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Revision 1.30 by root, Fri Nov 23 04:36:03 2007 UTC vs.
Revision 1.60 by root, Wed Nov 28 18:29:30 2007 UTC

…		…
3	libev - a high performance full-featured event loop written in C	3	libev - a high performance full-featured event loop written in C
4		4
5	=head1 SYNOPSIS	5	=head1 SYNOPSIS
6		6
7	#include <ev.h>	7	#include <ev.h>
		8
		9	=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM
		10
		11	#include <ev.h>
		12
		13	ev_io stdin_watcher;
		14	ev_timer timeout_watcher;
		15
		16	/* called when data readable on stdin */
		17	static void
		18	stdin_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_io *w, int revents)
		19	{
		20	/* puts ("stdin ready"); */
		21	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ w); /* just a syntax example */
		22	ev_unloop (EV_A_ EVUNLOOP_ALL); /* leave all loop calls */
		23	}
		24
		25	static void
		26	timeout_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_timer *w, int revents)
		27	{
		28	/* puts ("timeout"); */
		29	ev_unloop (EV_A_ EVUNLOOP_ONE); /* leave one loop call */
		30	}
		31
		32	int
		33	main (void)
		34	{
		35	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_loop (0);
		36
		37	/* initialise an io watcher, then start it */
		38	ev_io_init (&stdin_watcher, stdin_cb, /*STDIN_FILENO*/ 0, EV_READ);
		39	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_watcher);
		40
		41	/* simple non-repeating 5.5 second timeout */
		42	ev_timer_init (&timeout_watcher, timeout_cb, 5.5, 0.);
		43	ev_timer_start (loop, &timeout_watcher);
		44
		45	/* loop till timeout or data ready */
		46	ev_loop (loop, 0);
		47
		48	return 0;
		49	}
8		50
9	=head1 DESCRIPTION	51	=head1 DESCRIPTION
10		52
11	Libev is an event loop: you register interest in certain events (such as a	53	Libev is an event loop: you register interest in certain events (such as a
12	file descriptor being readable or a timeout occuring), and it will manage	54	file descriptor being readable or a timeout occuring), and it will manage
…		…
21	details of the event, and then hand it over to libev by I<starting> the	63	details of the event, and then hand it over to libev by I<starting> the
22	watcher.	64	watcher.
23		65
24	=head1 FEATURES	66	=head1 FEATURES
25		67
26	Libev supports select, poll, the linux-specific epoll and the bsd-specific	68	Libev supports C<select>, C<poll>, the Linux-specific C<epoll>, the
27	kqueue mechanisms for file descriptor events, relative timers, absolute	69	BSD-specific C<kqueue> and the Solaris-specific event port mechanisms
28	timers with customised rescheduling, signal events, process status change	70	for file descriptor events (C<ev_io>), the Linux C<inotify> interface
29	events (related to SIGCHLD), and event watchers dealing with the event	71	(for C<ev_stat>), relative timers (C<ev_timer>), absolute timers
30	loop mechanism itself (idle, prepare and check watchers). It also is quite	72	with customised rescheduling (C<ev_periodic>), synchronous signals
		73	(C<ev_signal>), process status change events (C<ev_child>), and event
		74	watchers dealing with the event loop mechanism itself (C<ev_idle>,
		75	C<ev_embed>, C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> watchers) as well as
		76	file watchers (C<ev_stat>) and even limited support for fork events
		77	(C<ev_fork>).
		78
		79	It also is quite fast (see this
31	fast (see this L<benchmark|http://libev.schmorp.de/bench.html> comparing	80	L<benchmark|http://libev.schmorp.de/bench.html> comparing it to libevent
32	it to libevent for example).	81	for example).
33		82
34	=head1 CONVENTIONS	83	=head1 CONVENTIONS
35		84
36	Libev is very configurable. In this manual the default configuration	85	Libev is very configurable. In this manual the default configuration will
37	will be described, which supports multiple event loops. For more info	86	be described, which supports multiple event loops. For more info about
38	about various configuration options please have a look at the file	87	various configuration options please have a look at B<EMBED> section in
39	F<README.embed> in the libev distribution. If libev was configured without	88	this manual. If libev was configured without support for multiple event
40	support for multiple event loops, then all functions taking an initial	89	loops, then all functions taking an initial argument of name C<loop>
41	argument of name C<loop> (which is always of type C<struct ev_loop *>)	90	(which is always of type C<struct ev_loop *>) will not have this argument.
42	will not have this argument.
43		91
44	=head1 TIME REPRESENTATION	92	=head1 TIME REPRESENTATION
45		93
46	Libev represents time as a single floating point number, representing the	94	Libev represents time as a single floating point number, representing the
47	(fractional) number of seconds since the (POSIX) epoch (somewhere near	95	(fractional) number of seconds since the (POSIX) epoch (somewhere near
48	the beginning of 1970, details are complicated, don't ask). This type is	96	the beginning of 1970, details are complicated, don't ask). This type is
49	called C<ev_tstamp>, which is what you should use too. It usually aliases	97	called C<ev_tstamp>, which is what you should use too. It usually aliases
50	to the double type in C.	98	to the C<double> type in C, and when you need to do any calculations on
		99	it, you should treat it as such.
51		100
52	=head1 GLOBAL FUNCTIONS	101	=head1 GLOBAL FUNCTIONS
53		102
54	These functions can be called anytime, even before initialising the	103	These functions can be called anytime, even before initialising the
55	library in any way.	104	library in any way.
…		…
75	Usually, it's a good idea to terminate if the major versions mismatch,	124	Usually, it's a good idea to terminate if the major versions mismatch,
76	as this indicates an incompatible change. Minor versions are usually	125	as this indicates an incompatible change. Minor versions are usually
77	compatible to older versions, so a larger minor version alone is usually	126	compatible to older versions, so a larger minor version alone is usually
78	not a problem.	127	not a problem.
79		128
		129	Example: Make sure we haven't accidentally been linked against the wrong
		130	version.
		131
		132	assert (("libev version mismatch",
		133	ev_version_major () == EV_VERSION_MAJOR
		134	&& ev_version_minor () >= EV_VERSION_MINOR));
		135
		136	=item unsigned int ev_supported_backends ()
		137
		138	Return the set of all backends (i.e. their corresponding C<EV_BACKEND_*>
		139	value) compiled into this binary of libev (independent of their
		140	availability on the system you are running on). See C<ev_default_loop> for
		141	a description of the set values.
		142
		143	Example: make sure we have the epoll method, because yeah this is cool and
		144	a must have and can we have a torrent of it please!!!11
		145
		146	assert (("sorry, no epoll, no sex",
		147	ev_supported_backends () & EVBACKEND_EPOLL));
		148
		149	=item unsigned int ev_recommended_backends ()
		150
		151	Return the set of all backends compiled into this binary of libev and also
		152	recommended for this platform. This set is often smaller than the one
		153	returned by C<ev_supported_backends>, as for example kqueue is broken on
		154	most BSDs and will not be autodetected unless you explicitly request it
		155	(assuming you know what you are doing). This is the set of backends that
		156	libev will probe for if you specify no backends explicitly.
		157
		158	=item unsigned int ev_embeddable_backends ()
		159
		160	Returns the set of backends that are embeddable in other event loops. This
		161	is the theoretical, all-platform, value. To find which backends
		162	might be supported on the current system, you would need to look at
		163	C<ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_supported_backends ()>, likewise for
		164	recommended ones.
		165
		166	See the description of C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.
		167
80	=item ev_set_allocator (void *(*cb)(void *ptr, long size))	168	=item ev_set_allocator (void *(*cb)(void *ptr, long size))
81		169
82	Sets the allocation function to use (the prototype is similar to the	170	Sets the allocation function to use (the prototype is similar - the
83	realloc C function, the semantics are identical). It is used to allocate	171	semantics is identical - to the realloc C function). It is used to
84	and free memory (no surprises here). If it returns zero when memory	172	allocate and free memory (no surprises here). If it returns zero when
85	needs to be allocated, the library might abort or take some potentially	173	memory needs to be allocated, the library might abort or take some
86	destructive action. The default is your system realloc function.	174	potentially destructive action. The default is your system realloc
		175	function.
87		176
88	You could override this function in high-availability programs to, say,	177	You could override this function in high-availability programs to, say,
89	free some memory if it cannot allocate memory, to use a special allocator,	178	free some memory if it cannot allocate memory, to use a special allocator,
90	or even to sleep a while and retry until some memory is available.	179	or even to sleep a while and retry until some memory is available.
		180
		181	Example: Replace the libev allocator with one that waits a bit and then
		182	retries).
		183
		184	static void *
		185	persistent_realloc (void *ptr, size_t size)
		186	{
		187	for (;;)
		188	{
		189	void *newptr = realloc (ptr, size);
		190
		191	if (newptr)
		192	return newptr;
		193
		194	sleep (60);
		195	}
		196	}
		197
		198	...
		199	ev_set_allocator (persistent_realloc);
91		200
92	=item ev_set_syserr_cb (void (*cb)(const char *msg));	201	=item ev_set_syserr_cb (void (*cb)(const char *msg));
93		202
94	Set the callback function to call on a retryable syscall error (such	203	Set the callback function to call on a retryable syscall error (such
95	as failed select, poll, epoll_wait). The message is a printable string	204	as failed select, poll, epoll_wait). The message is a printable string
…		…
97	callback is set, then libev will expect it to remedy the sitution, no	206	callback is set, then libev will expect it to remedy the sitution, no
98	matter what, when it returns. That is, libev will generally retry the	207	matter what, when it returns. That is, libev will generally retry the
99	requested operation, or, if the condition doesn't go away, do bad stuff	208	requested operation, or, if the condition doesn't go away, do bad stuff
100	(such as abort).	209	(such as abort).
101		210
		211	Example: This is basically the same thing that libev does internally, too.
		212
		213	static void
		214	fatal_error (const char *msg)
		215	{
		216	perror (msg);
		217	abort ();
		218	}
		219
		220	...
		221	ev_set_syserr_cb (fatal_error);
		222
102	=back	223	=back
103		224
104	=head1 FUNCTIONS CONTROLLING THE EVENT LOOP	225	=head1 FUNCTIONS CONTROLLING THE EVENT LOOP
105		226
106	An event loop is described by a C<struct ev_loop *>. The library knows two	227	An event loop is described by a C<struct ev_loop *>. The library knows two
…		…
119	=item struct ev_loop *ev_default_loop (unsigned int flags)	240	=item struct ev_loop *ev_default_loop (unsigned int flags)
120		241
121	This will initialise the default event loop if it hasn't been initialised	242	This will initialise the default event loop if it hasn't been initialised
122	yet and return it. If the default loop could not be initialised, returns	243	yet and return it. If the default loop could not be initialised, returns
123	false. If it already was initialised it simply returns it (and ignores the	244	false. If it already was initialised it simply returns it (and ignores the
124	flags).	245	flags. If that is troubling you, check C<ev_backend ()> afterwards).
125		246
126	If you don't know what event loop to use, use the one returned from this	247	If you don't know what event loop to use, use the one returned from this
127	function.	248	function.
