded environment
		3280
		3281	Libev uses C<sigprocmask> to temporarily block signals. This is not
		3282	allowed in a threaded program (C<pthread_sigmask> has to be used). Typical
		3283	pthread implementations will either allow C<sigprocmask> in the "main
		3284	thread" or will block signals process-wide, both behaviours would
		3285	be compatible with libev. Interaction between C<sigprocmask> and
		3286	C<pthread_sigmask> could complicate things, however.
		3287
		3288	The most portable way to handle signals is to block signals in all threads
		3289	except the initial one, and run the default loop in the initial thread as
		3290	well.
		3291
		3292	=back
		3293
		3294	If you know of other additional requirements drop me a note.
		3295
		3296
2499	=head1 AUTHOR	3297	=head1 AUTHOR
2500		3298
2501	Marc Lehmann <libev@schmorp.de>.	3299	Marc Lehmann <libev@schmorp.de>.
2502		3300

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