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…		…
4		4
5	=head1 SYNOPSIS	5	=head1 SYNOPSIS
6		6
7	#include <ev.h>	7	#include <ev.h>
8		8
		9	=head2 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	}
		50
9	=head1 DESCRIPTION	51	=head1 DESCRIPTION
10		52
		53	The newest version of this document is also available as a html-formatted
		54	web page you might find easier to navigate when reading it for the first
		55	time: L<http://cvs.schmorp.de/libev/ev.html>.
		56
11	Libev is an event loop: you register interest in certain events (such as a	57	Libev is an event loop: you register interest in certain events (such as a
12	file descriptor being readable or a timeout occuring), and it will manage	58	file descriptor being readable or a timeout occurring), and it will manage
13	these event sources and provide your program with events.	59	these event sources and provide your program with events.
14		60
15	To do this, it must take more or less complete control over your process	61	To do this, it must take more or less complete control over your process
16	(or thread) by executing the I<event loop> handler, and will then	62	(or thread) by executing the I<event loop> handler, and will then
17	communicate events via a callback mechanism.	63	communicate events via a callback mechanism.
…		…
19	You register interest in certain events by registering so-called I<event	65	You register interest in certain events by registering so-called I<event
20	watchers>, which are relatively small C structures you initialise with the	66	watchers>, which are relatively small C structures you initialise with the
21	details of the event, and then hand it over to libev by I<starting> the	67	details of the event, and then hand it over to libev by I<starting> the
22	watcher.	68	watcher.
23		69
24	=head1 FEATURES	70	=head2 FEATURES
25		71
26	Libev supports select, poll, the linux-specific epoll and the bsd-specific	72	Libev supports C<select>, C<poll>, the Linux-specific C<epoll>, the
27	kqueue mechanisms for file descriptor events, relative timers, absolute	73	BSD-specific C<kqueue> and the Solaris-specific event port mechanisms
28	timers with customised rescheduling, signal events, process status change	74	for file descriptor events (C<ev_io>), the Linux C<inotify> interface
29	events (related to SIGCHLD), and event watchers dealing with the event	75	(for C<ev_stat>), relative timers (C<ev_timer>), absolute timers
30	loop mechanism itself (idle, prepare and check watchers). It also is quite	76	with customised rescheduling (C<ev_periodic>), synchronous signals
		77	(C<ev_signal>), process status change events (C<ev_child>), and event
		78	watchers dealing with the event loop mechanism itself (C<ev_idle>,
		79	C<ev_embed>, C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> watchers) as well as
		80	file watchers (C<ev_stat>) and even limited support for fork events
		81	(C<ev_fork>).
		82
		83	It also is quite fast (see this
31	fast (see this L<benchmark|http://libev.schmorp.de/bench.html> comparing	84	L<benchmark|http://libev.schmorp.de/bench.html> comparing it to libevent
32	it to libevent for example).	85	for example).
33		86
34	=head1 CONVENTIONS	87	=head2 CONVENTIONS
35		88
36	Libev is very configurable. In this manual the default configuration	89	Libev is very configurable. In this manual the default configuration will
37	will be described, which supports multiple event loops. For more info	90	be described, which supports multiple event loops. For more info about
38	about various configuration options please have a look at the file	91	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	92	this manual. If libev was configured without support for multiple event
40	support for multiple event loops, then all functions taking an initial	93	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 *>)	94	(which is always of type C<struct ev_loop *>) will not have this argument.
42	will not have this argument.
43		95
44	=head1 TIME REPRESENTATION	96	=head2 TIME REPRESENTATION
45		97
46	Libev represents time as a single floating point number, representing the	98	Libev represents time as a single floating point number, representing the
47	(fractional) number of seconds since the (POSIX) epoch (somewhere near	99	(fractional) number of seconds since the (POSIX) epoch (somewhere near
48	the beginning of 1970, details are complicated, don't ask). This type is	100	the beginning of 1970, details are complicated, don't ask). This type is
49	called C<ev_tstamp>, which is what you should use too. It usually aliases	101	called C<ev_tstamp>, which is what you should use too. It usually aliases
50	to the C<double> type in C, and when you need to do any calculations on	102	to the C<double> type in C, and when you need to do any calculations on
51	it, you should treat it as such.	103	it, you should treat it as some floatingpoint value. Unlike the name
52		104	component C<stamp> might indicate, it is also used for time differences
		105	throughout libev.
53		106
54	=head1 GLOBAL FUNCTIONS	107	=head1 GLOBAL FUNCTIONS
55		108
56	These functions can be called anytime, even before initialising the	109	These functions can be called anytime, even before initialising the
57	library in any way.	110	library in any way.
…		…
62		115
63	Returns the current time as libev would use it. Please note that the	116	Returns the current time as libev would use it. Please note that the
64	C<ev_now> function is usually faster and also often returns the timestamp	117	C<ev_now> function is usually faster and also often returns the timestamp
65	you actually want to know.	118	you actually want to know.
66		119
		120	=item ev_sleep (ev_tstamp interval)
		121
		122	Sleep for the given interval: The current thread will be blocked until
		123	either it is interrupted or the given time interval has passed. Basically
		124	this is a subsecond-resolution C<sleep ()>.
		125
67	=item int ev_version_major ()	126	=item int ev_version_major ()
68		127
69	=item int ev_version_minor ()	128	=item int ev_version_minor ()
70		129
71	You can find out the major and minor version numbers of the library	130	You can find out the major and minor ABI version numbers of the library
72	you linked against by calling the functions C<ev_version_major> and	131	you linked against by calling the functions C<ev_version_major> and
73	C<ev_version_minor>. If you want, you can compare against the global	132	C<ev_version_minor>. If you want, you can compare against the global
74	symbols C<EV_VERSION_MAJOR> and C<EV_VERSION_MINOR>, which specify the	133	symbols C<EV_VERSION_MAJOR> and C<EV_VERSION_MINOR>, which specify the
75	version of the library your program was compiled against.	134	version of the library your program was compiled against.
76		135
		136	These version numbers refer to the ABI version of the library, not the
		137	release version.
		138
77	Usually, it's a good idea to terminate if the major versions mismatch,	139	Usually, it's a good idea to terminate if the major versions mismatch,
78	as this indicates an incompatible change. Minor versions are usually	140	as this indicates an incompatible change. Minor versions are usually
79	compatible to older versions, so a larger minor version alone is usually	141	compatible to older versions, so a larger minor version alone is usually
80	not a problem.	142	not a problem.
81		143
82	Example: make sure we haven't accidentally been linked against the wrong	144	Example: Make sure we haven't accidentally been linked against the wrong
83	version:	145	version.
84		146
85	assert (("libev version mismatch",	147	assert (("libev version mismatch",
86	ev_version_major () == EV_VERSION_MAJOR	148	ev_version_major () == EV_VERSION_MAJOR
87	&& ev_version_minor () >= EV_VERSION_MINOR));	149	&& ev_version_minor () >= EV_VERSION_MINOR));
88		150
…		…
118		180
119	See the description of C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.	181	See the description of C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.
120		182
121	=item ev_set_allocator (void *(*cb)(void *ptr, long size))	183	=item ev_set_allocator (void *(*cb)(void *ptr, long size))
122		184
123	Sets the allocation function to use (the prototype is similar to the	185	Sets the allocation function to use (the prototype is similar - the
124	realloc C function, the semantics are identical). It is used to allocate	186	semantics is identical - to the realloc C function). It is used to
125	and free memory (no surprises here). If it returns zero when memory	187	allocate and free memory (no surprises here). If it returns zero when
126	needs to be allocated, the library might abort or take some potentially	188	memory needs to be allocated, the library might abort or take some
127	destructive action. The default is your system realloc function.	189	potentially destructive action. The default is your system realloc
		190	function.
128		191
129	You could override this function in high-availability programs to, say,	192	You could override this function in high-availability programs to, say,
130	free some memory if it cannot allocate memory, to use a special allocator,	193	free some memory if it cannot allocate memory, to use a special allocator,
131	or even to sleep a while and retry until some memory is available.	194	or even to sleep a while and retry until some memory is available.
132		195
133	Example: replace the libev allocator with one that waits a bit and then	196	Example: Replace the libev allocator with one that waits a bit and then
134	retries: better than mine).	197	retries).
135		198
136	static void *	199	static void *
137	persistent_realloc (void *ptr, long size)	200	persistent_realloc (void *ptr, size_t size)
138	{	201	{
139	for (;;)	202	for (;;)
140	{	203	{
141	void *newptr = realloc (ptr, size);	204	void *newptr = realloc (ptr, size);
142		205
…		…
158	callback is set, then libev will expect it to remedy the sitution, no	221	callback is set, then libev will expect it to remedy the sitution, no
159	matter what, when it returns. That is, libev will generally retry the	222	matter what, when it returns. That is, libev will generally retry the
160	requested operation, or, if the condition doesn't go away, do bad stuff	223	requested operation, or, if the condition doesn't go away, do bad stuff
161	(such as abort).	224	(such as abort).
162		225
163	Example: do the same thing as libev does internally:	226	Example: This is basically the same thing that libev does internally, too.
164		227
165	static void	228	static void
166	fatal_error (const char *msg)	229	fatal_error (const char *msg)
167	{	230	{
168	perror (msg);	231	perror (msg);
…		…
197	flags. If that is troubling you, check C<ev_backend ()> afterwards).	260	flags. If that is troubling you, check C<ev_backend ()> afterwards).
198		261
199	If you don't know what event loop to use, use the one returned from this	262	If you don't know what event loop to use, use the one returned from this
200	function.	263	function.
201		264
		265	The default loop is the only loop that can handle C<ev_signal> and
		266	C<ev_child> watchers, and to do this, it always registers a handler
		267	for C<SIGCHLD>. If this is a problem for your app you can either
		268	create a dynamic loop with C<ev_loop_new> that doesn't do that, or you
		269	can simply overwrite the C<SIGCHLD> signal handler I<after> calling
		270	C<ev_default_init>.
		271
202	The flags argument can be used to specify special behaviour or specific	272	The flags argument can be used to specify special behaviour or specific
203	backends to use, and is usually specified as C<0> (or C<EVFLAG_AUTO>).	273	backends to use, and is usually specified as C<0> (or C<EVFLAG_AUTO>).
204		274
205	The following flags are supported:	275	The following flags are supported:
206		276
…		…
218	C<LIBEV_FLAGS>. Otherwise (the default), this environment variable will	288	C<LIBEV_FLAGS>. Otherwise (the default), this environment variable will
219	override the flags completely if it is found in the environment. This is	289	override the flags completely if it is found in the environment. This is
220	useful to try out specific backends to test their performance, or to work	290	useful to try out specific backends to test their performance, or to work
221	around bugs.	291	around bugs.
222		292
		293	=item C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>
		294
		295	Instead of calling C<ev_default_fork> or C<ev_loop_fork> manually after
		296	a fork, you can also make libev check for a fork in each iteration by
		297	enabling this flag.
		298
		299	This works by calling C<getpid ()> on every iteration of the loop,
		300	and thus this might slow down your event loop if you do a lot of loop
		301	iterations and little real work, but is usually not noticeable (on my
		302	Linux system for example, C<getpid> is actually a simple 5-insn sequence
		303	without a syscall and thus I<very> fast, but my Linux system also has
		304	C<pthread_atfork> which is even faster).
		305
		306	The big advantage of this flag is that you can forget about fork (and
		307	forget about forgetting to tell libev about forking) when you use this
		308	flag.
		309
		310	This flag setting cannot be overriden or specified in the C<LIBEV_FLAGS>
		311	environment variable.
		312
223	=item C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> (value 1, portable select backend)	313	=item C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> (value 1, portable select backend)
224		314
225	This is your standard select(2) backend. Not I<completely> standard, as	315	This is your standard select(2) backend. Not I<completely> standard, as
226	libev tries to roll its own fd_set with no limits on the number of fds,	316	libev tries to roll its own fd_set with no limits on the number of fds,
227	but if that fails, expect a fairly low limit on the number of fds when	317	but if that fails, expect a fairly low limit on the number of fds when
228	using this backend. It doesn't scale too well (O(highest_fd)), but its usually	318	using this backend. It doesn't scale too well (O(highest_fd)), but its
229	the fastest backend for a low number of fds.	319	usually the fastest backend for a low number of (low-numbered :) fds.
		320
		321	To get good performance out of this backend you need a high amount of
		322	parallelity (most of the file descriptors should be busy). If you are
		323	writing a server, you should C<accept ()> in a loop to accept as many
		324	connections as possible during one iteration. You might also want to have
		325	a look at C<ev_set_io_collect_interval ()> to increase the amount of
		326	readyness notifications you get per iteration.