128		249
129	The flags argument can be used to specify special behaviour or specific	250	The flags argument can be used to specify special behaviour or specific
130	backends to use, and is usually specified as 0 (or EVFLAG_AUTO).	251	backends to use, and is usually specified as C<0> (or C<EVFLAG_AUTO>).
131		252
132	It supports the following flags:	253	The following flags are supported:
133		254
134	=over 4	255	=over 4
135		256
136	=item C<EVFLAG_AUTO>	257	=item C<EVFLAG_AUTO>
137		258
…		…
145	C<LIBEV_FLAGS>. Otherwise (the default), this environment variable will	266	C<LIBEV_FLAGS>. Otherwise (the default), this environment variable will
146	override the flags completely if it is found in the environment. This is	267	override the flags completely if it is found in the environment. This is
147	useful to try out specific backends to test their performance, or to work	268	useful to try out specific backends to test their performance, or to work
148	around bugs.	269	around bugs.
149		270
150	=item C<EVMETHOD_SELECT> (value 1, portable select backend)	271	=item C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> (value 1, portable select backend)
151		272
152	This is your standard select(2) backend. Not I<completely> standard, as	273	This is your standard select(2) backend. Not I<completely> standard, as
153	libev tries to roll its own fd_set with no limits on the number of fds,	274	libev tries to roll its own fd_set with no limits on the number of fds,
154	but if that fails, expect a fairly low limit on the number of fds when	275	but if that fails, expect a fairly low limit on the number of fds when
155	using this backend. It doesn't scale too well (O(highest_fd)), but its usually	276	using this backend. It doesn't scale too well (O(highest_fd)), but its usually
156	the fastest backend for a low number of fds.	277	the fastest backend for a low number of fds.
157		278
158	=item C<EVMETHOD_POLL> (value 2, poll backend, available everywhere except on windows)	279	=item C<EVBACKEND_POLL> (value 2, poll backend, available everywhere except on windows)
159		280
160	And this is your standard poll(2) backend. It's more complicated than	281	And this is your standard poll(2) backend. It's more complicated than
161	select, but handles sparse fds better and has no artificial limit on the	282	select, but handles sparse fds better and has no artificial limit on the
162	number of fds you can use (except it will slow down considerably with a	283	number of fds you can use (except it will slow down considerably with a
163	lot of inactive fds). It scales similarly to select, i.e. O(total_fds).	284	lot of inactive fds). It scales similarly to select, i.e. O(total_fds).
164		285
165	=item C<EVMETHOD_EPOLL> (value 4, Linux)	286	=item C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL> (value 4, Linux)
166		287
167	For few fds, this backend is a bit little slower than poll and select,	288	For few fds, this backend is a bit little slower than poll and select,
168	but it scales phenomenally better. While poll and select usually scale like	289	but it scales phenomenally better. While poll and select usually scale like
169	O(total_fds) where n is the total number of fds (or the highest fd), epoll scales	290	O(total_fds) where n is the total number of fds (or the highest fd), epoll scales
170	either O(1) or O(active_fds).	291	either O(1) or O(active_fds).
…		…
173	result in some caching, there is still a syscall per such incident	294	result in some caching, there is still a syscall per such incident
174	(because the fd could point to a different file description now), so its	295	(because the fd could point to a different file description now), so its
175	best to avoid that. Also, dup()ed file descriptors might not work very	296	best to avoid that. Also, dup()ed file descriptors might not work very
176	well if you register events for both fds.	297	well if you register events for both fds.
177		298
		299	Please note that epoll sometimes generates spurious notifications, so you
		300	need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid blocking when no data
		301	(or space) is available.
		302
178	=item C<EVMETHOD_KQUEUE> (value 8, most BSD clones)	303	=item C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE> (value 8, most BSD clones)
179		304
180	Kqueue deserves special mention, as at the time of this writing, it	305	Kqueue deserves special mention, as at the time of this writing, it
181	was broken on all BSDs except NetBSD (usually it doesn't work with	306	was broken on all BSDs except NetBSD (usually it doesn't work with
182	anything but sockets and pipes, except on Darwin, where of course its	307	anything but sockets and pipes, except on Darwin, where of course its
183	completely useless). For this reason its not being "autodetected" unless	308	completely useless). For this reason its not being "autodetected"
184	you explicitly specify the flags (i.e. you don't use EVFLAG_AUTO).	309	unless you explicitly specify it explicitly in the flags (i.e. using
		310	C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>).
185		311
186	It scales in the same way as the epoll backend, but the interface to the	312	It scales in the same way as the epoll backend, but the interface to the
187	kernel is more efficient (which says nothing about its actual speed, of	313	kernel is more efficient (which says nothing about its actual speed, of
188	course). While starting and stopping an I/O watcher does not cause an	314	course). While starting and stopping an I/O watcher does not cause an
189	extra syscall as with epoll, it still adds up to four event changes per	315	extra syscall as with epoll, it still adds up to four event changes per
190	incident, so its best to avoid that.	316	incident, so its best to avoid that.
191		317
192	=item C<EVMETHOD_DEVPOLL> (value 16, Solaris 8)	318	=item C<EVBACKEND_DEVPOLL> (value 16, Solaris 8)
193		319
194	This is not implemented yet (and might never be).	320	This is not implemented yet (and might never be).
195		321
196	=item C<EVMETHOD_PORT> (value 32, Solaris 10)	322	=item C<EVBACKEND_PORT> (value 32, Solaris 10)
197		323
198	This uses the Solaris 10 port mechanism. As with everything on Solaris,	324	This uses the Solaris 10 port mechanism. As with everything on Solaris,
199	it's really slow, but it still scales very well (O(active_fds)).	325	it's really slow, but it still scales very well (O(active_fds)).
200		326
		327	Please note that solaris ports can result in a lot of spurious
		328	notifications, so you need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid
		329	blocking when no data (or space) is available.
		330
201	=item C<EVMETHOD_ALL>	331	=item C<EVBACKEND_ALL>
202		332
203	Try all backends (even potentially broken ones that wouldn't be tried	333	Try all backends (even potentially broken ones that wouldn't be tried
204	with C<EVFLAG_AUTO>). Since this is a mask, you can do stuff such as	334	with C<EVFLAG_AUTO>). Since this is a mask, you can do stuff such as
205	C<EVMETHOD_ALL & ~EVMETHOD_KQUEUE>.	335	C<EVBACKEND_ALL & ~EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>.
206		336
207	=back	337	=back
208		338
209	If one or more of these are ored into the flags value, then only these	339	If one or more of these are ored into the flags value, then only these
210	backends will be tried (in the reverse order as given here). If none are	340	backends will be tried (in the reverse order as given here). If none are
211	specified, most compiled-in backend will be tried, usually in reverse	341	specified, most compiled-in backend will be tried, usually in reverse
212	order of their flag values :)	342	order of their flag values :)
213		343
		344	The most typical usage is like this:
		345
		346	if (!ev_default_loop (0))
		347	fatal ("could not initialise libev, bad $LIBEV_FLAGS in environment?");
		348
		349	Restrict libev to the select and poll backends, and do not allow
		350	environment settings to be taken into account:
		351
		352	ev_default_loop (EVBACKEND_POLL | EVBACKEND_SELECT | EVFLAG_NOENV);
		353
		354	Use whatever libev has to offer, but make sure that kqueue is used if
		355	available (warning, breaks stuff, best use only with your own private
		356	event loop and only if you know the OS supports your types of fds):
		357
		358	ev_default_loop (ev_recommended_backends () | EVBACKEND_KQUEUE);
		359
214	=item struct ev_loop *ev_loop_new (unsigned int flags)	360	=item struct ev_loop *ev_loop_new (unsigned int flags)
215		361
216	Similar to C<ev_default_loop>, but always creates a new event loop that is	362	Similar to C<ev_default_loop>, but always creates a new event loop that is
217	always distinct from the default loop. Unlike the default loop, it cannot	363	always distinct from the default loop. Unlike the default loop, it cannot
218	handle signal and child watchers, and attempts to do so will be greeted by	364	handle signal and child watchers, and attempts to do so will be greeted by
219	undefined behaviour (or a failed assertion if assertions are enabled).	365	undefined behaviour (or a failed assertion if assertions are enabled).
220		366
		367	Example: Try to create a event loop that uses epoll and nothing else.
		368
		369	struct ev_loop *epoller = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_EPOLL | EVFLAG_NOENV);
		370	if (!epoller)
		371	fatal ("no epoll found here, maybe it hides under your chair");
		372
221	=item ev_default_destroy ()	373	=item ev_default_destroy ()
222		374
223	Destroys the default loop again (frees all memory and kernel state	375	Destroys the default loop again (frees all memory and kernel state
224	etc.). This stops all registered event watchers (by not touching them in	376	etc.). None of the active event watchers will be stopped in the normal
225	any way whatsoever, although you cannot rely on this :).	377	sense, so e.g. C<ev_is_active> might still return true. It is your
		378	responsibility to either stop all watchers cleanly yoursef I<before>
		379	calling this function, or cope with the fact afterwards (which is usually
		380	the easiest thing, youc na just ignore the watchers and/or C<free ()> them
		381	for example).
226		382
227	=item ev_loop_destroy (loop)	383	=item ev_loop_destroy (loop)
228		384
229	Like C<ev_default_destroy>, but destroys an event loop created by an	385	Like C<ev_default_destroy>, but destroys an event loop created by an
230	earlier call to C<ev_loop_new>.	386	earlier call to C<ev_loop_new>.
…		…
244	it just in case after a fork. To make this easy, the function will fit in	400	it just in case after a fork. To make this easy, the function will fit in
245	quite nicely into a call to C<pthread_atfork>:	401	quite nicely into a call to C<pthread_atfork>:
246		402
247	pthread_atfork (0, 0, ev_default_fork);	403	pthread_atfork (0, 0, ev_default_fork);
248		404
		405	At the moment, C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> and C<EVBACKEND_POLL> are safe to use
		406	without calling this function, so if you force one of those backends you
		407	do not need to care.
		408
249	=item ev_loop_fork (loop)	409	=item ev_loop_fork (loop)
250		410
251	Like C<ev_default_fork>, but acts on an event loop created by	411	Like C<ev_default_fork>, but acts on an event loop created by
252	C<ev_loop_new>. Yes, you have to call this on every allocated event loop	412	C<ev_loop_new>. Yes, you have to call this on every allocated event loop
253	after fork, and how you do this is entirely your own problem.	413	after fork, and how you do this is entirely your own problem.
254		414
255	=item unsigned int ev_method (loop)	415	=item unsigned int ev_backend (loop)
256		416
257	Returns one of the C<EVMETHOD_*> flags indicating the event backend in	417	Returns one of the C<EVBACKEND_*> flags indicating the event backend in
258	use.	418	use.
259		419
260	=item ev_tstamp ev_now (loop)	420	=item ev_tstamp ev_now (loop)
261		421
262	Returns the current "event loop time", which is the time the event loop	422	Returns the current "event loop time", which is the time the event loop
263	got events and started processing them. This timestamp does not change	423	received events and started processing them. This timestamp does not
264	as long as callbacks are being processed, and this is also the base time	424	change as long as callbacks are being processed, and this is also the base
265	used for relative timers. You can treat it as the timestamp of the event	425	time used for relative timers. You can treat it as the timestamp of the
266	occuring (or more correctly, the mainloop finding out about it).	426	event occuring (or more correctly, libev finding out about it).