230		327
231	=item C<EVBACKEND_POLL> (value 2, poll backend, available everywhere except on windows)	328	=item C<EVBACKEND_POLL> (value 2, poll backend, available everywhere except on windows)
232		329
233	And this is your standard poll(2) backend. It's more complicated than	330	And this is your standard poll(2) backend. It's more complicated
234	select, but handles sparse fds better and has no artificial limit on the	331	than select, but handles sparse fds better and has no artificial
235	number of fds you can use (except it will slow down considerably with a	332	limit on the number of fds you can use (except it will slow down
236	lot of inactive fds). It scales similarly to select, i.e. O(total_fds).	333	considerably with a lot of inactive fds). It scales similarly to select,
		334	i.e. O(total_fds). See the entry for C<EVBACKEND_SELECT>, above, for
		335	performance tips.
237		336
238	=item C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL> (value 4, Linux)	337	=item C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL> (value 4, Linux)
239		338
240	For few fds, this backend is a bit little slower than poll and select,	339	For few fds, this backend is a bit little slower than poll and select,
241	but it scales phenomenally better. While poll and select usually scale like	340	but it scales phenomenally better. While poll and select usually scale
242	O(total_fds) where n is the total number of fds (or the highest fd), epoll scales	341	like O(total_fds) where n is the total number of fds (or the highest fd),
243	either O(1) or O(active_fds).	342	epoll scales either O(1) or O(active_fds). The epoll design has a number
		343	of shortcomings, such as silently dropping events in some hard-to-detect
		344	cases and rewiring a syscall per fd change, no fork support and bad
		345	support for dup.
244		346
245	While stopping and starting an I/O watcher in the same iteration will	347	While stopping, setting and starting an I/O watcher in the same iteration
246	result in some caching, there is still a syscall per such incident	348	will result in some caching, there is still a syscall per such incident
247	(because the fd could point to a different file description now), so its	349	(because the fd could point to a different file description now), so its
248	best to avoid that. Also, dup()ed file descriptors might not work very	350	best to avoid that. Also, C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors might not work
249	well if you register events for both fds.	351	very well if you register events for both fds.
250		352
251	Please note that epoll sometimes generates spurious notifications, so you	353	Please note that epoll sometimes generates spurious notifications, so you
252	need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid blocking when no data	354	need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid blocking when no data
253	(or space) is available.	355	(or space) is available.
254		356
		357	Best performance from this backend is achieved by not unregistering all
		358	watchers for a file descriptor until it has been closed, if possible, i.e.
		359	keep at least one watcher active per fd at all times.
		360
		361	While nominally embeddeble in other event loops, this feature is broken in
		362	all kernel versions tested so far.
		363
255	=item C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE> (value 8, most BSD clones)	364	=item C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE> (value 8, most BSD clones)
256		365
257	Kqueue deserves special mention, as at the time of this writing, it	366	Kqueue deserves special mention, as at the time of this writing, it
258	was broken on all BSDs except NetBSD (usually it doesn't work with	367	was broken on all BSDs except NetBSD (usually it doesn't work reliably
259	anything but sockets and pipes, except on Darwin, where of course its	368	with anything but sockets and pipes, except on Darwin, where of course
260	completely useless). For this reason its not being "autodetected"	369	it's completely useless). For this reason it's not being "autodetected"
261	unless you explicitly specify it explicitly in the flags (i.e. using	370	unless you explicitly specify it explicitly in the flags (i.e. using
262	C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>).	371	C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>) or libev was compiled on a known-to-be-good (-enough)
		372	system like NetBSD.
		373
		374	You still can embed kqueue into a normal poll or select backend and use it
		375	only for sockets (after having made sure that sockets work with kqueue on
		376	the target platform). See C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.
263		377
264	It scales in the same way as the epoll backend, but the interface to the	378	It scales in the same way as the epoll backend, but the interface to the
265	kernel is more efficient (which says nothing about its actual speed, of	379	kernel is more efficient (which says nothing about its actual speed, of
266	course). While starting and stopping an I/O watcher does not cause an	380	course). While stopping, setting and starting an I/O watcher does never
267	extra syscall as with epoll, it still adds up to four event changes per	381	cause an extra syscall as with C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL>, it still adds up to
268	incident, so its best to avoid that.	382	two event changes per incident, support for C<fork ()> is very bad and it
		383	drops fds silently in similarly hard-to-detect cases.
		384
		385	This backend usually performs well under most conditions.
		386
		387	While nominally embeddable in other event loops, this doesn't work
		388	everywhere, so you might need to test for this. And since it is broken
		389	almost everywhere, you should only use it when you have a lot of sockets
		390	(for which it usually works), by embedding it into another event loop
		391	(e.g. C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>) and using it only for
		392	sockets.
269		393
270	=item C<EVBACKEND_DEVPOLL> (value 16, Solaris 8)	394	=item C<EVBACKEND_DEVPOLL> (value 16, Solaris 8)
271		395
272	This is not implemented yet (and might never be).	396	This is not implemented yet (and might never be, unless you send me an
		397	implementation). According to reports, C</dev/poll> only supports sockets
		398	and is not embeddable, which would limit the usefulness of this backend
		399	immensely.
273		400
274	=item C<EVBACKEND_PORT> (value 32, Solaris 10)	401	=item C<EVBACKEND_PORT> (value 32, Solaris 10)
275		402
276	This uses the Solaris 10 port mechanism. As with everything on Solaris,	403	This uses the Solaris 10 event port mechanism. As with everything on Solaris,
277	it's really slow, but it still scales very well (O(active_fds)).	404	it's really slow, but it still scales very well (O(active_fds)).
278		405
279	Please note that solaris ports can result in a lot of spurious	406	Please note that solaris event ports can deliver a lot of spurious
280	notifications, so you need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid	407	notifications, so you need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid
281	blocking when no data (or space) is available.	408	blocking when no data (or space) is available.
		409
		410	While this backend scales well, it requires one system call per active
		411	file descriptor per loop iteration. For small and medium numbers of file
		412	descriptors a "slow" C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL> backend
		413	might perform better.
		414
		415	On the positive side, ignoring the spurious readyness notifications, this
		416	backend actually performed to specification in all tests and is fully
		417	embeddable, which is a rare feat among the OS-specific backends.
282		418
283	=item C<EVBACKEND_ALL>	419	=item C<EVBACKEND_ALL>
284		420
285	Try all backends (even potentially broken ones that wouldn't be tried	421	Try all backends (even potentially broken ones that wouldn't be tried
286	with C<EVFLAG_AUTO>). Since this is a mask, you can do stuff such as	422	with C<EVFLAG_AUTO>). Since this is a mask, you can do stuff such as
287	C<EVBACKEND_ALL & ~EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>.	423	C<EVBACKEND_ALL & ~EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>.
288		424
		425	It is definitely not recommended to use this flag.
		426
289	=back	427	=back
290		428
291	If one or more of these are ored into the flags value, then only these	429	If one or more of these are ored into the flags value, then only these
292	backends will be tried (in the reverse order as given here). If none are	430	backends will be tried (in the reverse order as listed here). If none are
293	specified, most compiled-in backend will be tried, usually in reverse	431	specified, all backends in C<ev_recommended_backends ()> will be tried.
294	order of their flag values :)
295		432
296	The most typical usage is like this:	433	The most typical usage is like this:
297		434
298	if (!ev_default_loop (0))	435	if (!ev_default_loop (0))
299	fatal ("could not initialise libev, bad $LIBEV_FLAGS in environment?");	436	fatal ("could not initialise libev, bad $LIBEV_FLAGS in environment?");
…		…
314	Similar to C<ev_default_loop>, but always creates a new event loop that is	451	Similar to C<ev_default_loop>, but always creates a new event loop that is
315	always distinct from the default loop. Unlike the default loop, it cannot	452	always distinct from the default loop. Unlike the default loop, it cannot
316	handle signal and child watchers, and attempts to do so will be greeted by	453	handle signal and child watchers, and attempts to do so will be greeted by
317	undefined behaviour (or a failed assertion if assertions are enabled).	454	undefined behaviour (or a failed assertion if assertions are enabled).
318		455
319	Example: try to create a event loop that uses epoll and nothing else.	456	Example: Try to create a event loop that uses epoll and nothing else.
320		457
321	struct ev_loop *epoller = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_EPOLL | EVFLAG_NOENV);	458	struct ev_loop *epoller = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_EPOLL | EVFLAG_NOENV);
322	if (!epoller)	459	if (!epoller)
323	fatal ("no epoll found here, maybe it hides under your chair");	460	fatal ("no epoll found here, maybe it hides under your chair");
324		461
325	=item ev_default_destroy ()	462	=item ev_default_destroy ()
326		463
327	Destroys the default loop again (frees all memory and kernel state	464	Destroys the default loop again (frees all memory and kernel state
328	etc.). This stops all registered event watchers (by not touching them in	465	etc.). None of the active event watchers will be stopped in the normal
329	any way whatsoever, although you cannot rely on this :).	466	sense, so e.g. C<ev_is_active> might still return true. It is your
		467	responsibility to either stop all watchers cleanly yoursef I<before>
		468	calling this function, or cope with the fact afterwards (which is usually
		469	the easiest thing, you can just ignore the watchers and/or C<free ()> them
		470	for example).
		471
		472	Note that certain global state, such as signal state, will not be freed by
		473	this function, and related watchers (such as signal and child watchers)
		474	would need to be stopped manually.
		475
		476	In general it is not advisable to call this function except in the
		477	rare occasion where you really need to free e.g. the signal handling
		478	pipe fds. If you need dynamically allocated loops it is better to use
		479	C<ev_loop_new> and C<ev_loop_destroy>).
330		480
331	=item ev_loop_destroy (loop)	481	=item ev_loop_destroy (loop)
332		482
333	Like C<ev_default_destroy>, but destroys an event loop created by an	483	Like C<ev_default_destroy>, but destroys an event loop created by an
334	earlier call to C<ev_loop_new>.	484	earlier call to C<ev_loop_new>.
335		485
336	=item ev_default_fork ()	486	=item ev_default_fork ()
337		487
		488	This function sets a flag that causes subsequent C<ev_loop> iterations
338	This function reinitialises the kernel state for backends that have	489	to reinitialise the kernel state for backends that have one. Despite the
339	one. Despite the name, you can call it anytime, but it makes most sense	490	name, you can call it anytime, but it makes most sense after forking, in
340	after forking, in either the parent or child process (or both, but that	491	the child process (or both child and parent, but that again makes little
341	again makes little sense).	492	sense). You I<must> call it in the child before using any of the libev
		493	functions, and it will only take effect at the next C<ev_loop> iteration.
342		494
343	You I<must> call this function in the child process after forking if and	495	On the other hand, you only need to call this function in the child
344	only if you want to use the event library in both processes. If you just	496	process if and only if you want to use the event library in the child. If
345	fork+exec, you don't have to call it.	497	you just fork+exec, you don't have to call it at all.
346		498
347	The function itself is quite fast and it's usually not a problem to call	499	The function itself is quite fast and it's usually not a problem to call
348	it just in case after a fork. To make this easy, the function will fit in	500	it just in case after a fork. To make this easy, the function will fit in
349	quite nicely into a call to C<pthread_atfork>:	501	quite nicely into a call to C<pthread_atfork>:
350		502
351	pthread_atfork (0, 0, ev_default_fork);	503	pthread_atfork (0, 0, ev_default_fork);
352		504
353	At the moment, C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> and C<EVBACKEND_POLL> are safe to use
354	without calling this function, so if you force one of those backends you
355	do not need to care.
356
357	=item ev_loop_fork (loop)	505	=item ev_loop_fork (loop)
358		506
359	Like C<ev_default_fork>, but acts on an event loop created by	507	Like C<ev_default_fork>, but acts on an event loop created by
360	C<ev_loop_new>. Yes, you have to call this on every allocated event loop	508	C<ev_loop_new>. Yes, you have to call this on every allocated event loop
361	after fork, and how you do this is entirely your own problem.	509	after fork, and how you do this is entirely your own problem.
		510
		511	=item unsigned int ev_loop_count (loop)
		512
		513	Returns the count of loop iterations for the loop, which is identical to
		514	the number of times libev did poll for new events. It starts at C<0> and
		515	happily wraps around with enough iterations.
		516
		517	This value can sometimes be useful as a generation counter of sorts (it
		518	"ticks" the number of loop iterations), as it roughly corresponds with
		519	C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> calls.
362		520
363	=item unsigned int ev_backend (loop)	521	=item unsigned int ev_backend (loop)
364		522
365	Returns one of the C<EVBACKEND_*> flags indicating the event backend in	523	Returns one of the C<EVBACKEND_*> flags indicating the event backend in
366	use.	524	use.
…		…
369		527
370	Returns the current "event loop time", which is the time the event loop	528	Returns the current "event loop time", which is the time the event loop
371	received events and started processing them. This timestamp does not	529	received events and started processing them. This timestamp does not
372	change as long as callbacks are being processed, and this is also the base	530	change as long as callbacks are being processed, and this is also the base
373	time used for relative timers. You can treat it as the timestamp of the	531	time used for relative timers. You can treat it as the timestamp of the
374	event occuring (or more correctly, libev finding out about it).	532	event occurring (or more correctly, libev finding out about it).