267		427
268	=item ev_loop (loop, int flags)	428	=item ev_loop (loop, int flags)
269		429
270	Finally, this is it, the event handler. This function usually is called	430	Finally, this is it, the event handler. This function usually is called
271	after you initialised all your watchers and you want to start handling	431	after you initialised all your watchers and you want to start handling
272	events.	432	events.
273		433
274	If the flags argument is specified as 0, it will not return until either	434	If the flags argument is specified as C<0>, it will not return until
275	no event watchers are active anymore or C<ev_unloop> was called.	435	either no event watchers are active anymore or C<ev_unloop> was called.
		436
		437	Please note that an explicit C<ev_unloop> is usually better than
		438	relying on all watchers to be stopped when deciding when a program has
		439	finished (especially in interactive programs), but having a program that
		440	automatically loops as long as it has to and no longer by virtue of
		441	relying on its watchers stopping correctly is a thing of beauty.
276		442
277	A flags value of C<EVLOOP_NONBLOCK> will look for new events, will handle	443	A flags value of C<EVLOOP_NONBLOCK> will look for new events, will handle
278	those events and any outstanding ones, but will not block your process in	444	those events and any outstanding ones, but will not block your process in
279	case there are no events and will return after one iteration of the loop.	445	case there are no events and will return after one iteration of the loop.
280		446
281	A flags value of C<EVLOOP_ONESHOT> will look for new events (waiting if	447	A flags value of C<EVLOOP_ONESHOT> will look for new events (waiting if
282	neccessary) and will handle those and any outstanding ones. It will block	448	neccessary) and will handle those and any outstanding ones. It will block
283	your process until at least one new event arrives, and will return after	449	your process until at least one new event arrives, and will return after
284	one iteration of the loop.	450	one iteration of the loop. This is useful if you are waiting for some
		451	external event in conjunction with something not expressible using other
		452	libev watchers. However, a pair of C<ev_prepare>/C<ev_check> watchers is
		453	usually a better approach for this kind of thing.
285		454
286	This flags value could be used to implement alternative looping
287	constructs, but the C<prepare> and C<check> watchers provide a better and
288	more generic mechanism.
289
290	Here are the gory details of what ev_loop does:	455	Here are the gory details of what C<ev_loop> does:
291		456
292	1. If there are no active watchers (reference count is zero), return.	457	* If there are no active watchers (reference count is zero), return.
293	2. Queue and immediately call all prepare watchers.	458	- Queue prepare watchers and then call all outstanding watchers.
294	3. If we have been forked, recreate the kernel state.	459	- If we have been forked, recreate the kernel state.
295	4. Update the kernel state with all outstanding changes.	460	- Update the kernel state with all outstanding changes.
296	5. Update the "event loop time".	461	- Update the "event loop time".
297	6. Calculate for how long to block.	462	- Calculate for how long to block.
298	7. Block the process, waiting for events.	463	- Block the process, waiting for any events.
		464	- Queue all outstanding I/O (fd) events.
299	8. Update the "event loop time" and do time jump handling.	465	- Update the "event loop time" and do time jump handling.
300	9. Queue all outstanding timers.	466	- Queue all outstanding timers.
301	10. Queue all outstanding periodics.	467	- Queue all outstanding periodics.
302	11. If no events are pending now, queue all idle watchers.	468	- If no events are pending now, queue all idle watchers.
303	12. Queue all check watchers.	469	- Queue all check watchers.
304	13. Call all queued watchers in reverse order (i.e. check watchers first).	470	- Call all queued watchers in reverse order (i.e. check watchers first).
		471	Signals and child watchers are implemented as I/O watchers, and will
		472	be handled here by queueing them when their watcher gets executed.
305	14. If ev_unloop has been called or EVLOOP_ONESHOT or EVLOOP_NONBLOCK	473	- If ev_unloop has been called or EVLOOP_ONESHOT or EVLOOP_NONBLOCK
306	was used, return, otherwise continue with step #1.	474	were used, return, otherwise continue with step *.
		475
		476	Example: Queue some jobs and then loop until no events are outsanding
		477	anymore.
		478
		479	... queue jobs here, make sure they register event watchers as long
		480	... as they still have work to do (even an idle watcher will do..)
		481	ev_loop (my_loop, 0);
		482	... jobs done. yeah!
307		483
308	=item ev_unloop (loop, how)	484	=item ev_unloop (loop, how)
309		485
310	Can be used to make a call to C<ev_loop> return early (but only after it	486	Can be used to make a call to C<ev_loop> return early (but only after it
311	has processed all outstanding events). The C<how> argument must be either	487	has processed all outstanding events). The C<how> argument must be either
…		…
325	visible to the libev user and should not keep C<ev_loop> from exiting if	501	visible to the libev user and should not keep C<ev_loop> from exiting if
326	no event watchers registered by it are active. It is also an excellent	502	no event watchers registered by it are active. It is also an excellent
327	way to do this for generic recurring timers or from within third-party	503	way to do this for generic recurring timers or from within third-party
328	libraries. Just remember to I<unref after start> and I<ref before stop>.	504	libraries. Just remember to I<unref after start> and I<ref before stop>.
329		505
		506	Example: Create a signal watcher, but keep it from keeping C<ev_loop>
		507	running when nothing else is active.
		508
		509	struct ev_signal exitsig;
		510	ev_signal_init (&exitsig, sig_cb, SIGINT);
		511	ev_signal_start (loop, &exitsig);
		512	evf_unref (loop);
		513
		514	Example: For some weird reason, unregister the above signal handler again.
		515
		516	ev_ref (loop);
		517	ev_signal_stop (loop, &exitsig);
		518
330	=back	519	=back
		520
331		521
332	=head1 ANATOMY OF A WATCHER	522	=head1 ANATOMY OF A WATCHER
333		523
334	A watcher is a structure that you create and register to record your	524	A watcher is a structure that you create and register to record your
335	interest in some event. For instance, if you want to wait for STDIN to	525	interest in some event. For instance, if you want to wait for STDIN to
…		…
368	*) >>), and you can stop watching for events at any time by calling the	558	*) >>), and you can stop watching for events at any time by calling the
369	corresponding stop function (C<< ev_<type>_stop (loop, watcher *) >>.	559	corresponding stop function (C<< ev_<type>_stop (loop, watcher *) >>.
370		560
371	As long as your watcher is active (has been started but not stopped) you	561	As long as your watcher is active (has been started but not stopped) you
372	must not touch the values stored in it. Most specifically you must never	562	must not touch the values stored in it. Most specifically you must never
373	reinitialise it or call its set method.	563	reinitialise it or call its C<set> macro.
374
375	You can check whether an event is active by calling the C<ev_is_active
376	(watcher *)> macro. To see whether an event is outstanding (but the
377	callback for it has not been called yet) you can use the C<ev_is_pending
378	(watcher *)> macro.
379		564
380	Each and every callback receives the event loop pointer as first, the	565	Each and every callback receives the event loop pointer as first, the
381	registered watcher structure as second, and a bitset of received events as	566	registered watcher structure as second, and a bitset of received events as
382	third argument.	567	third argument.
383		568
…		…
407	The signal specified in the C<ev_signal> watcher has been received by a thread.	592	The signal specified in the C<ev_signal> watcher has been received by a thread.
408		593
409	=item C<EV_CHILD>	594	=item C<EV_CHILD>
410		595
411	The pid specified in the C<ev_child> watcher has received a status change.	596	The pid specified in the C<ev_child> watcher has received a status change.
		597
		598	=item C<EV_STAT>
		599
		600	The path specified in the C<ev_stat> watcher changed its attributes somehow.
412		601
413	=item C<EV_IDLE>	602	=item C<EV_IDLE>
414		603
415	The C<ev_idle> watcher has determined that you have nothing better to do.	604	The C<ev_idle> watcher has determined that you have nothing better to do.
416		605
…		…
424	received events. Callbacks of both watcher types can start and stop as	613	received events. Callbacks of both watcher types can start and stop as
425	many watchers as they want, and all of them will be taken into account	614	many watchers as they want, and all of them will be taken into account
426	(for example, a C<ev_prepare> watcher might start an idle watcher to keep	615	(for example, a C<ev_prepare> watcher might start an idle watcher to keep
427	C<ev_loop> from blocking).	616	C<ev_loop> from blocking).
428		617
		618	=item C<EV_EMBED>
		619
		620	The embedded event loop specified in the C<ev_embed> watcher needs attention.
		621
		622	=item C<EV_FORK>
		623
		624	The event loop has been resumed in the child process after fork (see
		625	C<ev_fork>).
		626
429	=item C<EV_ERROR>	627	=item C<EV_ERROR>
430		628
431	An unspecified error has occured, the watcher has been stopped. This might	629	An unspecified error has occured, the watcher has been stopped. This might
432	happen because the watcher could not be properly started because libev	630	happen because the watcher could not be properly started because libev
433	ran out of memory, a file descriptor was found to be closed or any other	631	ran out of memory, a file descriptor was found to be closed or any other
…		…
439	your callbacks is well-written it can just attempt the operation and cope	637	your callbacks is well-written it can just attempt the operation and cope
440	with the error from read() or write(). This will not work in multithreaded	638	with the error from read() or write(). This will not work in multithreaded
441	programs, though, so beware.	639	programs, though, so beware.
442		640
443	=back	641	=back
		642
		643	=head2 GENERIC WATCHER FUNCTIONS
		644
		645	In the following description, C<TYPE> stands for the watcher type,
		646	e.g. C<timer> for C<ev_timer> watchers and C<io> for C<ev_io> watchers.
		647
		648	=over 4
		649
		650	=item C<ev_init> (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback)
		651
		652	This macro initialises the generic portion of a watcher. The contents
		653	of the watcher object can be arbitrary (so C<malloc> will do). Only
		654	the generic parts of the watcher are initialised, you I<need> to call
		655	the type-specific C<ev_TYPE_set> macro afterwards to initialise the
		656	type-specific parts. For each type there is also a C<ev_TYPE_init> macro
		657	which rolls both calls into one.
		658
		659	You can reinitialise a watcher at any time as long as it has been stopped
		660	(or never started) and there are no pending events outstanding.
		661
		662	The callback is always of type C<void (*)(ev_loop *loop, ev_TYPE *watcher,
		663	int revents)>.
		664
		665	=item C<ev_TYPE_set> (ev_TYPE *, [args])
		666
		667	This macro initialises the type-specific parts of a watcher. You need to
		668	call C<ev_init> at least once before you call this macro, but you can
		669	call C<ev_TYPE_set> any number of times. You must not, however, call this
		670	macro on a watcher that is active (it can be pending, however, which is a
		671	difference to the C<ev_init> macro).
		672
		673	Although some watcher types do not have type-specific arguments
		674	(e.g. C<ev_prepare>) you still need to call its C<set> macro.
		675
		676	=item C<ev_TYPE_init> (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback, [args])
		677
		678	This convinience macro rolls both C<ev_init> and C<ev_TYPE_set> macro
		679	calls into a single call. This is the most convinient method to initialise
		680	a watcher. The same limitations apply, of course.