375		533
376	=item ev_loop (loop, int flags)	534	=item ev_loop (loop, int flags)
377		535
378	Finally, this is it, the event handler. This function usually is called	536	Finally, this is it, the event handler. This function usually is called
379	after you initialised all your watchers and you want to start handling	537	after you initialised all your watchers and you want to start handling
…		…
400	libev watchers. However, a pair of C<ev_prepare>/C<ev_check> watchers is	558	libev watchers. However, a pair of C<ev_prepare>/C<ev_check> watchers is
401	usually a better approach for this kind of thing.	559	usually a better approach for this kind of thing.
402		560
403	Here are the gory details of what C<ev_loop> does:	561	Here are the gory details of what C<ev_loop> does:
404		562
405	* If there are no active watchers (reference count is zero), return.	563	- Before the first iteration, call any pending watchers.
406	- Queue prepare watchers and then call all outstanding watchers.	564	* If EVFLAG_FORKCHECK was used, check for a fork.
		565	- If a fork was detected, queue and call all fork watchers.
		566	- Queue and call all prepare watchers.
407	- If we have been forked, recreate the kernel state.	567	- If we have been forked, recreate the kernel state.
408	- Update the kernel state with all outstanding changes.	568	- Update the kernel state with all outstanding changes.
409	- Update the "event loop time".	569	- Update the "event loop time".
410	- Calculate for how long to block.	570	- Calculate for how long to sleep or block, if at all
		571	(active idle watchers, EVLOOP_NONBLOCK or not having
		572	any active watchers at all will result in not sleeping).
		573	- Sleep if the I/O and timer collect interval say so.
411	- Block the process, waiting for any events.	574	- Block the process, waiting for any events.
412	- Queue all outstanding I/O (fd) events.	575	- Queue all outstanding I/O (fd) events.
413	- Update the "event loop time" and do time jump handling.	576	- Update the "event loop time" and do time jump handling.
414	- Queue all outstanding timers.	577	- Queue all outstanding timers.
415	- Queue all outstanding periodics.	578	- Queue all outstanding periodics.
416	- If no events are pending now, queue all idle watchers.	579	- If no events are pending now, queue all idle watchers.
417	- Queue all check watchers.	580	- Queue all check watchers.
418	- Call all queued watchers in reverse order (i.e. check watchers first).	581	- Call all queued watchers in reverse order (i.e. check watchers first).
419	Signals and child watchers are implemented as I/O watchers, and will	582	Signals and child watchers are implemented as I/O watchers, and will
420	be handled here by queueing them when their watcher gets executed.	583	be handled here by queueing them when their watcher gets executed.
421	- If ev_unloop has been called or EVLOOP_ONESHOT or EVLOOP_NONBLOCK	584	- If ev_unloop has been called, or EVLOOP_ONESHOT or EVLOOP_NONBLOCK
422	were used, return, otherwise continue with step *.	585	were used, or there are no active watchers, return, otherwise
		586	continue with step *.
423		587
424	Example: queue some jobs and then loop until no events are outsanding	588	Example: Queue some jobs and then loop until no events are outstanding
425	anymore.	589	anymore.
426		590
427	... queue jobs here, make sure they register event watchers as long	591	... queue jobs here, make sure they register event watchers as long
428	... as they still have work to do (even an idle watcher will do..)	592	... as they still have work to do (even an idle watcher will do..)
429	ev_loop (my_loop, 0);	593	ev_loop (my_loop, 0);
…		…
433		597
434	Can be used to make a call to C<ev_loop> return early (but only after it	598	Can be used to make a call to C<ev_loop> return early (but only after it
435	has processed all outstanding events). The C<how> argument must be either	599	has processed all outstanding events). The C<how> argument must be either
436	C<EVUNLOOP_ONE>, which will make the innermost C<ev_loop> call return, or	600	C<EVUNLOOP_ONE>, which will make the innermost C<ev_loop> call return, or
437	C<EVUNLOOP_ALL>, which will make all nested C<ev_loop> calls return.	601	C<EVUNLOOP_ALL>, which will make all nested C<ev_loop> calls return.
		602
		603	This "unloop state" will be cleared when entering C<ev_loop> again.
438		604
439	=item ev_ref (loop)	605	=item ev_ref (loop)
440		606
441	=item ev_unref (loop)	607	=item ev_unref (loop)
442		608
…		…
447	returning, ev_unref() after starting, and ev_ref() before stopping it. For	613	returning, ev_unref() after starting, and ev_ref() before stopping it. For
448	example, libev itself uses this for its internal signal pipe: It is not	614	example, libev itself uses this for its internal signal pipe: It is not
449	visible to the libev user and should not keep C<ev_loop> from exiting if	615	visible to the libev user and should not keep C<ev_loop> from exiting if
450	no event watchers registered by it are active. It is also an excellent	616	no event watchers registered by it are active. It is also an excellent
451	way to do this for generic recurring timers or from within third-party	617	way to do this for generic recurring timers or from within third-party
452	libraries. Just remember to I<unref after start> and I<ref before stop>.	618	libraries. Just remember to I<unref after start> and I<ref before stop>
		619	(but only if the watcher wasn't active before, or was active before,
		620	respectively).
453		621
454	Example: create a signal watcher, but keep it from keeping C<ev_loop>	622	Example: Create a signal watcher, but keep it from keeping C<ev_loop>
455	running when nothing else is active.	623	running when nothing else is active.
456		624
457	struct dv_signal exitsig;	625	struct ev_signal exitsig;
458	ev_signal_init (&exitsig, sig_cb, SIGINT);	626	ev_signal_init (&exitsig, sig_cb, SIGINT);
459	ev_signal_start (myloop, &exitsig);	627	ev_signal_start (loop, &exitsig);
460	evf_unref (myloop);	628	evf_unref (loop);
461		629
462	Example: for some weird reason, unregister the above signal handler again.	630	Example: For some weird reason, unregister the above signal handler again.
463		631
464	ev_ref (myloop);	632	ev_ref (loop);
465	ev_signal_stop (myloop, &exitsig);	633	ev_signal_stop (loop, &exitsig);
		634
		635	=item ev_set_io_collect_interval (loop, ev_tstamp interval)
		636
		637	=item ev_set_timeout_collect_interval (loop, ev_tstamp interval)
		638
		639	These advanced functions influence the time that libev will spend waiting
		640	for events. Both are by default C<0>, meaning that libev will try to
		641	invoke timer/periodic callbacks and I/O callbacks with minimum latency.
		642
		643	Setting these to a higher value (the C<interval> I<must> be >= C<0>)
		644	allows libev to delay invocation of I/O and timer/periodic callbacks to
		645	increase efficiency of loop iterations.
		646
		647	The background is that sometimes your program runs just fast enough to
		648	handle one (or very few) event(s) per loop iteration. While this makes
		649	the program responsive, it also wastes a lot of CPU time to poll for new
		650	events, especially with backends like C<select ()> which have a high
		651	overhead for the actual polling but can deliver many events at once.
		652
		653	By setting a higher I<io collect interval> you allow libev to spend more
		654	time collecting I/O events, so you can handle more events per iteration,
		655	at the cost of increasing latency. Timeouts (both C<ev_periodic> and
		656	C<ev_timer>) will be not affected. Setting this to a non-null value will
		657	introduce an additional C<ev_sleep ()> call into most loop iterations.
		658
		659	Likewise, by setting a higher I<timeout collect interval> you allow libev
		660	to spend more time collecting timeouts, at the expense of increased
		661	latency (the watcher callback will be called later). C<ev_io> watchers
		662	will not be affected. Setting this to a non-null value will not introduce
		663	any overhead in libev.
		664
		665	Many (busy) programs can usually benefit by setting the io collect
		666	interval to a value near C<0.1> or so, which is often enough for
		667	interactive servers (of course not for games), likewise for timeouts. It
		668	usually doesn't make much sense to set it to a lower value than C<0.01>,
		669	as this approsaches the timing granularity of most systems.
466		670
467	=back	671	=back
		672
468		673
469	=head1 ANATOMY OF A WATCHER	674	=head1 ANATOMY OF A WATCHER
470		675
471	A watcher is a structure that you create and register to record your	676	A watcher is a structure that you create and register to record your
472	interest in some event. For instance, if you want to wait for STDIN to	677	interest in some event. For instance, if you want to wait for STDIN to
…		…
505	*) >>), and you can stop watching for events at any time by calling the	710	*) >>), and you can stop watching for events at any time by calling the
506	corresponding stop function (C<< ev_<type>_stop (loop, watcher *) >>.	711	corresponding stop function (C<< ev_<type>_stop (loop, watcher *) >>.
507		712
508	As long as your watcher is active (has been started but not stopped) you	713	As long as your watcher is active (has been started but not stopped) you
509	must not touch the values stored in it. Most specifically you must never	714	must not touch the values stored in it. Most specifically you must never
510	reinitialise it or call its set macro.	715	reinitialise it or call its C<set> macro.
511
512	You can check whether an event is active by calling the C<ev_is_active
513	(watcher *)> macro. To see whether an event is outstanding (but the
514	callback for it has not been called yet) you can use the C<ev_is_pending
515	(watcher *)> macro.
516		716
517	Each and every callback receives the event loop pointer as first, the	717	Each and every callback receives the event loop pointer as first, the
518	registered watcher structure as second, and a bitset of received events as	718	registered watcher structure as second, and a bitset of received events as
519	third argument.	719	third argument.
520		720
…		…
544	The signal specified in the C<ev_signal> watcher has been received by a thread.	744	The signal specified in the C<ev_signal> watcher has been received by a thread.
545		745
546	=item C<EV_CHILD>	746	=item C<EV_CHILD>
547		747
548	The pid specified in the C<ev_child> watcher has received a status change.	748	The pid specified in the C<ev_child> watcher has received a status change.
		749
		750	=item C<EV_STAT>
		751
		752	The path specified in the C<ev_stat> watcher changed its attributes somehow.
549		753
550	=item C<EV_IDLE>	754	=item C<EV_IDLE>
551		755
552	The C<ev_idle> watcher has determined that you have nothing better to do.	756	The C<ev_idle> watcher has determined that you have nothing better to do.
553		757
…		…
561	received events. Callbacks of both watcher types can start and stop as	765	received events. Callbacks of both watcher types can start and stop as
562	many watchers as they want, and all of them will be taken into account	766	many watchers as they want, and all of them will be taken into account
563	(for example, a C<ev_prepare> watcher might start an idle watcher to keep	767	(for example, a C<ev_prepare> watcher might start an idle watcher to keep
564	C<ev_loop> from blocking).	768	C<ev_loop> from blocking).
565		769
		770	=item C<EV_EMBED>
		771
		772	The embedded event loop specified in the C<ev_embed> watcher needs attention.
		773
		774	=item C<EV_FORK>
		775
		776	The event loop has been resumed in the child process after fork (see
		777	C<ev_fork>).
		778
		779	=item C<EV_ASYNC>
		780
		781	The given async watcher has been asynchronously notified (see C<ev_async>).
		782
566	=item C<EV_ERROR>	783	=item C<EV_ERROR>
567		784
568	An unspecified error has occured, the watcher has been stopped. This might	785	An unspecified error has occured, the watcher has been stopped. This might
569	happen because the watcher could not be properly started because libev	786	happen because the watcher could not be properly started because libev
570	ran out of memory, a file descriptor was found to be closed or any other	787	ran out of memory, a file descriptor was found to be closed or any other
…		…
576	your callbacks is well-written it can just attempt the operation and cope	793	your callbacks is well-written it can just attempt the operation and cope
577	with the error from read() or write(). This will not work in multithreaded	794	with the error from read() or write(). This will not work in multithreaded
578	programs, though, so beware.	795	programs, though, so beware.
579		796
580	=back	797	=back
		798
		799	=head2 GENERIC WATCHER FUNCTIONS
		800
		801	In the following description, C<TYPE> stands for the watcher type,
		802	e.g. C<timer> for C<ev_timer> watchers and C<io> for C<ev_io> watchers.
		803
		804	=over 4
		805
		806	=item C<ev_init> (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback)
		807
		808	This macro initialises the generic portion of a watcher. The contents
		809	of the watcher object can be arbitrary (so C<malloc> will do). Only
		810	the generic parts of the watcher are initialised, you I<need> to call
		811	the type-specific C<ev_TYPE_set> macro afterwards to initialise the
		812	type-specific parts. For each type there is also a C<ev_TYPE_init> macro
		813	which rolls both calls into one.
		814
		815	You can reinitialise a watcher at any time as long as it has been stopped
		816	(or never started) and there are no pending events outstanding.
		817
		818	The callback is always of type C<void (*)(ev_loop *loop, ev_TYPE *watcher,
		819	int revents)>.
		820
		821	=item C<ev_TYPE_set> (ev_TYPE *, [args])
		822
		823	This macro initialises the type-specific parts of a watcher. You need to
		824	call C<ev_init> at least once before you call this macro, but you can
		825	call C<ev_TYPE_set> any number of times. You must not, however, call this
		826	macro on a watcher that is active (it can be pending, however, which is a
		827	difference to the C<ev_init> macro).
		828
		829	Although some watcher types do not have type-specific arguments
		830	(e.g. C<ev_prepare>) you still need to call its C<set> macro.
		831
		832	=item C<ev_TYPE_init> (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback, [args])
		833
		834	This convinience macro rolls both C<ev_init> and C<ev_TYPE_set> macro
		835	calls into a single call. This is the most convinient method to initialise
		836	a watcher. The same limitations apply, of course.
		837
		838	=item C<ev_TYPE_start> (loop *, ev_TYPE *watcher)
		839
		840	Starts (activates) the given watcher. Only active watchers will receive
		841	events. If the watcher is already active nothing will happen.
		842
		843	=item C<ev_TYPE_stop> (loop *, ev_TYPE *watcher)
		844
		845	Stops the given watcher again (if active) and clears the pending
		846	status. It is possible that stopped watchers are pending (for example,
		847	non-repeating timers are being stopped when they become pending), but
		848	C<ev_TYPE_stop> ensures that the watcher is neither active nor pending. If
		849	you want to free or reuse the memory used by the watcher it is therefore a
		850	good idea to always call its C<ev_TYPE_stop> function.
		851
		852	=item bool ev_is_active (ev_TYPE *watcher)
		853
		854	Returns a true value iff the watcher is active (i.e. it has been started
		855	and not yet been stopped). As long as a watcher is active you must not modify
		856	it.
		857
		858	=item bool ev_is_pending (ev_TYPE *watcher)
		859
		860	Returns a true value iff the watcher is pending, (i.e. it has outstanding
		861	events but its callback has not yet been invoked). As long as a watcher
		862	is pending (but not active) you must not call an init function on it (but
		863	C<ev_TYPE_set> is safe), you must not change its priority, and you must
		864	make sure the watcher is available to libev (e.g. you cannot C<free ()>
		865	it).
		866
		867	=item callback ev_cb (ev_TYPE *watcher)
		868
		869	Returns the callback currently set on the watcher.
		870
		871	=item ev_cb_set (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback)
		872
		873	Change the callback. You can change the callback at virtually any time
		874	(modulo threads).
		875
		876	=item ev_set_priority (ev_TYPE *watcher, priority)
		877
		878	=item int ev_priority (ev_TYPE *watcher)
		879
		880	Set and query the priority of the watcher. The priority is a small
		881	integer between C<EV_MAXPRI> (default: C<2>) and C<EV_MINPRI>
		882	(default: C<-2>). Pending watchers with higher priority will be invoked
		883	before watchers with lower priority, but priority will not keep watchers
		884	from being executed (except for C<ev_idle> watchers).
		885
		886	This means that priorities are I<only> used for ordering callback
		887	invocation after new events have been received. This is useful, for
		888	example, to reduce latency after idling, or more often, to bind two
		889	watchers on the same event and make sure one is called first.
		890
		891	If you need to suppress invocation when higher priority events are pending
		892	you need to look at C<ev_idle> watchers, which provide this functionality.
		893
		894	You I<must not> change the priority of a watcher as long as it is active or
		895	pending.
		896
		897	The default priority used by watchers when no priority has been set is
		898	always C<0>, which is supposed to not be too high and not be too low :).
		899
		900	Setting a priority outside the range of C<EV_MINPRI> to C<EV_MAXPRI> is
		901	fine, as long as you do not mind that the priority value you query might
		902	or might not have been adjusted to be within valid range.
		903
		904	=item ev_invoke (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher, int revents)
		905
		906	Invoke the C<watcher> with the given C<loop> and C<revents>. Neither
		907	C<loop> nor C<revents> need to be valid as long as the watcher callback
		908	can deal with that fact.
		909
		910	=item int ev_clear_pending (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher)
		911
		912	If the watcher is pending, this function returns clears its pending status
		913	and returns its C<revents> bitset (as if its callback was invoked). If the
		914	watcher isn't pending it does nothing and returns C<0>.
		915
		916	=back
		917
581		918
582	=head2 ASSOCIATING CUSTOM DATA WITH A WATCHER	919	=head2 ASSOCIATING CUSTOM DATA WITH A WATCHER
583		920
584	Each watcher has, by default, a member C<void *data> that you can change	921	Each watcher has, by default, a member C<void *data> that you can change
585	and read at any time, libev will completely ignore it. This can be used	922	and read at any time, libev will completely ignore it. This can be used
…		…
603	{	940	{
604	struct my_io *w = (struct my_io *)w_;	941	struct my_io *w = (struct my_io *)w_;
605	...	942	...
606	}	943	}
607		944
608	More interesting and less C-conformant ways of catsing your callback type	945	More interesting and less C-conformant ways of casting your callback type
609	have been omitted....	946	instead have been omitted.
		947
		948	Another common scenario is having some data structure with multiple
		949	watchers:
		950
		951	struct my_biggy
		952	{
		953	int some_data;
		954	ev_timer t1;
		955	ev_timer t2;
		956	}
		957
		958	In this case getting the pointer to C<my_biggy> is a bit more complicated,
		959	you need to use C<offsetof>:
		960
		961	#include <stddef.h>
		962
		963	static void
		964	t1_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_timer *w, int revents)
		965	{
		966	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *
		967	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t1));
		968	}
		969
		970	static void
		971	t2_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_timer *w, int revents)
		972	{
		973	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *
		974	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t2));
		975	}
610		976
611		977
612	=head1 WATCHER TYPES	978	=head1 WATCHER TYPES
613		979
614	This section describes each watcher in detail, but will not repeat	980	This section describes each watcher in detail, but will not repeat
615	information given in the last section.	981	information given in the last section. Any initialisation/set macros,
		982	functions and members specific to the watcher type are explained.
616		983
		984	Members are additionally marked with either I<[read-only]>, meaning that,
		985	while the watcher is active, you can look at the member and expect some
		986	sensible content, but you must not modify it (you can modify it while the
		987	watcher is stopped to your hearts content), or I<[read-write]>, which
		988	means you can expect it to have some sensible content while the watcher
		989	is active, but you can also modify it. Modifying it may not do something
		990	sensible or take immediate effect (or do anything at all), but libev will
		991	not crash or malfunction in any way.
617		992
		993
618	=head2 C<ev_io> - is this file descriptor readable or writable	994	=head2 C<ev_io> - is this file descriptor readable or writable?
619		995
620	I/O watchers check whether a file descriptor is readable or writable	996	I/O watchers check whether a file descriptor is readable or writable
621	in each iteration of the event loop (This behaviour is called	997	in each iteration of the event loop, or, more precisely, when reading
622	level-triggering because you keep receiving events as long as the	998	would not block the process and writing would at least be able to write
623	condition persists. Remember you can stop the watcher if you don't want to	999	some data. This behaviour is called level-triggering because you keep
624	act on the event and neither want to receive future events).	1000	receiving events as long as the condition persists. Remember you can stop
		1001	the watcher if you don't want to act on the event and neither want to
		1002	receive future events.
625		1003
626	In general you can register as many read and/or write event watchers per	1004	In general you can register as many read and/or write event watchers per
627	fd as you want (as long as you don't confuse yourself). Setting all file	1005	fd as you want (as long as you don't confuse yourself). Setting all file
628	descriptors to non-blocking mode is also usually a good idea (but not	1006	descriptors to non-blocking mode is also usually a good idea (but not
629	required if you know what you are doing).	1007	required if you know what you are doing).
630		1008
631	You have to be careful with dup'ed file descriptors, though. Some backends
632	(the linux epoll backend is a notable example) cannot handle dup'ed file
633	descriptors correctly if you register interest in two or more fds pointing
634	to the same underlying file/socket etc. description (that is, they share
635	the same underlying "file open").
636
637	If you must do this, then force the use of a known-to-be-good backend	1009	If you must do this, then force the use of a known-to-be-good backend
638	(at the time of this writing, this includes only C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> and	1010	(at the time of this writing, this includes only C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> and
639	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>).	1011	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>).
640		1012
		1013	Another thing you have to watch out for is that it is quite easy to
		1014	receive "spurious" readyness notifications, that is your callback might
		1015	be called with C<EV_READ> but a subsequent C<read>(2) will actually block
		1016	because there is no data. Not only are some backends known to create a
		1017	lot of those (for example solaris ports), it is very easy to get into
		1018	this situation even with a relatively standard program structure. Thus
		1019	it is best to always use non-blocking I/O: An extra C<read>(2) returning
		1020	C<EAGAIN> is far preferable to a program hanging until some data arrives.
		1021
		1022	If you cannot run the fd in non-blocking mode (for example you should not
		1023	play around with an Xlib connection), then you have to seperately re-test
		1024	whether a file descriptor is really ready with a known-to-be good interface
		1025	such as poll (fortunately in our Xlib example, Xlib already does this on
		1026	its own, so its quite safe to use).
		1027
		1028	=head3 The special problem of disappearing file descriptors
		1029
		1030	Some backends (e.g. kqueue, epoll) need to be told about closing a file
		1031	descriptor (either by calling C<close> explicitly or by any other means,
		1032	such as C<dup>). The reason is that you register interest in some file
		1033	descriptor, but when it goes away, the operating system will silently drop
		1034	this interest. If another file descriptor with the same number then is
		1035	registered with libev, there is no efficient way to see that this is, in
		1036	fact, a different file descriptor.
		1037
		1038	To avoid having to explicitly tell libev about such cases, libev follows
		1039	the following policy: Each time C<ev_io_set> is being called, libev
		1040	will assume that this is potentially a new file descriptor, otherwise
		1041	it is assumed that the file descriptor stays the same. That means that
		1042	you I<have> to call C<ev_io_set> (or C<ev_io_init>) when you change the
		1043	descriptor even if the file descriptor number itself did not change.
		1044
		1045	This is how one would do it normally anyway, the important point is that
		1046	the libev application should not optimise around libev but should leave
		1047	optimisations to libev.
		1048
		1049	=head3 The special problem of dup'ed file descriptors
		1050
		1051	Some backends (e.g. epoll), cannot register events for file descriptors,
		1052	but only events for the underlying file descriptions. That means when you
		1053	have C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors or weirder constellations, and register
		1054	events for them, only one file descriptor might actually receive events.
		1055
		1056	There is no workaround possible except not registering events
		1057	for potentially C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors, or to resort to
		1058	C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
		1059
		1060	=head3 The special problem of fork
		1061
		1062	Some backends (epoll, kqueue) do not support C<fork ()> at all or exhibit
		1063	useless behaviour. Libev fully supports fork, but needs to be told about
		1064	it in the child.
		1065
		1066	To support fork in your programs, you either have to call
		1067	C<ev_default_fork ()> or C<ev_loop_fork ()> after a fork in the child,
		1068	enable C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>, or resort to C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or
		1069	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
		1070
		1071
		1072	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions
		1073
641	=over 4	1074	=over 4
642		1075
643	=item ev_io_init (ev_io *, callback, int fd, int events)	1076	=item ev_io_init (ev_io *, callback, int fd, int events)
644		1077
645	=item ev_io_set (ev_io *, int fd, int events)	1078	=item ev_io_set (ev_io *, int fd, int events)
646		1079
647	Configures an C<ev_io> watcher. The fd is the file descriptor to rceeive	1080	Configures an C<ev_io> watcher. The C<fd> is the file descriptor to
648	events for and events is either C<EV_READ>, C<EV_WRITE> or C<EV_READ |	1081	rceeive events for and events is either C<EV_READ>, C<EV_WRITE> or
649	EV_WRITE> to receive the given events.	1082	C<EV_READ | EV_WRITE> to receive the given events.
650		1083
651	Please note that most of the more scalable backend mechanisms (for example	1084	=item int fd [read-only]
652	epoll and solaris ports) can result in spurious readyness notifications	1085
653	for file descriptors, so you practically need to use non-blocking I/O (and	1086	The file descriptor being watched.
654	treat callback invocation as hint only), or retest separately with a safe	1087
655	interface before doing I/O (XLib can do this), or force the use of either	1088	=item int events [read-only]
656	C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>, which don't suffer from this	1089
657	problem. Also note that it is quite easy to have your callback invoked	1090	The events being watched.
658	when the readyness condition is no longer valid even when employing
659	typical ways of handling events, so its a good idea to use non-blocking
660	I/O unconditionally.
661		1091
662	=back	1092	=back
663		1093
		1094	=head3 Examples
		1095
664	Example: call C<stdin_readable_cb> when STDIN_FILENO has become, well	1096	Example: Call C<stdin_readable_cb> when STDIN_FILENO has become, well
665	readable, but only once. Since it is likely line-buffered, you could	1097	readable, but only once. Since it is likely line-buffered, you could
666	attempt to read a whole line in the callback:	1098	attempt to read a whole line in the callback.