		681
		682	=item C<ev_TYPE_start> (loop *, ev_TYPE *watcher)
		683
		684	Starts (activates) the given watcher. Only active watchers will receive
		685	events. If the watcher is already active nothing will happen.
		686
		687	=item C<ev_TYPE_stop> (loop *, ev_TYPE *watcher)
		688
		689	Stops the given watcher again (if active) and clears the pending
		690	status. It is possible that stopped watchers are pending (for example,
		691	non-repeating timers are being stopped when they become pending), but
		692	C<ev_TYPE_stop> ensures that the watcher is neither active nor pending. If
		693	you want to free or reuse the memory used by the watcher it is therefore a
		694	good idea to always call its C<ev_TYPE_stop> function.
		695
		696	=item bool ev_is_active (ev_TYPE *watcher)
		697
		698	Returns a true value iff the watcher is active (i.e. it has been started
		699	and not yet been stopped). As long as a watcher is active you must not modify
		700	it.
		701
		702	=item bool ev_is_pending (ev_TYPE *watcher)
		703
		704	Returns a true value iff the watcher is pending, (i.e. it has outstanding
		705	events but its callback has not yet been invoked). As long as a watcher
		706	is pending (but not active) you must not call an init function on it (but
		707	C<ev_TYPE_set> is safe) and you must make sure the watcher is available to
		708	libev (e.g. you cnanot C<free ()> it).
		709
		710	=item callback ev_cb (ev_TYPE *watcher)
		711
		712	Returns the callback currently set on the watcher.
		713
		714	=item ev_cb_set (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback)
		715
		716	Change the callback. You can change the callback at virtually any time
		717	(modulo threads).
		718
		719	=back
		720
444		721
445	=head2 ASSOCIATING CUSTOM DATA WITH A WATCHER	722	=head2 ASSOCIATING CUSTOM DATA WITH A WATCHER
446		723
447	Each watcher has, by default, a member C<void *data> that you can change	724	Each watcher has, by default, a member C<void *data> that you can change
448	and read at any time, libev will completely ignore it. This can be used	725	and read at any time, libev will completely ignore it. This can be used
…		…
466	{	743	{
467	struct my_io *w = (struct my_io *)w_;	744	struct my_io *w = (struct my_io *)w_;
468	...	745	...
469	}	746	}
470		747
471	More interesting and less C-conformant ways of catsing your callback type	748	More interesting and less C-conformant ways of casting your callback type
472	have been omitted....	749	instead have been omitted.
		750
		751	Another common scenario is having some data structure with multiple
		752	watchers:
		753
		754	struct my_biggy
		755	{
		756	int some_data;
		757	ev_timer t1;
		758	ev_timer t2;
		759	}
		760
		761	In this case getting the pointer to C<my_biggy> is a bit more complicated,
		762	you need to use C<offsetof>:
		763
		764	#include <stddef.h>
		765
		766	static void
		767	t1_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_timer *w, int revents)
		768	{
		769	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *
		770	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t1));
		771	}
		772
		773	static void
		774	t2_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_timer *w, int revents)
		775	{
		776	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *
		777	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t2));
		778	}
473		779
474		780
475	=head1 WATCHER TYPES	781	=head1 WATCHER TYPES
476		782
477	This section describes each watcher in detail, but will not repeat	783	This section describes each watcher in detail, but will not repeat
478	information given in the last section.	784	information given in the last section. Any initialisation/set macros,
		785	functions and members specific to the watcher type are explained.
479		786
		787	Members are additionally marked with either I<[read-only]>, meaning that,
		788	while the watcher is active, you can look at the member and expect some
		789	sensible content, but you must not modify it (you can modify it while the
		790	watcher is stopped to your hearts content), or I<[read-write]>, which
		791	means you can expect it to have some sensible content while the watcher
		792	is active, but you can also modify it. Modifying it may not do something
		793	sensible or take immediate effect (or do anything at all), but libev will
		794	not crash or malfunction in any way.
		795
		796
480	=head2 C<ev_io> - is this file descriptor readable or writable	797	=head2 C<ev_io> - is this file descriptor readable or writable?
481		798
482	I/O watchers check whether a file descriptor is readable or writable	799	I/O watchers check whether a file descriptor is readable or writable
483	in each iteration of the event loop (This behaviour is called	800	in each iteration of the event loop, or, more precisely, when reading
484	level-triggering because you keep receiving events as long as the	801	would not block the process and writing would at least be able to write
485	condition persists. Remember you can stop the watcher if you don't want to	802	some data. This behaviour is called level-triggering because you keep
486	act on the event and neither want to receive future events).	803	receiving events as long as the condition persists. Remember you can stop
		804	the watcher if you don't want to act on the event and neither want to
		805	receive future events.
487		806
488	In general you can register as many read and/or write event watchers per	807	In general you can register as many read and/or write event watchers per
489	fd as you want (as long as you don't confuse yourself). Setting all file	808	fd as you want (as long as you don't confuse yourself). Setting all file
490	descriptors to non-blocking mode is also usually a good idea (but not	809	descriptors to non-blocking mode is also usually a good idea (but not
491	required if you know what you are doing).	810	required if you know what you are doing).
492		811
493	You have to be careful with dup'ed file descriptors, though. Some backends	812	You have to be careful with dup'ed file descriptors, though. Some backends
494	(the linux epoll backend is a notable example) cannot handle dup'ed file	813	(the linux epoll backend is a notable example) cannot handle dup'ed file
495	descriptors correctly if you register interest in two or more fds pointing	814	descriptors correctly if you register interest in two or more fds pointing
496	to the same underlying file/socket etc. description (that is, they share	815	to the same underlying file/socket/etc. description (that is, they share
497	the same underlying "file open").	816	the same underlying "file open").
498		817
499	If you must do this, then force the use of a known-to-be-good backend	818	If you must do this, then force the use of a known-to-be-good backend
500	(at the time of this writing, this includes only EVMETHOD_SELECT and	819	(at the time of this writing, this includes only C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> and
501	EVMETHOD_POLL).	820	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>).
		821
		822	Another thing you have to watch out for is that it is quite easy to
		823	receive "spurious" readyness notifications, that is your callback might
		824	be called with C<EV_READ> but a subsequent C<read>(2) will actually block
		825	because there is no data. Not only are some backends known to create a
		826	lot of those (for example solaris ports), it is very easy to get into
		827	this situation even with a relatively standard program structure. Thus
		828	it is best to always use non-blocking I/O: An extra C<read>(2) returning
		829	C<EAGAIN> is far preferable to a program hanging until some data arrives.
		830
		831	If you cannot run the fd in non-blocking mode (for example you should not
		832	play around with an Xlib connection), then you have to seperately re-test
		833	wether a file descriptor is really ready with a known-to-be good interface
		834	such as poll (fortunately in our Xlib example, Xlib already does this on
		835	its own, so its quite safe to use).
502		836
503	=over 4	837	=over 4
504		838
505	=item ev_io_init (ev_io *, callback, int fd, int events)	839	=item ev_io_init (ev_io *, callback, int fd, int events)
506		840
507	=item ev_io_set (ev_io *, int fd, int events)	841	=item ev_io_set (ev_io *, int fd, int events)
508		842
509	Configures an C<ev_io> watcher. The fd is the file descriptor to rceeive	843	Configures an C<ev_io> watcher. The C<fd> is the file descriptor to
510	events for and events is either C<EV_READ>, C<EV_WRITE> or C<EV_READ |	844	rceeive events for and events is either C<EV_READ>, C<EV_WRITE> or
511	EV_WRITE> to receive the given events.	845	C<EV_READ | EV_WRITE> to receive the given events.
		846
		847	=item int fd [read-only]
		848
		849	The file descriptor being watched.
		850
		851	=item int events [read-only]
		852
		853	The events being watched.
512		854
513	=back	855	=back
514		856
		857	Example: Call C<stdin_readable_cb> when STDIN_FILENO has become, well
		858	readable, but only once. Since it is likely line-buffered, you could
		859	attempt to read a whole line in the callback.
		860
		861	static void
		862	stdin_readable_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w, int revents)
		863	{
		864	ev_io_stop (loop, w);
		865	.. read from stdin here (or from w->fd) and haqndle any I/O errors
		866	}
		867
		868	...
		869	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_init (0);
		870	struct ev_io stdin_readable;
		871	ev_io_init (&stdin_readable, stdin_readable_cb, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);
		872	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_readable);
		873	ev_loop (loop, 0);
		874
		875
515	=head2 C<ev_timer> - relative and optionally recurring timeouts	876	=head2 C<ev_timer> - relative and optionally repeating timeouts
516		877
517	Timer watchers are simple relative timers that generate an event after a	878	Timer watchers are simple relative timers that generate an event after a
518	given time, and optionally repeating in regular intervals after that.	879	given time, and optionally repeating in regular intervals after that.
519		880
520	The timers are based on real time, that is, if you register an event that	881	The timers are based on real time, that is, if you register an event that
…		…
561		922
562	If the timer is repeating, either start it if necessary (with the repeat	923	If the timer is repeating, either start it if necessary (with the repeat
563	value), or reset the running timer to the repeat value.	924	value), or reset the running timer to the repeat value.
564		925
565	This sounds a bit complicated, but here is a useful and typical	926	This sounds a bit complicated, but here is a useful and typical
566	example: Imagine you have a tcp connection and you want a so-called idle	927	example: Imagine you have a tcp connection and you want a so-called
567	timeout, that is, you want to be called when there have been, say, 60	928	idle timeout, that is, you want to be called when there have been,
568	seconds of inactivity on the socket. The easiest way to do this is to	929	say, 60 seconds of inactivity on the socket. The easiest way to do
569	configure an C<ev_timer> with after=repeat=60 and calling ev_timer_again each	930	this is to configure an C<ev_timer> with C<after>=C<repeat>=C<60> and calling
570	time you successfully read or write some data. If you go into an idle	931	C<ev_timer_again> each time you successfully read or write some data. If
571	state where you do not expect data to travel on the socket, you can stop	932	you go into an idle state where you do not expect data to travel on the
572	the timer, and again will automatically restart it if need be.	933	socket, you can stop the timer, and again will automatically restart it if
		934	need be.
		935
		936	You can also ignore the C<after> value and C<ev_timer_start> altogether
		937	and only ever use the C<repeat> value:
		938
		939	ev_timer_init (timer, callback, 0., 5.);
		940	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
		941	...
		942	timer->again = 17.;
		943	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
		944	...
		945	timer->again = 10.;
		946	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
		947
		948	This is more efficient then stopping/starting the timer eahc time you want
		949	to modify its timeout value.
		950
		951	=item ev_tstamp repeat [read-write]
		952
		953	The current C<repeat> value. Will be used each time the watcher times out
		954	or C<ev_timer_again> is called and determines the next timeout (if any),
		955	which is also when any modifications are taken into account.
573		956
574	=back	957	=back
575		958
		959	Example: Create a timer that fires after 60 seconds.
		960
		961	static void
		962	one_minute_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_timer *w, int revents)
		963	{
		964	.. one minute over, w is actually stopped right here
		965	}
		966
		967	struct ev_timer mytimer;
		968	ev_timer_init (&mytimer, one_minute_cb, 60., 0.);
		969	ev_timer_start (loop, &mytimer);
		970
		971	Example: Create a timeout timer that times out after 10 seconds of
		972	inactivity.
		973
		974	static void
		975	timeout_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_timer *w, int revents)
		976	{
		977	.. ten seconds without any activity
		978	}
		979
		980	struct ev_timer mytimer;
		981	ev_timer_init (&mytimer, timeout_cb, 0., 10.); /* note, only repeat used */
		982	ev_timer_again (&mytimer); /* start timer */
		983	ev_loop (loop, 0);
		984
		985	// and in some piece of code that gets executed on any "activity":
		986	// reset the timeout to start ticking again at 10 seconds
		987	ev_timer_again (&mytimer);
		988
		989
576	=head2 C<ev_periodic> - to cron or not to cron	990	=head2 C<ev_periodic> - to cron or not to cron?
577		991
578	Periodic watchers are also timers of a kind, but they are very versatile	992	Periodic watchers are also timers of a kind, but they are very versatile
579	(and unfortunately a bit complex).	993	(and unfortunately a bit complex).
580		994
581	Unlike C<ev_timer>'s, they are not based on real time (or relative time)	995	Unlike C<ev_timer>'s, they are not based on real time (or relative time)
582	but on wallclock time (absolute time). You can tell a periodic watcher	996	but on wallclock time (absolute time). You can tell a periodic watcher
583	to trigger "at" some specific point in time. For example, if you tell a	997	to trigger "at" some specific point in time. For example, if you tell a
584	periodic watcher to trigger in 10 seconds (by specifiying e.g. c<ev_now ()	998	periodic watcher to trigger in 10 seconds (by specifiying e.g. C<ev_now ()
585	+ 10.>) and then reset your system clock to the last year, then it will	999	+ 10.>) and then reset your system clock to the last year, then it will
586	take a year to trigger the event (unlike an C<ev_timer>, which would trigger	1000	take a year to trigger the event (unlike an C<ev_timer>, which would trigger
587	roughly 10 seconds later and of course not if you reset your system time	1001	roughly 10 seconds later and of course not if you reset your system time
588	again).	1002	again).
589		1003
…		…
673	Simply stops and restarts the periodic watcher again. This is only useful	1087	Simply stops and restarts the periodic watcher again. This is only useful
674	when you changed some parameters or the reschedule callback would return	1088	when you changed some parameters or the reschedule callback would return
675	a different time than the last time it was called (e.g. in a crond like	1089	a different time than the last time it was called (e.g. in a crond like
676	program when the crontabs have changed).	1090	program when the crontabs have changed).
677		1091
		1092	=item ev_tstamp interval [read-write]
		1093
		1094	The current interval value. Can be modified any time, but changes only
		1095	take effect when the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being
		1096	called.
		1097
		1098	=item ev_tstamp (*reschedule_cb)(struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now) [read-write]
		1099
		1100	The current reschedule callback, or C<0>, if this functionality is
		1101	switched off. Can be changed any time, but changes only take effect when
		1102	the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.
		1103
678	=back	1104	=back
679		1105
		1106	Example: Call a callback every hour, or, more precisely, whenever the
		1107	system clock is divisible by 3600. The callback invocation times have
		1108	potentially a lot of jittering, but good long-term stability.
		1109
		1110	static void
		1111	clock_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w, int revents)
		1112	{
		1113	... its now a full hour (UTC, or TAI or whatever your clock follows)
		1114	}
		1115
		1116	struct ev_periodic hourly_tick;
		1117	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 3600., 0);
		1118	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);
		1119
		1120	Example: The same as above, but use a reschedule callback to do it:
		1121
		1122	#include <math.h>
		1123
		1124	static ev_tstamp
		1125	my_scheduler_cb (struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)
		1126	{
		1127	return fmod (now, 3600.) + 3600.;
		1128	}
		1129
		1130	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 0., my_scheduler_cb);
		1131
		1132	Example: Call a callback every hour, starting now:
		1133
		1134	struct ev_periodic hourly_tick;
		1135	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb,
		1136	fmod (ev_now (loop), 3600.), 3600., 0);
		1137	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);
		1138
		1139
680	=head2 C<ev_signal> - signal me when a signal gets signalled	1140	=head2 C<ev_signal> - signal me when a signal gets signalled!
681		1141
682	Signal watchers will trigger an event when the process receives a specific	1142	Signal watchers will trigger an event when the process receives a specific
683	signal one or more times. Even though signals are very asynchronous, libev	1143	signal one or more times. Even though signals are very asynchronous, libev
684	will try it's best to deliver signals synchronously, i.e. as part of the	1144	will try it's best to deliver signals synchronously, i.e. as part of the
685	normal event processing, like any other event.	1145	normal event processing, like any other event.
…		…
698	=item ev_signal_set (ev_signal *, int signum)	1158	=item ev_signal_set (ev_signal *, int signum)
699		1159
700	Configures the watcher to trigger on the given signal number (usually one	1160	Configures the watcher to trigger on the given signal number (usually one
701	of the C<SIGxxx> constants).	1161	of the C<SIGxxx> constants).
702		1162
		1163	=item int signum [read-only]
		1164
		1165	The signal the watcher watches out for.
		1166
703	=back	1167	=back
704		1168
		1169
705	=head2 C<ev_child> - wait for pid status changes	1170	=head2 C<ev_child> - watch out for process status changes
706		1171
707	Child watchers trigger when your process receives a SIGCHLD in response to	1172	Child watchers trigger when your process receives a SIGCHLD in response to
708	some child status changes (most typically when a child of yours dies).	1173	some child status changes (most typically when a child of yours dies).
709		1174
710	=over 4	1175	=over 4
…		…
718	at the C<rstatus> member of the C<ev_child> watcher structure to see	1183	at the C<rstatus> member of the C<ev_child> watcher structure to see
719	the status word (use the macros from C<sys/wait.h> and see your systems	1184	the status word (use the macros from C<sys/wait.h> and see your systems
720	C<waitpid> documentation). The C<rpid> member contains the pid of the	1185	C<waitpid> documentation). The C<rpid> member contains the pid of the
721	process causing the status change.	1186	process causing the status change.
722		1187
		1188	=item int pid [read-only]
		1189
		1190	The process id this watcher watches out for, or C<0>, meaning any process id.
		1191
		1192	=item int rpid [read-write]
		1193
		1194	The process id that detected a status change.
		1195
		1196	=item int rstatus [read-write]
		1197
		1198	The process exit/trace status caused by C<rpid> (see your systems
		1199	C<waitpid> and C<sys/wait.h> documentation for details).
		1200
723	=back	1201	=back
724		1202
		1203	Example: Try to exit cleanly on SIGINT and SIGTERM.
		1204
		1205	static void
		1206	sigint_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_signal *w, int revents)
		1207	{
		1208	ev_unloop (loop, EVUNLOOP_ALL);
		1209	}
		1210
		1211	struct ev_signal signal_watcher;
		1212	ev_signal_init (&signal_watcher, sigint_cb, SIGINT);
		1213	ev_signal_start (loop, &sigint_cb);
		1214
		1215
		1216	=head2 C<ev_stat> - did the file attributes just change?
		1217
		1218	This watches a filesystem path for attribute changes. That is, it calls
		1219	C<stat> regularly (or when the OS says it changed) and sees if it changed
		1220	compared to the last time, invoking the callback if it did.
		1221
		1222	The path does not need to exist: changing from "path exists" to "path does
		1223	not exist" is a status change like any other. The condition "path does
		1224	not exist" is signified by the C<st_nlink> field being zero (which is
		1225	otherwise always forced to be at least one) and all the other fields of
		1226	the stat buffer having unspecified contents.
		1227
		1228	The path I<should> be absolute and I<must not> end in a slash. If it is
		1229	relative and your working directory changes, the behaviour is undefined.
		1230
		1231	Since there is no standard to do this, the portable implementation simply
		1232	calls C<stat (2)> regularly on the path to see if it changed somehow. You
		1233	can specify a recommended polling interval for this case. If you specify
		1234	a polling interval of C<0> (highly recommended!) then a I<suitable,
		1235	unspecified default> value will be used (which you can expect to be around
		1236	five seconds, although this might change dynamically). Libev will also
		1237	impose a minimum interval which is currently around C<0.1>, but thats
		1238	usually overkill.
		1239
		1240	This watcher type is not meant for massive numbers of stat watchers,
		1241	as even with OS-supported change notifications, this can be
		1242	resource-intensive.
		1243
		1244	At the time of this writing, only the Linux inotify interface is
		1245	implemented (implementing kqueue support is left as an exercise for the
		1246	reader). Inotify will be used to give hints only and should not change the
		1247	semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers, which means that libev sometimes needs
		1248	to fall back to regular polling again even with inotify, but changes are
		1249	usually detected immediately, and if the file exists there will be no
		1250	polling.
		1251
		1252	=over 4
		1253
		1254	=item ev_stat_init (ev_stat *, callback, const char *path, ev_tstamp interval)
		1255
		1256	=item ev_stat_set (ev_stat *, const char *path, ev_tstamp interval)
		1257
		1258	Configures the watcher to wait for status changes of the given
		1259	C<path>. The C<interval> is a hint on how quickly a change is expected to
		1260	be detected and should normally be specified as C<0> to let libev choose
		1261	a suitable value. The memory pointed to by C<path> must point to the same
		1262	path for as long as the watcher is active.
		1263
		1264	The callback will be receive C<EV_STAT> when a change was detected,
		1265	relative to the attributes at the time the watcher was started (or the
		1266	last change was detected).
		1267
		1268	=item ev_stat_stat (ev_stat *)
		1269
		1270	Updates the stat buffer immediately with new values. If you change the
		1271	watched path in your callback, you could call this fucntion to avoid
		1272	detecting this change (while introducing a race condition). Can also be
		1273	useful simply to find out the new values.
		1274
		1275	=item ev_statdata attr [read-only]
		1276
		1277	The most-recently detected attributes of the file. Although the type is of
		1278	C<ev_statdata>, this is usually the (or one of the) C<struct stat> types
		1279	suitable for your system. If the C<st_nlink> member is C<0>, then there
		1280	was some error while C<stat>ing the file.
		1281
		1282	=item ev_statdata prev [read-only]
		1283
		1284	The previous attributes of the file. The callback gets invoked whenever
		1285	C<prev> != C<attr>.
		1286
		1287	=item ev_tstamp interval [read-only]
		1288
		1289	The specified interval.
		1290
		1291	=item const char *path [read-only]
		1292
		1293	The filesystem path that is being watched.
		1294
		1295	=back
		1296
		1297	Example: Watch C</etc/passwd> for attribute changes.
		1298
		1299	static void
		1300	passwd_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_stat *w, int revents)
		1301	{
		1302	/* /etc/passwd changed in some way */
		1303	if (w->attr.st_nlink)
		1304	{
		1305	printf ("passwd current size %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_size);
		1306	printf ("passwd current atime %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_mtime);
		1307	printf ("passwd current mtime %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_mtime);
		1308	}
		1309	else
		1310	/* you shalt not abuse printf for puts */
		1311	puts ("wow, /etc/passwd is not there, expect problems. "
		1312	"if this is windows, they already arrived\n");
		1313	}
		1314
		1315	...