667		1099
668	static void	1100	static void
669	stdin_readable_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w, int revents)	1101	stdin_readable_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w, int revents)
670	{	1102	{
671	ev_io_stop (loop, w);	1103	ev_io_stop (loop, w);
…		…
678	ev_io_init (&stdin_readable, stdin_readable_cb, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);	1110	ev_io_init (&stdin_readable, stdin_readable_cb, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);
679	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_readable);	1111	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_readable);
680	ev_loop (loop, 0);	1112	ev_loop (loop, 0);
681		1113
682		1114
683	=head2 C<ev_timer> - relative and optionally recurring timeouts	1115	=head2 C<ev_timer> - relative and optionally repeating timeouts
684		1116
685	Timer watchers are simple relative timers that generate an event after a	1117	Timer watchers are simple relative timers that generate an event after a
686	given time, and optionally repeating in regular intervals after that.	1118	given time, and optionally repeating in regular intervals after that.
687		1119
688	The timers are based on real time, that is, if you register an event that	1120	The timers are based on real time, that is, if you register an event that
…		…
701		1133
702	The callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when its timeout has passed,	1134	The callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when its timeout has passed,
703	but if multiple timers become ready during the same loop iteration then	1135	but if multiple timers become ready during the same loop iteration then
704	order of execution is undefined.	1136	order of execution is undefined.
705		1137
		1138	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1139
706	=over 4	1140	=over 4
707		1141
708	=item ev_timer_init (ev_timer *, callback, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)	1142	=item ev_timer_init (ev_timer *, callback, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)
709		1143
710	=item ev_timer_set (ev_timer *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)	1144	=item ev_timer_set (ev_timer *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)
…		…
723	=item ev_timer_again (loop)	1157	=item ev_timer_again (loop)
724		1158
725	This will act as if the timer timed out and restart it again if it is	1159	This will act as if the timer timed out and restart it again if it is
726	repeating. The exact semantics are:	1160	repeating. The exact semantics are:
727		1161
		1162	If the timer is pending, its pending status is cleared.
		1163
728	If the timer is started but nonrepeating, stop it.	1164	If the timer is started but nonrepeating, stop it (as if it timed out).
729		1165
730	If the timer is repeating, either start it if necessary (with the repeat	1166	If the timer is repeating, either start it if necessary (with the
731	value), or reset the running timer to the repeat value.	1167	C<repeat> value), or reset the running timer to the C<repeat> value.
732		1168
733	This sounds a bit complicated, but here is a useful and typical	1169	This sounds a bit complicated, but here is a useful and typical
734	example: Imagine you have a tcp connection and you want a so-called idle	1170	example: Imagine you have a tcp connection and you want a so-called idle
735	timeout, that is, you want to be called when there have been, say, 60	1171	timeout, that is, you want to be called when there have been, say, 60
736	seconds of inactivity on the socket. The easiest way to do this is to	1172	seconds of inactivity on the socket. The easiest way to do this is to
737	configure an C<ev_timer> with after=repeat=60 and calling ev_timer_again each	1173	configure an C<ev_timer> with a C<repeat> value of C<60> and then call
738	time you successfully read or write some data. If you go into an idle	1174	C<ev_timer_again> each time you successfully read or write some data. If
739	state where you do not expect data to travel on the socket, you can stop	1175	you go into an idle state where you do not expect data to travel on the
740	the timer, and again will automatically restart it if need be.	1176	socket, you can C<ev_timer_stop> the timer, and C<ev_timer_again> will
		1177	automatically restart it if need be.
		1178
		1179	That means you can ignore the C<after> value and C<ev_timer_start>
		1180	altogether and only ever use the C<repeat> value and C<ev_timer_again>:
		1181
		1182	ev_timer_init (timer, callback, 0., 5.);
		1183	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
		1184	...
		1185	timer->again = 17.;
		1186	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
		1187	...
		1188	timer->again = 10.;
		1189	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
		1190
		1191	This is more slightly efficient then stopping/starting the timer each time
		1192	you want to modify its timeout value.
		1193
		1194	=item ev_tstamp repeat [read-write]
		1195
		1196	The current C<repeat> value. Will be used each time the watcher times out
		1197	or C<ev_timer_again> is called and determines the next timeout (if any),
		1198	which is also when any modifications are taken into account.
741		1199
742	=back	1200	=back
743		1201
		1202	=head3 Examples
		1203
744	Example: create a timer that fires after 60 seconds.	1204	Example: Create a timer that fires after 60 seconds.
745		1205
746	static void	1206	static void
747	one_minute_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	1207	one_minute_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_timer *w, int revents)
748	{	1208	{
749	.. one minute over, w is actually stopped right here	1209	.. one minute over, w is actually stopped right here
…		…
751		1211
752	struct ev_timer mytimer;	1212	struct ev_timer mytimer;
753	ev_timer_init (&mytimer, one_minute_cb, 60., 0.);	1213	ev_timer_init (&mytimer, one_minute_cb, 60., 0.);
754	ev_timer_start (loop, &mytimer);	1214	ev_timer_start (loop, &mytimer);
755		1215
756	Example: create a timeout timer that times out after 10 seconds of	1216	Example: Create a timeout timer that times out after 10 seconds of
757	inactivity.	1217	inactivity.
758		1218
759	static void	1219	static void
760	timeout_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	1220	timeout_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_timer *w, int revents)
761	{	1221	{
…		…
770	// and in some piece of code that gets executed on any "activity":	1230	// and in some piece of code that gets executed on any "activity":
771	// reset the timeout to start ticking again at 10 seconds	1231	// reset the timeout to start ticking again at 10 seconds
772	ev_timer_again (&mytimer);	1232	ev_timer_again (&mytimer);
773		1233
774		1234
775	=head2 C<ev_periodic> - to cron or not to cron	1235	=head2 C<ev_periodic> - to cron or not to cron?
776		1236
777	Periodic watchers are also timers of a kind, but they are very versatile	1237	Periodic watchers are also timers of a kind, but they are very versatile
778	(and unfortunately a bit complex).	1238	(and unfortunately a bit complex).
779		1239
780	Unlike C<ev_timer>'s, they are not based on real time (or relative time)	1240	Unlike C<ev_timer>'s, they are not based on real time (or relative time)
781	but on wallclock time (absolute time). You can tell a periodic watcher	1241	but on wallclock time (absolute time). You can tell a periodic watcher
782	to trigger "at" some specific point in time. For example, if you tell a	1242	to trigger "at" some specific point in time. For example, if you tell a
783	periodic watcher to trigger in 10 seconds (by specifiying e.g. c<ev_now ()	1243	periodic watcher to trigger in 10 seconds (by specifiying e.g. C<ev_now ()
784	+ 10.>) and then reset your system clock to the last year, then it will	1244	+ 10.>) and then reset your system clock to the last year, then it will
785	take a year to trigger the event (unlike an C<ev_timer>, which would trigger	1245	take a year to trigger the event (unlike an C<ev_timer>, which would trigger
786	roughly 10 seconds later and of course not if you reset your system time	1246	roughly 10 seconds later).
787	again).
788		1247
789	They can also be used to implement vastly more complex timers, such as	1248	They can also be used to implement vastly more complex timers, such as
790	triggering an event on eahc midnight, local time.	1249	triggering an event on each midnight, local time or other, complicated,
		1250	rules.
791		1251
792	As with timers, the callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when the	1252	As with timers, the callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when the
793	time (C<at>) has been passed, but if multiple periodic timers become ready	1253	time (C<at>) has been passed, but if multiple periodic timers become ready
794	during the same loop iteration then order of execution is undefined.	1254	during the same loop iteration then order of execution is undefined.
795		1255
		1256	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1257
796	=over 4	1258	=over 4
797		1259
798	=item ev_periodic_init (ev_periodic *, callback, ev_tstamp at, ev_tstamp interval, reschedule_cb)	1260	=item ev_periodic_init (ev_periodic *, callback, ev_tstamp at, ev_tstamp interval, reschedule_cb)
799		1261
800	=item ev_periodic_set (ev_periodic *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat, reschedule_cb)	1262	=item ev_periodic_set (ev_periodic *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat, reschedule_cb)
…		…
802	Lots of arguments, lets sort it out... There are basically three modes of	1264	Lots of arguments, lets sort it out... There are basically three modes of
803	operation, and we will explain them from simplest to complex:	1265	operation, and we will explain them from simplest to complex:
804		1266
805	=over 4	1267	=over 4
806		1268
807	=item * absolute timer (interval = reschedule_cb = 0)	1269	=item * absolute timer (at = time, interval = reschedule_cb = 0)
808		1270
809	In this configuration the watcher triggers an event at the wallclock time	1271	In this configuration the watcher triggers an event at the wallclock time
810	C<at> and doesn't repeat. It will not adjust when a time jump occurs,	1272	C<at> and doesn't repeat. It will not adjust when a time jump occurs,
811	that is, if it is to be run at January 1st 2011 then it will run when the	1273	that is, if it is to be run at January 1st 2011 then it will run when the
812	system time reaches or surpasses this time.	1274	system time reaches or surpasses this time.
813		1275
814	=item * non-repeating interval timer (interval > 0, reschedule_cb = 0)	1276	=item * non-repeating interval timer (at = offset, interval > 0, reschedule_cb = 0)
815		1277
816	In this mode the watcher will always be scheduled to time out at the next	1278	In this mode the watcher will always be scheduled to time out at the next
817	C<at + N * interval> time (for some integer N) and then repeat, regardless	1279	C<at + N * interval> time (for some integer N, which can also be negative)
818	of any time jumps.	1280	and then repeat, regardless of any time jumps.
819		1281
820	This can be used to create timers that do not drift with respect to system	1282	This can be used to create timers that do not drift with respect to system
821	time:	1283	time:
822		1284
823	ev_periodic_set (&periodic, 0., 3600., 0);	1285	ev_periodic_set (&periodic, 0., 3600., 0);
…		…
829		1291
830	Another way to think about it (for the mathematically inclined) is that	1292	Another way to think about it (for the mathematically inclined) is that
831	C<ev_periodic> will try to run the callback in this mode at the next possible	1293	C<ev_periodic> will try to run the callback in this mode at the next possible
832	time where C<time = at (mod interval)>, regardless of any time jumps.	1294	time where C<time = at (mod interval)>, regardless of any time jumps.
833		1295
		1296	For numerical stability it is preferable that the C<at> value is near
		1297	C<ev_now ()> (the current time), but there is no range requirement for
		1298	this value.
		1299
834	=item * manual reschedule mode (reschedule_cb = callback)	1300	=item * manual reschedule mode (at and interval ignored, reschedule_cb = callback)
835		1301
836	In this mode the values for C<interval> and C<at> are both being	1302	In this mode the values for C<interval> and C<at> are both being
837	ignored. Instead, each time the periodic watcher gets scheduled, the	1303	ignored. Instead, each time the periodic watcher gets scheduled, the
838	reschedule callback will be called with the watcher as first, and the	1304	reschedule callback will be called with the watcher as first, and the
839	current time as second argument.	1305	current time as second argument.
840		1306
841	NOTE: I<This callback MUST NOT stop or destroy any periodic watcher,	1307	NOTE: I<This callback MUST NOT stop or destroy any periodic watcher,
842	ever, or make any event loop modifications>. If you need to stop it,	1308	ever, or make any event loop modifications>. If you need to stop it,
843	return C<now + 1e30> (or so, fudge fudge) and stop it afterwards (e.g. by	1309	return C<now + 1e30> (or so, fudge fudge) and stop it afterwards (e.g. by
844	starting a prepare watcher).	1310	starting an C<ev_prepare> watcher, which is legal).
845		1311
846	Its prototype is C<ev_tstamp (*reschedule_cb)(struct ev_periodic *w,	1312	Its prototype is C<ev_tstamp (*reschedule_cb)(struct ev_periodic *w,
847	ev_tstamp now)>, e.g.:	1313	ev_tstamp now)>, e.g.:
848		1314
849	static ev_tstamp my_rescheduler (struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)	1315	static ev_tstamp my_rescheduler (struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)
…		…
872	Simply stops and restarts the periodic watcher again. This is only useful	1338	Simply stops and restarts the periodic watcher again. This is only useful
873	when you changed some parameters or the reschedule callback would return	1339	when you changed some parameters or the reschedule callback would return
874	a different time than the last time it was called (e.g. in a crond like	1340	a different time than the last time it was called (e.g. in a crond like
875	program when the crontabs have changed).	1341	program when the crontabs have changed).
876		1342
		1343	=item ev_tstamp offset [read-write]
		1344
		1345	When repeating, this contains the offset value, otherwise this is the
		1346	absolute point in time (the C<at> value passed to C<ev_periodic_set>).