		1316	ev_stat passwd;
		1317
		1318	ev_stat_init (&passwd, passwd_cb, "/etc/passwd");
		1319	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);
		1320
		1321
725	=head2 C<ev_idle> - when you've got nothing better to do	1322	=head2 C<ev_idle> - when you've got nothing better to do...
726		1323
727	Idle watchers trigger events when there are no other events are pending	1324	Idle watchers trigger events when there are no other events are pending
728	(prepare, check and other idle watchers do not count). That is, as long	1325	(prepare, check and other idle watchers do not count). That is, as long
729	as your process is busy handling sockets or timeouts (or even signals,	1326	as your process is busy handling sockets or timeouts (or even signals,
730	imagine) it will not be triggered. But when your process is idle all idle	1327	imagine) it will not be triggered. But when your process is idle all idle
…		…
748	kind. There is a C<ev_idle_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,	1345	kind. There is a C<ev_idle_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
749	believe me.	1346	believe me.
750		1347
751	=back	1348	=back
752		1349
		1350	Example: Dynamically allocate an C<ev_idle> watcher, start it, and in the
		1351	callback, free it. Also, use no error checking, as usual.
		1352
		1353	static void
		1354	idle_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_idle *w, int revents)
		1355	{
		1356	free (w);
		1357	// now do something you wanted to do when the program has
		1358	// no longer asnything immediate to do.
		1359	}
		1360
		1361	struct ev_idle *idle_watcher = malloc (sizeof (struct ev_idle));
		1362	ev_idle_init (idle_watcher, idle_cb);
		1363	ev_idle_start (loop, idle_cb);
		1364
		1365
753	=head2 C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> - customise your event loop	1366	=head2 C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> - customise your event loop!
754		1367
755	Prepare and check watchers are usually (but not always) used in tandem:	1368	Prepare and check watchers are usually (but not always) used in tandem:
756	prepare watchers get invoked before the process blocks and check watchers	1369	prepare watchers get invoked before the process blocks and check watchers
757	afterwards.	1370	afterwards.
758		1371
		1372	You I<must not> call C<ev_loop> or similar functions that enter
		1373	the current event loop from either C<ev_prepare> or C<ev_check>
		1374	watchers. Other loops than the current one are fine, however. The
		1375	rationale behind this is that you do not need to check for recursion in
		1376	those watchers, i.e. the sequence will always be C<ev_prepare>, blocking,
		1377	C<ev_check> so if you have one watcher of each kind they will always be
		1378	called in pairs bracketing the blocking call.
		1379
759	Their main purpose is to integrate other event mechanisms into libev. This	1380	Their main purpose is to integrate other event mechanisms into libev and
760	could be used, for example, to track variable changes, implement your own	1381	their use is somewhat advanced. This could be used, for example, to track
761	watchers, integrate net-snmp or a coroutine library and lots more.	1382	variable changes, implement your own watchers, integrate net-snmp or a
		1383	coroutine library and lots more. They are also occasionally useful if
		1384	you cache some data and want to flush it before blocking (for example,
		1385	in X programs you might want to do an C<XFlush ()> in an C<ev_prepare>
		1386	watcher).
762		1387
763	This is done by examining in each prepare call which file descriptors need	1388	This is done by examining in each prepare call which file descriptors need
764	to be watched by the other library, registering C<ev_io> watchers for	1389	to be watched by the other library, registering C<ev_io> watchers for
765	them and starting an C<ev_timer> watcher for any timeouts (many libraries	1390	them and starting an C<ev_timer> watcher for any timeouts (many libraries
766	provide just this functionality). Then, in the check watcher you check for	1391	provide just this functionality). Then, in the check watcher you check for
…		…
788	parameters of any kind. There are C<ev_prepare_set> and C<ev_check_set>	1413	parameters of any kind. There are C<ev_prepare_set> and C<ev_check_set>
789	macros, but using them is utterly, utterly and completely pointless.	1414	macros, but using them is utterly, utterly and completely pointless.
790		1415
791	=back	1416	=back
792		1417
		1418	Example: To include a library such as adns, you would add IO watchers
		1419	and a timeout watcher in a prepare handler, as required by libadns, and
		1420	in a check watcher, destroy them and call into libadns. What follows is
		1421	pseudo-code only of course:
		1422
		1423	static ev_io iow [nfd];
		1424	static ev_timer tw;
		1425
		1426	static void
		1427	io_cb (ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w, int revents)
		1428	{
		1429	// set the relevant poll flags
		1430	// could also call adns_processreadable etc. here
		1431	struct pollfd *fd = (struct pollfd *)w->data;
		1432	if (revents & EV_READ ) fd->revents |= fd->events & POLLIN;
		1433	if (revents & EV_WRITE) fd->revents |= fd->events & POLLOUT;
		1434	}
		1435
		1436	// create io watchers for each fd and a timer before blocking
		1437	static void
		1438	adns_prepare_cb (ev_loop *loop, ev_prepare *w, int revents)
		1439	{
		1440	int timeout = 3600000;truct pollfd fds [nfd];
		1441	// actual code will need to loop here and realloc etc.
		1442	adns_beforepoll (ads, fds, &nfd, &timeout, timeval_from (ev_time ()));
		1443
		1444	/* the callback is illegal, but won't be called as we stop during check */
		1445	ev_timer_init (&tw, 0, timeout * 1e-3);
		1446	ev_timer_start (loop, &tw);
		1447
		1448	// create on ev_io per pollfd
		1449	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)
		1450	{
		1451	ev_io_init (iow + i, io_cb, fds [i].fd,
		1452	((fds [i].events & POLLIN ? EV_READ : 0)
		1453	| (fds [i].events & POLLOUT ? EV_WRITE : 0)));
		1454
		1455	fds [i].revents = 0;
		1456	iow [i].data = fds + i;
		1457	ev_io_start (loop, iow + i);
		1458	}
		1459	}
		1460
		1461	// stop all watchers after blocking
		1462	static void
		1463	adns_check_cb (ev_loop *loop, ev_check *w, int revents)
		1464	{
		1465	ev_timer_stop (loop, &tw);
		1466
		1467	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)
		1468	ev_io_stop (loop, iow + i);
		1469
		1470	adns_afterpoll (adns, fds, nfd, timeval_from (ev_now (loop));
		1471	}
		1472
		1473
		1474	=head2 C<ev_embed> - when one backend isn't enough...
		1475
		1476	This is a rather advanced watcher type that lets you embed one event loop
		1477	into another (currently only C<ev_io> events are supported in the embedded
		1478	loop, other types of watchers might be handled in a delayed or incorrect
		1479	fashion and must not be used).
		1480
		1481	There are primarily two reasons you would want that: work around bugs and
		1482	prioritise I/O.
		1483
		1484	As an example for a bug workaround, the kqueue backend might only support
		1485	sockets on some platform, so it is unusable as generic backend, but you
		1486	still want to make use of it because you have many sockets and it scales
		1487	so nicely. In this case, you would create a kqueue-based loop and embed it
		1488	into your default loop (which might use e.g. poll). Overall operation will
		1489	be a bit slower because first libev has to poll and then call kevent, but
		1490	at least you can use both at what they are best.
		1491
		1492	As for prioritising I/O: rarely you have the case where some fds have
		1493	to be watched and handled very quickly (with low latency), and even
		1494	priorities and idle watchers might have too much overhead. In this case
		1495	you would put all the high priority stuff in one loop and all the rest in
		1496	a second one, and embed the second one in the first.
		1497
		1498	As long as the watcher is active, the callback will be invoked every time
		1499	there might be events pending in the embedded loop. The callback must then
		1500	call C<ev_embed_sweep (mainloop, watcher)> to make a single sweep and invoke
		1501	their callbacks (you could also start an idle watcher to give the embedded
		1502	loop strictly lower priority for example). You can also set the callback
		1503	to C<0>, in which case the embed watcher will automatically execute the
		1504	embedded loop sweep.
		1505
		1506	As long as the watcher is started it will automatically handle events. The
		1507	callback will be invoked whenever some events have been handled. You can
		1508	set the callback to C<0> to avoid having to specify one if you are not
		1509	interested in that.
		1510
		1511	Also, there have not currently been made special provisions for forking:
		1512	when you fork, you not only have to call C<ev_loop_fork> on both loops,
		1513	but you will also have to stop and restart any C<ev_embed> watchers
		1514	yourself.
		1515
		1516	Unfortunately, not all backends are embeddable, only the ones returned by
		1517	C<ev_embeddable_backends> are, which, unfortunately, does not include any
		1518	portable one.
		1519
		1520	So when you want to use this feature you will always have to be prepared
		1521	that you cannot get an embeddable loop. The recommended way to get around
		1522	this is to have a separate variables for your embeddable loop, try to
		1523	create it, and if that fails, use the normal loop for everything:
		1524
		1525	struct ev_loop *loop_hi = ev_default_init (0);
		1526	struct ev_loop *loop_lo = 0;
		1527	struct ev_embed embed;
		1528
		1529	// see if there is a chance of getting one that works
		1530	// (remember that a flags value of 0 means autodetection)
		1531	loop_lo = ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_recommended_backends ()
		1532	? ev_loop_new (ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_recommended_backends ())
		1533	: 0;
		1534
		1535	// if we got one, then embed it, otherwise default to loop_hi
		1536	if (loop_lo)
		1537	{
		1538	ev_embed_init (&embed, 0, loop_lo);
		1539	ev_embed_start (loop_hi, &embed);
		1540	}
		1541	else
		1542	loop_lo = loop_hi;
		1543
		1544	=over 4
		1545
		1546	=item ev_embed_init (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)
		1547
		1548	=item ev_embed_set (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)
		1549
		1550	Configures the watcher to embed the given loop, which must be
		1551	embeddable. If the callback is C<0>, then C<ev_embed_sweep> will be
		1552	invoked automatically, otherwise it is the responsibility of the callback
		1553	to invoke it (it will continue to be called until the sweep has been done,
		1554	if you do not want thta, you need to temporarily stop the embed watcher).
		1555
		1556	=item ev_embed_sweep (loop, ev_embed *)
		1557
		1558	Make a single, non-blocking sweep over the embedded loop. This works
		1559	similarly to C<ev_loop (embedded_loop, EVLOOP_NONBLOCK)>, but in the most
		1560	apropriate way for embedded loops.
		1561
		1562	=item struct ev_loop *loop [read-only]
		1563
		1564	The embedded event loop.
		1565
		1566	=back
		1567
		1568
		1569	=head2 C<ev_fork> - the audacity to resume the event loop after a fork
		1570
		1571	Fork watchers are called when a C<fork ()> was detected (usually because
		1572	whoever is a good citizen cared to tell libev about it by calling
		1573	C<ev_default_fork> or C<ev_loop_fork>). The invocation is done before the
		1574	event loop blocks next and before C<ev_check> watchers are being called,
		1575	and only in the child after the fork. If whoever good citizen calling
		1576	C<ev_default_fork> cheats and calls it in the wrong process, the fork
		1577	handlers will be invoked, too, of course.
		1578
		1579	=over 4
		1580
		1581	=item ev_fork_init (ev_signal *, callback)
		1582
		1583	Initialises and configures the fork watcher - it has no parameters of any
		1584	kind. There is a C<ev_fork_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
		1585	believe me.