		1347
		1348	Can be modified any time, but changes only take effect when the periodic
		1349	timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.
		1350
		1351	=item ev_tstamp interval [read-write]
		1352
		1353	The current interval value. Can be modified any time, but changes only
		1354	take effect when the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being
		1355	called.
		1356
		1357	=item ev_tstamp (*reschedule_cb)(struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now) [read-write]
		1358
		1359	The current reschedule callback, or C<0>, if this functionality is
		1360	switched off. Can be changed any time, but changes only take effect when
		1361	the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.
		1362
		1363	=item ev_tstamp at [read-only]
		1364
		1365	When active, contains the absolute time that the watcher is supposed to
		1366	trigger next.
		1367
877	=back	1368	=back
878		1369
		1370	=head3 Examples
		1371
879	Example: call a callback every hour, or, more precisely, whenever the	1372	Example: Call a callback every hour, or, more precisely, whenever the
880	system clock is divisible by 3600. The callback invocation times have	1373	system clock is divisible by 3600. The callback invocation times have
881	potentially a lot of jittering, but good long-term stability.	1374	potentially a lot of jittering, but good long-term stability.
882		1375
883	static void	1376	static void
884	clock_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w, int revents)	1377	clock_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w, int revents)
…		…
888		1381
889	struct ev_periodic hourly_tick;	1382	struct ev_periodic hourly_tick;
890	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 3600., 0);	1383	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 3600., 0);
891	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);	1384	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);
892		1385
893	Example: the same as above, but use a reschedule callback to do it:	1386	Example: The same as above, but use a reschedule callback to do it:
894		1387
895	#include <math.h>	1388	#include <math.h>
896		1389
897	static ev_tstamp	1390	static ev_tstamp
898	my_scheduler_cb (struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)	1391	my_scheduler_cb (struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)
…		…
900	return fmod (now, 3600.) + 3600.;	1393	return fmod (now, 3600.) + 3600.;
901	}	1394	}
902		1395
903	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 0., my_scheduler_cb);	1396	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 0., my_scheduler_cb);
904		1397
905	Example: call a callback every hour, starting now:	1398	Example: Call a callback every hour, starting now:
906		1399
907	struct ev_periodic hourly_tick;	1400	struct ev_periodic hourly_tick;
908	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb,	1401	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb,
909	fmod (ev_now (loop), 3600.), 3600., 0);	1402	fmod (ev_now (loop), 3600.), 3600., 0);
910	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);	1403	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);
911		1404
912		1405
913	=head2 C<ev_signal> - signal me when a signal gets signalled	1406	=head2 C<ev_signal> - signal me when a signal gets signalled!
914		1407
915	Signal watchers will trigger an event when the process receives a specific	1408	Signal watchers will trigger an event when the process receives a specific
916	signal one or more times. Even though signals are very asynchronous, libev	1409	signal one or more times. Even though signals are very asynchronous, libev
917	will try it's best to deliver signals synchronously, i.e. as part of the	1410	will try it's best to deliver signals synchronously, i.e. as part of the
918	normal event processing, like any other event.	1411	normal event processing, like any other event.
…		…
922	with the kernel (thus it coexists with your own signal handlers as long	1415	with the kernel (thus it coexists with your own signal handlers as long
923	as you don't register any with libev). Similarly, when the last signal	1416	as you don't register any with libev). Similarly, when the last signal
924	watcher for a signal is stopped libev will reset the signal handler to	1417	watcher for a signal is stopped libev will reset the signal handler to
925	SIG_DFL (regardless of what it was set to before).	1418	SIG_DFL (regardless of what it was set to before).
926		1419
		1420	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1421
927	=over 4	1422	=over 4
928		1423
929	=item ev_signal_init (ev_signal *, callback, int signum)	1424	=item ev_signal_init (ev_signal *, callback, int signum)
930		1425
931	=item ev_signal_set (ev_signal *, int signum)	1426	=item ev_signal_set (ev_signal *, int signum)
932		1427
933	Configures the watcher to trigger on the given signal number (usually one	1428	Configures the watcher to trigger on the given signal number (usually one
934	of the C<SIGxxx> constants).	1429	of the C<SIGxxx> constants).
935		1430
		1431	=item int signum [read-only]
		1432
		1433	The signal the watcher watches out for.
		1434
936	=back	1435	=back
937		1436
938		1437
939	=head2 C<ev_child> - wait for pid status changes	1438	=head2 C<ev_child> - watch out for process status changes
940		1439
941	Child watchers trigger when your process receives a SIGCHLD in response to	1440	Child watchers trigger when your process receives a SIGCHLD in response to
942	some child status changes (most typically when a child of yours dies).	1441	some child status changes (most typically when a child of yours dies).
943		1442
		1443	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1444
944	=over 4	1445	=over 4
945		1446
946	=item ev_child_init (ev_child *, callback, int pid)	1447	=item ev_child_init (ev_child *, callback, int pid, int trace)
947		1448
948	=item ev_child_set (ev_child *, int pid)	1449	=item ev_child_set (ev_child *, int pid, int trace)
949		1450
950	Configures the watcher to wait for status changes of process C<pid> (or	1451	Configures the watcher to wait for status changes of process C<pid> (or
951	I<any> process if C<pid> is specified as C<0>). The callback can look	1452	I<any> process if C<pid> is specified as C<0>). The callback can look
952	at the C<rstatus> member of the C<ev_child> watcher structure to see	1453	at the C<rstatus> member of the C<ev_child> watcher structure to see
953	the status word (use the macros from C<sys/wait.h> and see your systems	1454	the status word (use the macros from C<sys/wait.h> and see your systems
954	C<waitpid> documentation). The C<rpid> member contains the pid of the	1455	C<waitpid> documentation). The C<rpid> member contains the pid of the
955	process causing the status change.	1456	process causing the status change. C<trace> must be either C<0> (only
		1457	activate the watcher when the process terminates) or C<1> (additionally
		1458	activate the watcher when the process is stopped or continued).
		1459
		1460	=item int pid [read-only]
		1461
		1462	The process id this watcher watches out for, or C<0>, meaning any process id.
		1463
		1464	=item int rpid [read-write]
		1465
		1466	The process id that detected a status change.
		1467
		1468	=item int rstatus [read-write]
		1469
		1470	The process exit/trace status caused by C<rpid> (see your systems
		1471	C<waitpid> and C<sys/wait.h> documentation for details).
956		1472
957	=back	1473	=back
958		1474
		1475	=head3 Examples
		1476
959	Example: try to exit cleanly on SIGINT and SIGTERM.	1477	Example: Try to exit cleanly on SIGINT and SIGTERM.
960		1478
961	static void	1479	static void
962	sigint_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_signal *w, int revents)	1480	sigint_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_signal *w, int revents)
963	{	1481	{
964	ev_unloop (loop, EVUNLOOP_ALL);	1482	ev_unloop (loop, EVUNLOOP_ALL);
…		…
967	struct ev_signal signal_watcher;	1485	struct ev_signal signal_watcher;
968	ev_signal_init (&signal_watcher, sigint_cb, SIGINT);	1486	ev_signal_init (&signal_watcher, sigint_cb, SIGINT);
969	ev_signal_start (loop, &sigint_cb);	1487	ev_signal_start (loop, &sigint_cb);
970		1488
971		1489
		1490	=head2 C<ev_stat> - did the file attributes just change?
		1491
		1492	This watches a filesystem path for attribute changes. That is, it calls
		1493	C<stat> regularly (or when the OS says it changed) and sees if it changed
		1494	compared to the last time, invoking the callback if it did.
		1495
		1496	The path does not need to exist: changing from "path exists" to "path does
		1497	not exist" is a status change like any other. The condition "path does
		1498	not exist" is signified by the C<st_nlink> field being zero (which is
		1499	otherwise always forced to be at least one) and all the other fields of
		1500	the stat buffer having unspecified contents.
		1501
		1502	The path I<should> be absolute and I<must not> end in a slash. If it is
		1503	relative and your working directory changes, the behaviour is undefined.
		1504
		1505	Since there is no standard to do this, the portable implementation simply
		1506	calls C<stat (2)> regularly on the path to see if it changed somehow. You
		1507	can specify a recommended polling interval for this case. If you specify
		1508	a polling interval of C<0> (highly recommended!) then a I<suitable,
		1509	unspecified default> value will be used (which you can expect to be around
		1510	five seconds, although this might change dynamically). Libev will also
		1511	impose a minimum interval which is currently around C<0.1>, but thats
		1512	usually overkill.
		1513
		1514	This watcher type is not meant for massive numbers of stat watchers,
		1515	as even with OS-supported change notifications, this can be
		1516	resource-intensive.
		1517
		1518	At the time of this writing, only the Linux inotify interface is
		1519	implemented (implementing kqueue support is left as an exercise for the
		1520	reader). Inotify will be used to give hints only and should not change the
		1521	semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers, which means that libev sometimes needs
		1522	to fall back to regular polling again even with inotify, but changes are
		1523	usually detected immediately, and if the file exists there will be no
		1524	polling.
		1525
		1526	=head3 Inotify
		1527
		1528	When C<inotify (7)> support has been compiled into libev (generally only
		1529	available on Linux) and present at runtime, it will be used to speed up
		1530	change detection where possible. The inotify descriptor will be created lazily
		1531	when the first C<ev_stat> watcher is being started.
		1532
		1533	Inotify presense does not change the semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers
		1534	except that changes might be detected earlier, and in some cases, to avoid
		1535	making regular C<stat> calls. Even in the presense of inotify support
		1536	there are many cases where libev has to resort to regular C<stat> polling.
		1537
		1538	(There is no support for kqueue, as apparently it cannot be used to
		1539	implement this functionality, due to the requirement of having a file
		1540	descriptor open on the object at all times).
		1541
		1542	=head3 The special problem of stat time resolution
		1543
		1544	The C<stat ()> syscall only supports full-second resolution portably, and
		1545	even on systems where the resolution is higher, many filesystems still
		1546	only support whole seconds.
		1547
		1548	That means that, if the time is the only thing that changes, you might
		1549	miss updates: on the first update, C<ev_stat> detects a change and calls
		1550	your callback, which does something. When there is another update within
		1551	the same second, C<ev_stat> will be unable to detect it.
		1552
		1553	The solution to this is to delay acting on a change for a second (or till
		1554	the next second boundary), using a roughly one-second delay C<ev_timer>
		1555	(C<ev_timer_set (w, 0., 1.01); ev_timer_again (loop, w)>). The C<.01>
		1556	is added to work around small timing inconsistencies of some operating
		1557	systems.
		1558
		1559	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1560
		1561	=over 4
		1562
		1563	=item ev_stat_init (ev_stat *, callback, const char *path, ev_tstamp interval)
		1564
		1565	=item ev_stat_set (ev_stat *, const char *path, ev_tstamp interval)
		1566
		1567	Configures the watcher to wait for status changes of the given
		1568	C<path>. The C<interval> is a hint on how quickly a change is expected to
		1569	be detected and should normally be specified as C<0> to let libev choose
		1570	a suitable value. The memory pointed to by C<path> must point to the same
		1571	path for as long as the watcher is active.
		1572
		1573	The callback will be receive C<EV_STAT> when a change was detected,
		1574	relative to the attributes at the time the watcher was started (or the
		1575	last change was detected).
		1576
		1577	=item ev_stat_stat (ev_stat *)
		1578
		1579	Updates the stat buffer immediately with new values. If you change the
		1580	watched path in your callback, you could call this fucntion to avoid
		1581	detecting this change (while introducing a race condition). Can also be
		1582	useful simply to find out the new values.
		1583
		1584	=item ev_statdata attr [read-only]
		1585
		1586	The most-recently detected attributes of the file. Although the type is of
		1587	C<ev_statdata>, this is usually the (or one of the) C<struct stat> types
		1588	suitable for your system. If the C<st_nlink> member is C<0>, then there
		1589	was some error while C<stat>ing the file.
		1590
		1591	=item ev_statdata prev [read-only]
		1592
		1593	The previous attributes of the file. The callback gets invoked whenever
		1594	C<prev> != C<attr>.
		1595
		1596	=item ev_tstamp interval [read-only]
		1597
		1598	The specified interval.
		1599
		1600	=item const char *path [read-only]
		1601
		1602	The filesystem path that is being watched.
		1603
		1604	=back
		1605
		1606	=head3 Examples
		1607
		1608	Example: Watch C</etc/passwd> for attribute changes.
		1609
		1610	static void
		1611	passwd_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_stat *w, int revents)
		1612	{
		1613	/* /etc/passwd changed in some way */
		1614	if (w->attr.st_nlink)
		1615	{
		1616	printf ("passwd current size %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_size);
		1617	printf ("passwd current atime %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_mtime);
		1618	printf ("passwd current mtime %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_mtime);
		1619	}
		1620	else
		1621	/* you shalt not abuse printf for puts */
		1622	puts ("wow, /etc/passwd is not there, expect problems. "
		1623	"if this is windows, they already arrived\n");
		1624	}
		1625
		1626	...