		1586
		1587	=back
		1588
		1589
793	=head1 OTHER FUNCTIONS	1590	=head1 OTHER FUNCTIONS
794		1591
795	There are some other functions of possible interest. Described. Here. Now.	1592	There are some other functions of possible interest. Described. Here. Now.
796		1593
797	=over 4	1594	=over 4
…		…
826	/* stdin might have data for us, joy! */;	1623	/* stdin might have data for us, joy! */;
827	}	1624	}
828		1625
829	ev_once (STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ, 10., stdin_ready, 0);	1626	ev_once (STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ, 10., stdin_ready, 0);
830		1627
831	=item ev_feed_event (loop, watcher, int events)	1628	=item ev_feed_event (ev_loop *, watcher *, int revents)
832		1629
833	Feeds the given event set into the event loop, as if the specified event	1630	Feeds the given event set into the event loop, as if the specified event
834	had happened for the specified watcher (which must be a pointer to an	1631	had happened for the specified watcher (which must be a pointer to an
835	initialised but not necessarily started event watcher).	1632	initialised but not necessarily started event watcher).
836		1633
837	=item ev_feed_fd_event (loop, int fd, int revents)	1634	=item ev_feed_fd_event (ev_loop *, int fd, int revents)
838		1635
839	Feed an event on the given fd, as if a file descriptor backend detected	1636	Feed an event on the given fd, as if a file descriptor backend detected
840	the given events it.	1637	the given events it.
841		1638
842	=item ev_feed_signal_event (loop, int signum)	1639	=item ev_feed_signal_event (ev_loop *loop, int signum)
843		1640
844	Feed an event as if the given signal occured (loop must be the default loop!).	1641	Feed an event as if the given signal occured (C<loop> must be the default
		1642	loop!).
845		1643
846	=back	1644	=back
		1645
847		1646
848	=head1 LIBEVENT EMULATION	1647	=head1 LIBEVENT EMULATION
849		1648
850	Libev offers a compatibility emulation layer for libevent. It cannot	1649	Libev offers a compatibility emulation layer for libevent. It cannot
851	emulate the internals of libevent, so here are some usage hints:	1650	emulate the internals of libevent, so here are some usage hints:
…		…
872		1671
873	=back	1672	=back
874		1673
875	=head1 C++ SUPPORT	1674	=head1 C++ SUPPORT
876		1675
877	TBD.	1676	Libev comes with some simplistic wrapper classes for C++ that mainly allow
		1677	you to use some convinience methods to start/stop watchers and also change
		1678	the callback model to a model using method callbacks on objects.
		1679
		1680	To use it,
		1681
		1682	#include <ev++.h>
		1683
		1684	(it is not installed by default). This automatically includes F<ev.h>
		1685	and puts all of its definitions (many of them macros) into the global
		1686	namespace. All C++ specific things are put into the C<ev> namespace.
		1687
		1688	It should support all the same embedding options as F<ev.h>, most notably
		1689	C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>.
		1690
		1691	Here is a list of things available in the C<ev> namespace:
		1692
		1693	=over 4
		1694
		1695	=item C<ev::READ>, C<ev::WRITE> etc.
		1696
		1697	These are just enum values with the same values as the C<EV_READ> etc.
		1698	macros from F<ev.h>.
		1699
		1700	=item C<ev::tstamp>, C<ev::now>
		1701
		1702	Aliases to the same types/functions as with the C<ev_> prefix.
		1703
		1704	=item C<ev::io>, C<ev::timer>, C<ev::periodic>, C<ev::idle>, C<ev::sig> etc.
		1705
		1706	For each C<ev_TYPE> watcher in F<ev.h> there is a corresponding class of
		1707	the same name in the C<ev> namespace, with the exception of C<ev_signal>
		1708	which is called C<ev::sig> to avoid clashes with the C<signal> macro
		1709	defines by many implementations.
		1710
		1711	All of those classes have these methods:
		1712
		1713	=over 4
		1714
		1715	=item ev::TYPE::TYPE (object *, object::method *)
		1716
		1717	=item ev::TYPE::TYPE (object *, object::method *, struct ev_loop *)
		1718
		1719	=item ev::TYPE::~TYPE
		1720
		1721	The constructor takes a pointer to an object and a method pointer to
		1722	the event handler callback to call in this class. The constructor calls
		1723	C<ev_init> for you, which means you have to call the C<set> method
		1724	before starting it. If you do not specify a loop then the constructor
		1725	automatically associates the default loop with this watcher.
		1726
		1727	The destructor automatically stops the watcher if it is active.
		1728
		1729	=item w->set (struct ev_loop *)
		1730
		1731	Associates a different C<struct ev_loop> with this watcher. You can only
		1732	do this when the watcher is inactive (and not pending either).
		1733
		1734	=item w->set ([args])
		1735
		1736	Basically the same as C<ev_TYPE_set>, with the same args. Must be
		1737	called at least once. Unlike the C counterpart, an active watcher gets
		1738	automatically stopped and restarted.
		1739
		1740	=item w->start ()
		1741
		1742	Starts the watcher. Note that there is no C<loop> argument as the
		1743	constructor already takes the loop.
		1744
		1745	=item w->stop ()
		1746
		1747	Stops the watcher if it is active. Again, no C<loop> argument.
		1748
		1749	=item w->again () C<ev::timer>, C<ev::periodic> only
		1750
		1751	For C<ev::timer> and C<ev::periodic>, this invokes the corresponding
		1752	C<ev_TYPE_again> function.
		1753
		1754	=item w->sweep () C<ev::embed> only
		1755
		1756	Invokes C<ev_embed_sweep>.
		1757
		1758	=item w->update () C<ev::stat> only
		1759
		1760	Invokes C<ev_stat_stat>.
		1761
		1762	=back
		1763
		1764	=back
		1765
		1766	Example: Define a class with an IO and idle watcher, start one of them in
		1767	the constructor.
		1768
		1769	class myclass
		1770	{
		1771	ev_io io; void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents);
		1772	ev_idle idle void idle_cb (ev::idle &w, int revents);
		1773
		1774	myclass ();
		1775	}
		1776
		1777	myclass::myclass (int fd)
		1778	: io (this, &myclass::io_cb),
		1779	idle (this, &myclass::idle_cb)
		1780	{
		1781	io.start (fd, ev::READ);
		1782	}
		1783
		1784
		1785	=head1 MACRO MAGIC
		1786
		1787	Libev can be compiled with a variety of options, the most fundemantal is
		1788	C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>. This option determines wether (most) functions and
		1789	callbacks have an initial C<struct ev_loop *> argument.
		1790
		1791	To make it easier to write programs that cope with either variant, the
		1792	following macros are defined:
		1793
		1794	=over 4
		1795
		1796	=item C<EV_A>, C<EV_A_>
		1797
		1798	This provides the loop I<argument> for functions, if one is required ("ev
		1799	loop argument"). The C<EV_A> form is used when this is the sole argument,
		1800	C<EV_A_> is used when other arguments are following. Example:
		1801
		1802	ev_unref (EV_A);
		1803	ev_timer_add (EV_A_ watcher);
		1804	ev_loop (EV_A_ 0);
		1805
		1806	It assumes the variable C<loop> of type C<struct ev_loop *> is in scope,
		1807	which is often provided by the following macro.
		1808
		1809	=item C<EV_P>, C<EV_P_>
		1810
		1811	This provides the loop I<parameter> for functions, if one is required ("ev
		1812	loop parameter"). The C<EV_P> form is used when this is the sole parameter,
		1813	C<EV_P_> is used when other parameters are following. Example:
		1814
		1815	// this is how ev_unref is being declared
		1816	static void ev_unref (EV_P);
		1817
		1818	// this is how you can declare your typical callback
		1819	static void cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
		1820
		1821	It declares a parameter C<loop> of type C<struct ev_loop *>, quite
		1822	suitable for use with C<EV_A>.
		1823
		1824	=item C<EV_DEFAULT>, C<EV_DEFAULT_>
		1825
		1826	Similar to the other two macros, this gives you the value of the default
		1827	loop, if multiple loops are supported ("ev loop default").
		1828
		1829	=back
		1830
		1831	Example: Declare and initialise a check watcher, working regardless of
		1832	wether multiple loops are supported or not.
		1833
		1834	static void
		1835	check_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
		1836	{
		1837	ev_check_stop (EV_A_ w);
		1838	}
		1839
		1840	ev_check check;
		1841	ev_check_init (&check, check_cb);
		1842	ev_check_start (EV_DEFAULT_ &check);
		1843	ev_loop (EV_DEFAULT_ 0);
		1844
		1845
		1846	=head1 EMBEDDING
		1847
		1848	Libev can (and often is) directly embedded into host
		1849	applications. Examples of applications that embed it include the Deliantra
		1850	Game Server, the EV perl module, the GNU Virtual Private Ethernet (gvpe)
		1851	and rxvt-unicode.
		1852
		1853	The goal is to enable you to just copy the neecssary files into your
		1854	source directory without having to change even a single line in them, so
		1855	you can easily upgrade by simply copying (or having a checked-out copy of
		1856	libev somewhere in your source tree).
		1857
		1858	=head2 FILESETS
		1859
		1860	Depending on what features you need you need to include one or more sets of files
		1861	in your app.
		1862
		1863	=head3 CORE EVENT LOOP
		1864
		1865	To include only the libev core (all the C<ev_*> functions), with manual
		1866	configuration (no autoconf):
		1867
		1868	#define EV_STANDALONE 1
		1869	#include "ev.c"
		1870
		1871	This will automatically include F<ev.h>, too, and should be done in a
		1872	single C source file only to provide the function implementations. To use
		1873	it, do the same for F<ev.h> in all files wishing to use this API (best
		1874	done by writing a wrapper around F<ev.h> that you can include instead and
		1875	where you can put other configuration options):
		1876
		1877	#define EV_STANDALONE 1
		1878	#include "ev.h"
		1879
		1880	Both header files and implementation files can be compiled with a C++
		1881	compiler (at least, thats a stated goal, and breakage will be treated
		1882	as a bug).
		1883
		1884	You need the following files in your source tree, or in a directory
		1885	in your include path (e.g. in libev/ when using -Ilibev):
		1886
		1887	ev.h
		1888	ev.c
		1889	ev_vars.h
		1890	ev_wrap.h
		1891
		1892	ev_win32.c required on win32 platforms only
		1893
		1894	ev_select.c only when select backend is enabled (which is by default)
		1895	ev_poll.c only when poll backend is enabled (disabled by default)
		1896	ev_epoll.c only when the epoll backend is enabled (disabled by default)
		1897	ev_kqueue.c only when the kqueue backend is enabled (disabled by default)
		1898	ev_port.c only when the solaris port backend is enabled (disabled by default)
		1899
		1900	F<ev.c> includes the backend files directly when enabled, so you only need
		1901	to compile this single file.
		1902
		1903	=head3 LIBEVENT COMPATIBILITY API
		1904
		1905	To include the libevent compatibility API, also include:
		1906
		1907	#include "event.c"
		1908
		1909	in the file including F<ev.c>, and:
		1910
		1911	#include "event.h"
		1912
		1913	in the files that want to use the libevent API. This also includes F<ev.h>.