		1627	ev_stat passwd;
		1628
		1629	ev_stat_init (&passwd, passwd_cb, "/etc/passwd", 0.);
		1630	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);
		1631
		1632	Example: Like above, but additionally use a one-second delay so we do not
		1633	miss updates (however, frequent updates will delay processing, too, so
		1634	one might do the work both on C<ev_stat> callback invocation I<and> on
		1635	C<ev_timer> callback invocation).
		1636
		1637	static ev_stat passwd;
		1638	static ev_timer timer;
		1639
		1640	static void
		1641	timer_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
		1642	{
		1643	ev_timer_stop (EV_A_ w);
		1644
		1645	/* now it's one second after the most recent passwd change */
		1646	}
		1647
		1648	static void
		1649	stat_cb (EV_P_ ev_stat *w, int revents)
		1650	{
		1651	/* reset the one-second timer */
		1652	ev_timer_again (EV_A_ &timer);
		1653	}
		1654
		1655	...
		1656	ev_stat_init (&passwd, stat_cb, "/etc/passwd", 0.);
		1657	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);
		1658	ev_timer_init (&timer, timer_cb, 0., 1.01);
		1659
		1660
972	=head2 C<ev_idle> - when you've got nothing better to do	1661	=head2 C<ev_idle> - when you've got nothing better to do...
973		1662
974	Idle watchers trigger events when there are no other events are pending	1663	Idle watchers trigger events when no other events of the same or higher
975	(prepare, check and other idle watchers do not count). That is, as long	1664	priority are pending (prepare, check and other idle watchers do not
976	as your process is busy handling sockets or timeouts (or even signals,	1665	count).
977	imagine) it will not be triggered. But when your process is idle all idle	1666
978	watchers are being called again and again, once per event loop iteration -	1667	That is, as long as your process is busy handling sockets or timeouts
		1668	(or even signals, imagine) of the same or higher priority it will not be
		1669	triggered. But when your process is idle (or only lower-priority watchers
		1670	are pending), the idle watchers are being called once per event loop
979	until stopped, that is, or your process receives more events and becomes	1671	iteration - until stopped, that is, or your process receives more events
980	busy.	1672	and becomes busy again with higher priority stuff.
981		1673
982	The most noteworthy effect is that as long as any idle watchers are	1674	The most noteworthy effect is that as long as any idle watchers are
983	active, the process will not block when waiting for new events.	1675	active, the process will not block when waiting for new events.
984		1676
985	Apart from keeping your process non-blocking (which is a useful	1677	Apart from keeping your process non-blocking (which is a useful
986	effect on its own sometimes), idle watchers are a good place to do	1678	effect on its own sometimes), idle watchers are a good place to do
987	"pseudo-background processing", or delay processing stuff to after the	1679	"pseudo-background processing", or delay processing stuff to after the
988	event loop has handled all outstanding events.	1680	event loop has handled all outstanding events.
989		1681
		1682	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1683
990	=over 4	1684	=over 4
991		1685
992	=item ev_idle_init (ev_signal *, callback)	1686	=item ev_idle_init (ev_signal *, callback)
993		1687
994	Initialises and configures the idle watcher - it has no parameters of any	1688	Initialises and configures the idle watcher - it has no parameters of any
995	kind. There is a C<ev_idle_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,	1689	kind. There is a C<ev_idle_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
996	believe me.	1690	believe me.
997		1691
998	=back	1692	=back
999		1693
		1694	=head3 Examples
		1695
1000	Example: dynamically allocate an C<ev_idle>, start it, and in the	1696	Example: Dynamically allocate an C<ev_idle> watcher, start it, and in the
1001	callback, free it. Alos, use no error checking, as usual.	1697	callback, free it. Also, use no error checking, as usual.
1002		1698
1003	static void	1699	static void
1004	idle_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_idle *w, int revents)	1700	idle_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_idle *w, int revents)
1005	{	1701	{
1006	free (w);	1702	free (w);
1007	// now do something you wanted to do when the program has	1703	// now do something you wanted to do when the program has
1008	// no longer asnything immediate to do.	1704	// no longer anything immediate to do.
1009	}	1705	}
1010		1706
1011	struct ev_idle *idle_watcher = malloc (sizeof (struct ev_idle));	1707	struct ev_idle *idle_watcher = malloc (sizeof (struct ev_idle));
1012	ev_idle_init (idle_watcher, idle_cb);	1708	ev_idle_init (idle_watcher, idle_cb);
1013	ev_idle_start (loop, idle_cb);	1709	ev_idle_start (loop, idle_cb);
1014		1710
1015		1711
1016	=head2 C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> - customise your event loop	1712	=head2 C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> - customise your event loop!
1017		1713
1018	Prepare and check watchers are usually (but not always) used in tandem:	1714	Prepare and check watchers are usually (but not always) used in tandem:
1019	prepare watchers get invoked before the process blocks and check watchers	1715	prepare watchers get invoked before the process blocks and check watchers
1020	afterwards.	1716	afterwards.
1021		1717
		1718	You I<must not> call C<ev_loop> or similar functions that enter
		1719	the current event loop from either C<ev_prepare> or C<ev_check>
		1720	watchers. Other loops than the current one are fine, however. The
		1721	rationale behind this is that you do not need to check for recursion in
		1722	those watchers, i.e. the sequence will always be C<ev_prepare>, blocking,
		1723	C<ev_check> so if you have one watcher of each kind they will always be
		1724	called in pairs bracketing the blocking call.
		1725
1022	Their main purpose is to integrate other event mechanisms into libev and	1726	Their main purpose is to integrate other event mechanisms into libev and
1023	their use is somewhat advanced. This could be used, for example, to track	1727	their use is somewhat advanced. This could be used, for example, to track
1024	variable changes, implement your own watchers, integrate net-snmp or a	1728	variable changes, implement your own watchers, integrate net-snmp or a
1025	coroutine library and lots more.	1729	coroutine library and lots more. They are also occasionally useful if
		1730	you cache some data and want to flush it before blocking (for example,
		1731	in X programs you might want to do an C<XFlush ()> in an C<ev_prepare>
		1732	watcher).
1026		1733
1027	This is done by examining in each prepare call which file descriptors need	1734	This is done by examining in each prepare call which file descriptors need
1028	to be watched by the other library, registering C<ev_io> watchers for	1735	to be watched by the other library, registering C<ev_io> watchers for
1029	them and starting an C<ev_timer> watcher for any timeouts (many libraries	1736	them and starting an C<ev_timer> watcher for any timeouts (many libraries
1030	provide just this functionality). Then, in the check watcher you check for	1737	provide just this functionality). Then, in the check watcher you check for
…		…
1040	with priority higher than or equal to the event loop and one coroutine	1747	with priority higher than or equal to the event loop and one coroutine
1041	of lower priority, but only once, using idle watchers to keep the event	1748	of lower priority, but only once, using idle watchers to keep the event
1042	loop from blocking if lower-priority coroutines are active, thus mapping	1749	loop from blocking if lower-priority coroutines are active, thus mapping
1043	low-priority coroutines to idle/background tasks).	1750	low-priority coroutines to idle/background tasks).
1044		1751
		1752	It is recommended to give C<ev_check> watchers highest (C<EV_MAXPRI>)
		1753	priority, to ensure that they are being run before any other watchers
		1754	after the poll. Also, C<ev_check> watchers (and C<ev_prepare> watchers,
		1755	too) should not activate ("feed") events into libev. While libev fully
		1756	supports this, they will be called before other C<ev_check> watchers
		1757	did their job. As C<ev_check> watchers are often used to embed other
		1758	(non-libev) event loops those other event loops might be in an unusable
		1759	state until their C<ev_check> watcher ran (always remind yourself to
		1760	coexist peacefully with others).
		1761
		1762	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1763
1045	=over 4	1764	=over 4
1046		1765
1047	=item ev_prepare_init (ev_prepare *, callback)	1766	=item ev_prepare_init (ev_prepare *, callback)
1048		1767
1049	=item ev_check_init (ev_check *, callback)	1768	=item ev_check_init (ev_check *, callback)
…		…
1052	parameters of any kind. There are C<ev_prepare_set> and C<ev_check_set>	1771	parameters of any kind. There are C<ev_prepare_set> and C<ev_check_set>
1053	macros, but using them is utterly, utterly and completely pointless.	1772	macros, but using them is utterly, utterly and completely pointless.
1054		1773
1055	=back	1774	=back
1056		1775
1057	Example: *TODO*.	1776	=head3 Examples
1058		1777
		1778	There are a number of principal ways to embed other event loops or modules
		1779	into libev. Here are some ideas on how to include libadns into libev
		1780	(there is a Perl module named C<EV::ADNS> that does this, which you could
		1781	use for an actually working example. Another Perl module named C<EV::Glib>
		1782	embeds a Glib main context into libev, and finally, C<Glib::EV> embeds EV
		1783	into the Glib event loop).
1059		1784
		1785	Method 1: Add IO watchers and a timeout watcher in a prepare handler,
		1786	and in a check watcher, destroy them and call into libadns. What follows
		1787	is pseudo-code only of course. This requires you to either use a low
		1788	priority for the check watcher or use C<ev_clear_pending> explicitly, as
		1789	the callbacks for the IO/timeout watchers might not have been called yet.
		1790
		1791	static ev_io iow [nfd];
		1792	static ev_timer tw;
		1793
		1794	static void
		1795	io_cb (ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w, int revents)
		1796	{
		1797	}
		1798
		1799	// create io watchers for each fd and a timer before blocking
		1800	static void
		1801	adns_prepare_cb (ev_loop *loop, ev_prepare *w, int revents)
		1802	{
		1803	int timeout = 3600000;
		1804	struct pollfd fds [nfd];
		1805	// actual code will need to loop here and realloc etc.
		1806	adns_beforepoll (ads, fds, &nfd, &timeout, timeval_from (ev_time ()));
		1807
		1808	/* the callback is illegal, but won't be called as we stop during check */
		1809	ev_timer_init (&tw, 0, timeout * 1e-3);
		1810	ev_timer_start (loop, &tw);
		1811
		1812	// create one ev_io per pollfd
		1813	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)
		1814	{
		1815	ev_io_init (iow + i, io_cb, fds [i].fd,
		1816	((fds [i].events & POLLIN ? EV_READ : 0)
		1817	| (fds [i].events & POLLOUT ? EV_WRITE : 0)));
		1818
		1819	fds [i].revents = 0;
		1820	ev_io_start (loop, iow + i);
		1821	}
		1822	}
		1823
		1824	// stop all watchers after blocking
		1825	static void
		1826	adns_check_cb (ev_loop *loop, ev_check *w, int revents)
		1827	{
		1828	ev_timer_stop (loop, &tw);
		1829
		1830	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)
		1831	{
		1832	// set the relevant poll flags
		1833	// could also call adns_processreadable etc. here
		1834	struct pollfd *fd = fds + i;
		1835	int revents = ev_clear_pending (iow + i);
		1836	if (revents & EV_READ ) fd->revents |= fd->events & POLLIN;
		1837	if (revents & EV_WRITE) fd->revents |= fd->events & POLLOUT;
		1838
		1839	// now stop the watcher
		1840	ev_io_stop (loop, iow + i);
		1841	}
		1842
		1843	adns_afterpoll (adns, fds, nfd, timeval_from (ev_now (loop));
		1844	}
		1845
		1846	Method 2: This would be just like method 1, but you run C<adns_afterpoll>
		1847	in the prepare watcher and would dispose of the check watcher.
		1848
		1849	Method 3: If the module to be embedded supports explicit event
		1850	notification (adns does), you can also make use of the actual watcher
		1851	callbacks, and only destroy/create the watchers in the prepare watcher.
		1852
		1853	static void
		1854	timer_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
		1855	{
		1856	adns_state ads = (adns_state)w->data;
		1857	update_now (EV_A);
		1858
		1859	adns_processtimeouts (ads, &tv_now);
		1860	}
		1861
		1862	static void
		1863	io_cb (EV_P_ ev_io *w, int revents)
		1864	{
		1865	adns_state ads = (adns_state)w->data;
		1866	update_now (EV_A);
		1867
		1868	if (revents & EV_READ ) adns_processreadable (ads, w->fd, &tv_now);
		1869	if (revents & EV_WRITE) adns_processwriteable (ads, w->fd, &tv_now);
		1870	}
		1871
		1872	// do not ever call adns_afterpoll
		1873
		1874	Method 4: Do not use a prepare or check watcher because the module you
		1875	want to embed is too inflexible to support it. Instead, youc na override
		1876	their poll function. The drawback with this solution is that the main
		1877	loop is now no longer controllable by EV. The C<Glib::EV> module does
		1878	this.