		1914
		1915	You need the following additional files for this:
		1916
		1917	event.h
		1918	event.c
		1919
		1920	=head3 AUTOCONF SUPPORT
		1921
		1922	Instead of using C<EV_STANDALONE=1> and providing your config in
		1923	whatever way you want, you can also C<m4_include([libev.m4])> in your
		1924	F<configure.ac> and leave C<EV_STANDALONE> undefined. F<ev.c> will then
		1925	include F<config.h> and configure itself accordingly.
		1926
		1927	For this of course you need the m4 file:
		1928
		1929	libev.m4
		1930
		1931	=head2 PREPROCESSOR SYMBOLS/MACROS
		1932
		1933	Libev can be configured via a variety of preprocessor symbols you have to define
		1934	before including any of its files. The default is not to build for multiplicity
		1935	and only include the select backend.
		1936
		1937	=over 4
		1938
		1939	=item EV_STANDALONE
		1940
		1941	Must always be C<1> if you do not use autoconf configuration, which
		1942	keeps libev from including F<config.h>, and it also defines dummy
		1943	implementations for some libevent functions (such as logging, which is not
		1944	supported). It will also not define any of the structs usually found in
		1945	F<event.h> that are not directly supported by the libev core alone.
		1946
		1947	=item EV_USE_MONOTONIC
		1948
		1949	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the
		1950	monotonic clock option at both compiletime and runtime. Otherwise no use
		1951	of the monotonic clock option will be attempted. If you enable this, you
		1952	usually have to link against librt or something similar. Enabling it when
		1953	the functionality isn't available is safe, though, althoguh you have
		1954	to make sure you link against any libraries where the C<clock_gettime>
		1955	function is hiding in (often F<-lrt>).
		1956
		1957	=item EV_USE_REALTIME
		1958
		1959	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the
		1960	realtime clock option at compiletime (and assume its availability at
		1961	runtime if successful). Otherwise no use of the realtime clock option will
		1962	be attempted. This effectively replaces C<gettimeofday> by C<clock_get
		1963	(CLOCK_REALTIME, ...)> and will not normally affect correctness. See tzhe note about libraries
		1964	in the description of C<EV_USE_MONOTONIC>, though.
		1965
		1966	=item EV_USE_SELECT
		1967
		1968	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the
		1969	C<select>(2) backend. No attempt at autodetection will be done: if no
		1970	other method takes over, select will be it. Otherwise the select backend
		1971	will not be compiled in.
		1972
		1973	=item EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET
		1974
		1975	If defined to C<1>, then the select backend will use the system C<fd_set>
		1976	structure. This is useful if libev doesn't compile due to a missing
		1977	C<NFDBITS> or C<fd_mask> definition or it misguesses the bitset layout on
		1978	exotic systems. This usually limits the range of file descriptors to some
		1979	low limit such as 1024 or might have other limitations (winsocket only
		1980	allows 64 sockets). The C<FD_SETSIZE> macro, set before compilation, might
		1981	influence the size of the C<fd_set> used.
		1982
		1983	=item EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET
		1984
		1985	When defined to C<1>, the select backend will assume that
		1986	select/socket/connect etc. don't understand file descriptors but
		1987	wants osf handles on win32 (this is the case when the select to
		1988	be used is the winsock select). This means that it will call
		1989	C<_get_osfhandle> on the fd to convert it to an OS handle. Otherwise,
		1990	it is assumed that all these functions actually work on fds, even
		1991	on win32. Should not be defined on non-win32 platforms.
		1992
		1993	=item EV_USE_POLL
		1994
		1995	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the C<poll>(2)
		1996	backend. Otherwise it will be enabled on non-win32 platforms. It
		1997	takes precedence over select.
		1998
		1999	=item EV_USE_EPOLL
		2000
		2001	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux
		2002	C<epoll>(7) backend. Its availability will be detected at runtime,
		2003	otherwise another method will be used as fallback. This is the
		2004	preferred backend for GNU/Linux systems.
		2005
		2006	=item EV_USE_KQUEUE
		2007
		2008	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the BSD style
		2009	C<kqueue>(2) backend. Its actual availability will be detected at runtime,
		2010	otherwise another method will be used as fallback. This is the preferred
		2011	backend for BSD and BSD-like systems, although on most BSDs kqueue only
		2012	supports some types of fds correctly (the only platform we found that
		2013	supports ptys for example was NetBSD), so kqueue might be compiled in, but
		2014	not be used unless explicitly requested. The best way to use it is to find
		2015	out whether kqueue supports your type of fd properly and use an embedded
		2016	kqueue loop.
		2017
		2018	=item EV_USE_PORT
		2019
		2020	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Solaris
		2021	10 port style backend. Its availability will be detected at runtime,
		2022	otherwise another method will be used as fallback. This is the preferred
		2023	backend for Solaris 10 systems.
		2024
		2025	=item EV_USE_DEVPOLL
		2026
		2027	reserved for future expansion, works like the USE symbols above.
		2028
		2029	=item EV_USE_INOTIFY
		2030
		2031	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux inotify
		2032	interface to speed up C<ev_stat> watchers. Its actual availability will
		2033	be detected at runtime.
		2034
		2035	=item EV_H
		2036
		2037	The name of the F<ev.h> header file used to include it. The default if
		2038	undefined is C<< <ev.h> >> in F<event.h> and C<"ev.h"> in F<ev.c>. This
		2039	can be used to virtually rename the F<ev.h> header file in case of conflicts.
		2040
		2041	=item EV_CONFIG_H
		2042
		2043	If C<EV_STANDALONE> isn't C<1>, this variable can be used to override
		2044	F<ev.c>'s idea of where to find the F<config.h> file, similarly to
		2045	C<EV_H>, above.
		2046
		2047	=item EV_EVENT_H
		2048
		2049	Similarly to C<EV_H>, this macro can be used to override F<event.c>'s idea
		2050	of how the F<event.h> header can be found.
		2051
		2052	=item EV_PROTOTYPES
		2053
		2054	If defined to be C<0>, then F<ev.h> will not define any function
		2055	prototypes, but still define all the structs and other symbols. This is
		2056	occasionally useful if you want to provide your own wrapper functions
		2057	around libev functions.
		2058
		2059	=item EV_MULTIPLICITY
		2060
		2061	If undefined or defined to C<1>, then all event-loop-specific functions
		2062	will have the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument, and you can create
		2063	additional independent event loops. Otherwise there will be no support
		2064	for multiple event loops and there is no first event loop pointer
		2065	argument. Instead, all functions act on the single default loop.
		2066
		2067	=item EV_PERIODIC_ENABLE
		2068
		2069	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then periodic timers are supported. If
		2070	defined to be C<0>, then they are not. Disabling them saves a few kB of
		2071	code.
		2072
		2073	=item EV_EMBED_ENABLE
		2074
		2075	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then embed watchers are supported. If
		2076	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
		2077
		2078	=item EV_STAT_ENABLE
		2079
		2080	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then stat watchers are supported. If
		2081	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
		2082
		2083	=item EV_FORK_ENABLE
		2084
		2085	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then fork watchers are supported. If
		2086	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
		2087
		2088	=item EV_MINIMAL
		2089
		2090	If you need to shave off some kilobytes of code at the expense of some
		2091	speed, define this symbol to C<1>. Currently only used for gcc to override
		2092	some inlining decisions, saves roughly 30% codesize of amd64.
		2093
		2094	=item EV_PID_HASHSIZE
		2095
		2096	C<ev_child> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by
		2097	pid. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_MINIMAL>), usually more
		2098	than enough. If you need to manage thousands of children you might want to
		2099	increase this value (I<must> be a power of two).
		2100
		2101	=item EV_INOTIFY_HASHSIZE
		2102
		2103	C<ev_staz> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by
		2104	inotify watch id. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_MINIMAL>),
		2105	usually more than enough. If you need to manage thousands of C<ev_stat>
		2106	watchers you might want to increase this value (I<must> be a power of
		2107	two).
		2108
		2109	=item EV_COMMON
		2110
		2111	By default, all watchers have a C<void *data> member. By redefining
		2112	this macro to a something else you can include more and other types of
		2113	members. You have to define it each time you include one of the files,
		2114	though, and it must be identical each time.
		2115
		2116	For example, the perl EV module uses something like this:
		2117
		2118	#define EV_COMMON \
		2119	SV *self; /* contains this struct */ \
		2120	SV *cb_sv, *fh /* note no trailing ";" */
		2121
		2122	=item EV_CB_DECLARE (type)
		2123
		2124	=item EV_CB_INVOKE (watcher, revents)
		2125
		2126	=item ev_set_cb (ev, cb)
		2127
		2128	Can be used to change the callback member declaration in each watcher,
		2129	and the way callbacks are invoked and set. Must expand to a struct member
		2130	definition and a statement, respectively. See the F<ev.v> header file for
		2131	their default definitions. One possible use for overriding these is to
		2132	avoid the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument in all cases, or to use
		2133	method calls instead of plain function calls in C++.
		2134
		2135	=head2 EXAMPLES
		2136
		2137	For a real-world example of a program the includes libev
		2138	verbatim, you can have a look at the EV perl module
		2139	(L<http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/EV.html>). It has the libev files in
		2140	the F<libev/> subdirectory and includes them in the F<EV/EVAPI.h> (public
		2141	interface) and F<EV.xs> (implementation) files. Only the F<EV.xs> file
		2142	will be compiled. It is pretty complex because it provides its own header
		2143	file.
		2144
		2145	The usage in rxvt-unicode is simpler. It has a F<ev_cpp.h> header file
		2146	that everybody includes and which overrides some autoconf choices:
		2147
		2148	#define EV_USE_POLL 0
		2149	#define EV_MULTIPLICITY 0
		2150	#define EV_PERIODICS 0
		2151	#define EV_CONFIG_H <config.h>
		2152
		2153	#include "ev++.h"
		2154
		2155	And a F<ev_cpp.C> implementation file that contains libev proper and is compiled:
		2156
		2157	#include "ev_cpp.h"
		2158	#include "ev.c"
		2159
		2160
		2161	=head1 COMPLEXITIES
		2162
		2163	In this section the complexities of (many of) the algorithms used inside
		2164	libev will be explained. For complexity discussions about backends see the
		2165	documentation for C<ev_default_init>.
		2166
		2167	=over 4
		2168
		2169	=item Starting and stopping timer/periodic watchers: O(log skipped_other_timers)
		2170
		2171	=item Changing timer/periodic watchers (by autorepeat, again): O(log skipped_other_timers)
		2172
		2173	=item Starting io/check/prepare/idle/signal/child watchers: O(1)
		2174
		2175	=item Stopping check/prepare/idle watchers: O(1)
		2176
		2177	=item Stopping an io/signal/child watcher: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_(fd/signal/pid % EV_PID_HASHSIZE))
		2178
		2179	=item Finding the next timer per loop iteration: O(1)
		2180
		2181	=item Each change on a file descriptor per loop iteration: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_fd)
		2182
		2183	=item Activating one watcher: O(1)
		2184
		2185	=back
		2186
878		2187
879	=head1 AUTHOR	2188	=head1 AUTHOR
880		2189
881	Marc Lehmann <libev@schmorp.de>.	2190	Marc Lehmann <libev@schmorp.de>.
882		2191

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