		1879
		1880	static gint
		1881	event_poll_func (GPollFD *fds, guint nfds, gint timeout)
		1882	{
		1883	int got_events = 0;
		1884
		1885	for (n = 0; n < nfds; ++n)
		1886	// create/start io watcher that sets the relevant bits in fds[n] and increment got_events
		1887
		1888	if (timeout >= 0)
		1889	// create/start timer
		1890
		1891	// poll
		1892	ev_loop (EV_A_ 0);
		1893
		1894	// stop timer again
		1895	if (timeout >= 0)
		1896	ev_timer_stop (EV_A_ &to);
		1897
		1898	// stop io watchers again - their callbacks should have set
		1899	for (n = 0; n < nfds; ++n)
		1900	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ iow [n]);
		1901
		1902	return got_events;
		1903	}
		1904
		1905
1060	=head2 C<ev_embed> - when one backend isn't enough	1906	=head2 C<ev_embed> - when one backend isn't enough...
1061		1907
1062	This is a rather advanced watcher type that lets you embed one event loop	1908	This is a rather advanced watcher type that lets you embed one event loop
1063	into another.	1909	into another (currently only C<ev_io> events are supported in the embedded
		1910	loop, other types of watchers might be handled in a delayed or incorrect
		1911	fashion and must not be used).
1064		1912
1065	There are primarily two reasons you would want that: work around bugs and	1913	There are primarily two reasons you would want that: work around bugs and
1066	prioritise I/O.	1914	prioritise I/O.
1067		1915
1068	As an example for a bug workaround, the kqueue backend might only support	1916	As an example for a bug workaround, the kqueue backend might only support
…		…
1077	to be watched and handled very quickly (with low latency), and even	1925	to be watched and handled very quickly (with low latency), and even
1078	priorities and idle watchers might have too much overhead. In this case	1926	priorities and idle watchers might have too much overhead. In this case
1079	you would put all the high priority stuff in one loop and all the rest in	1927	you would put all the high priority stuff in one loop and all the rest in
1080	a second one, and embed the second one in the first.	1928	a second one, and embed the second one in the first.
1081		1929
		1930	As long as the watcher is active, the callback will be invoked every time
		1931	there might be events pending in the embedded loop. The callback must then
		1932	call C<ev_embed_sweep (mainloop, watcher)> to make a single sweep and invoke
		1933	their callbacks (you could also start an idle watcher to give the embedded
		1934	loop strictly lower priority for example). You can also set the callback
		1935	to C<0>, in which case the embed watcher will automatically execute the
		1936	embedded loop sweep.
		1937
1082	As long as the watcher is started it will automatically handle events. The	1938	As long as the watcher is started it will automatically handle events. The
1083	callback will be invoked whenever some events have been handled. You can	1939	callback will be invoked whenever some events have been handled. You can
1084	set the callback to C<0> to avoid having to specify one if you are not	1940	set the callback to C<0> to avoid having to specify one if you are not
1085	interested in that.	1941	interested in that.
1086		1942
…		…
1094	portable one.	1950	portable one.
1095		1951
1096	So when you want to use this feature you will always have to be prepared	1952	So when you want to use this feature you will always have to be prepared
1097	that you cannot get an embeddable loop. The recommended way to get around	1953	that you cannot get an embeddable loop. The recommended way to get around
1098	this is to have a separate variables for your embeddable loop, try to	1954	this is to have a separate variables for your embeddable loop, try to
1099	create it, and if that fails, use the normal loop for everything:	1955	create it, and if that fails, use the normal loop for everything.
		1956
		1957	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1958
		1959	=over 4
		1960
		1961	=item ev_embed_init (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)
		1962
		1963	=item ev_embed_set (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)
		1964
		1965	Configures the watcher to embed the given loop, which must be
		1966	embeddable. If the callback is C<0>, then C<ev_embed_sweep> will be
		1967	invoked automatically, otherwise it is the responsibility of the callback
		1968	to invoke it (it will continue to be called until the sweep has been done,
		1969	if you do not want thta, you need to temporarily stop the embed watcher).
		1970
		1971	=item ev_embed_sweep (loop, ev_embed *)
		1972
		1973	Make a single, non-blocking sweep over the embedded loop. This works
		1974	similarly to C<ev_loop (embedded_loop, EVLOOP_NONBLOCK)>, but in the most
		1975	apropriate way for embedded loops.
		1976
		1977	=item struct ev_loop *other [read-only]
		1978
		1979	The embedded event loop.
		1980
		1981	=back
		1982
		1983	=head3 Examples
		1984
		1985	Example: Try to get an embeddable event loop and embed it into the default
		1986	event loop. If that is not possible, use the default loop. The default
		1987	loop is stored in C<loop_hi>, while the mebeddable loop is stored in
		1988	C<loop_lo> (which is C<loop_hi> in the acse no embeddable loop can be
		1989	used).
1100		1990
1101	struct ev_loop *loop_hi = ev_default_init (0);	1991	struct ev_loop *loop_hi = ev_default_init (0);
1102	struct ev_loop *loop_lo = 0;	1992	struct ev_loop *loop_lo = 0;
1103	struct ev_embed embed;	1993	struct ev_embed embed;
1104		1994
…		…
1115	ev_embed_start (loop_hi, &embed);	2005	ev_embed_start (loop_hi, &embed);
1116	}	2006	}
1117	else	2007	else
1118	loop_lo = loop_hi;	2008	loop_lo = loop_hi;
1119		2009
		2010	Example: Check if kqueue is available but not recommended and create
		2011	a kqueue backend for use with sockets (which usually work with any
		2012	kqueue implementation). Store the kqueue/socket-only event loop in
		2013	C<loop_socket>. (One might optionally use C<EVFLAG_NOENV>, too).
		2014
		2015	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_init (0);
		2016	struct ev_loop *loop_socket = 0;
		2017	struct ev_embed embed;
		2018
		2019	if (ev_supported_backends () & ~ev_recommended_backends () & EVBACKEND_KQUEUE)
		2020	if ((loop_socket = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_KQUEUE))
		2021	{
		2022	ev_embed_init (&embed, 0, loop_socket);
		2023	ev_embed_start (loop, &embed);
		2024	}
		2025
		2026	if (!loop_socket)
		2027	loop_socket = loop;
		2028
		2029	// now use loop_socket for all sockets, and loop for everything else
		2030
		2031
		2032	=head2 C<ev_fork> - the audacity to resume the event loop after a fork
		2033
		2034	Fork watchers are called when a C<fork ()> was detected (usually because
		2035	whoever is a good citizen cared to tell libev about it by calling
		2036	C<ev_default_fork> or C<ev_loop_fork>). The invocation is done before the
		2037	event loop blocks next and before C<ev_check> watchers are being called,
		2038	and only in the child after the fork. If whoever good citizen calling
		2039	C<ev_default_fork> cheats and calls it in the wrong process, the fork
		2040	handlers will be invoked, too, of course.
		2041
		2042	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		2043
1120	=over 4	2044	=over 4
1121		2045
1122	=item ev_embed_init (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *loop)	2046	=item ev_fork_init (ev_signal *, callback)
1123		2047
1124	=item ev_embed_set (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *loop)	2048	Initialises and configures the fork watcher - it has no parameters of any
		2049	kind. There is a C<ev_fork_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
		2050	believe me.
1125		2051
1126	Configures the watcher to embed the given loop, which must be embeddable.	2052	=back
		2053
		2054
		2055	=head2 C<ev_async> - how to wake up another event loop
		2056
		2057	In general, you cannot use an C<ev_loop> from multiple threads or other
		2058	asynchronous sources such as signal handlers (as opposed to multiple event
		2059	loops - those are of course safe to use in different threads).
		2060
		2061	Sometimes, however, you need to wake up another event loop you do not
		2062	control, for example because it belongs to another thread. This is what
		2063	C<ev_async> watchers do: as long as the C<ev_async> watcher is active, you
		2064	can signal it by calling C<ev_async_send>, which is thread- and signal
		2065	safe.
		2066
		2067	This functionality is very similar to C<ev_signal> watchers, as signals,
		2068	too, are asynchronous in nature, and signals, too, will be compressed
		2069	(i.e. the number of callback invocations may be less than the number of
		2070	C<ev_async_sent> calls).
		2071
		2072	Unlike C<ev_signal> watchers, C<ev_async> works with any event loop, not
		2073	just the default loop.
		2074
		2075	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		2076
		2077	=over 4
		2078
		2079	=item ev_async_init (ev_async *, callback)
		2080
		2081	Initialises and configures the async watcher - it has no parameters of any
		2082	kind. There is a C<ev_asynd_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
		2083	believe me.
		2084
		2085	=item ev_async_send (loop, ev_async *)
		2086
		2087	Sends/signals/activates the given C<ev_async> watcher, that is, feeds
		2088	an C<EV_ASYNC> event on the watcher into the event loop. Unlike
		2089	C<ev_feed_event>, this call is safe to do in other threads, signal or
		2090	similar contexts (see the dicusssion of C<EV_ATOMIC_T> in the embedding
		2091	section below on what exactly this means).
		2092
		2093	This call incurs the overhead of a syscall only once per loop iteration,
		2094	so while the overhead might be noticable, it doesn't apply to repeated
		2095	calls to C<ev_async_send>.
1127		2096
1128	=back	2097	=back
1129		2098
1130		2099
1131	=head1 OTHER FUNCTIONS	2100	=head1 OTHER FUNCTIONS
…		…
1164	/* stdin might have data for us, joy! */;	2133	/* stdin might have data for us, joy! */;
1165	}	2134	}
1166		2135
1167	ev_once (STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ, 10., stdin_ready, 0);	2136	ev_once (STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ, 10., stdin_ready, 0);
1168		2137
1169	=item ev_feed_event (loop, watcher, int events)	2138	=item ev_feed_event (ev_loop *, watcher *, int revents)
1170		2139
1171	Feeds the given event set into the event loop, as if the specified event	2140	Feeds the given event set into the event loop, as if the specified event
1172	had happened for the specified watcher (which must be a pointer to an	2141	had happened for the specified watcher (which must be a pointer to an
1173	initialised but not necessarily started event watcher).	2142	initialised but not necessarily started event watcher).
1174		2143
1175	=item ev_feed_fd_event (loop, int fd, int revents)	2144	=item ev_feed_fd_event (ev_loop *, int fd, int revents)
1176		2145
1177	Feed an event on the given fd, as if a file descriptor backend detected	2146	Feed an event on the given fd, as if a file descriptor backend detected
1178	the given events it.	2147	the given events it.
1179		2148
1180	=item ev_feed_signal_event (loop, int signum)	2149	=item ev_feed_signal_event (ev_loop *loop, int signum)
1181		2150
1182	Feed an event as if the given signal occured (loop must be the default loop!).	2151	Feed an event as if the given signal occured (C<loop> must be the default
		2152	loop!).
1183		2153
1184	=back	2154	=back
1185		2155
1186		2156
1187	=head1 LIBEVENT EMULATION	2157	=head1 LIBEVENT EMULATION
…		…
1211		2181
1212	=back	2182	=back
1213		2183
1214	=head1 C++ SUPPORT	2184	=head1 C++ SUPPORT
1215		2185
1216	TBD.	2186	Libev comes with some simplistic wrapper classes for C++ that mainly allow
		2187	you to use some convinience methods to start/stop watchers and also change
		2188	the callback model to a model using method callbacks on objects.
		2189
		2190	To use it,
		2191
		2192	#include <ev++.h>
		2193
		2194	This automatically includes F<ev.h> and puts all of its definitions (many
		2195	of them macros) into the global namespace. All C++ specific things are
		2196	put into the C<ev> namespace. It should support all the same embedding
		2197	options as F<ev.h>, most notably C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>.
		2198
		2199	Care has been taken to keep the overhead low. The only data member the C++
		2200	classes add (compared to plain C-style watchers) is the event loop pointer
		2201	that the watcher is associated with (or no additional members at all if
		2202	you disable C<EV_MULTIPLICITY> when embedding libev).
		2203
		2204	Currently, functions, and static and non-static member functions can be
		2205	used as callbacks. Other types should be easy to add as long as they only
		2206	need one additional pointer for context. If you need support for other
		2207	types of functors please contact the author (preferably after implementing
		2208	it).
		2209
		2210	Here is a list of things available in the C<ev> namespace:
		2211
		2212	=over 4
		2213
		2214	=item C<ev::READ>, C<ev::WRITE> etc.
		2215
		2216	These are just enum values with the same values as the C<EV_READ> etc.
		2217	macros from F<ev.h>.
		2218
		2219	=item C<ev::tstamp>, C<ev::now>
		2220
		2221	Aliases to the same types/functions as with the C<ev_> prefix.
		2222
		2223	=item C<ev::io>, C<ev::timer>, C<ev::periodic>, C<ev::idle>, C<ev::sig> etc.
		2224
		2225	For each C<ev_TYPE> watcher in F<ev.h> there is a corresponding class of
		2226	the same name in the C<ev> namespace, with the exception of C<ev_signal>
		2227	which is called C<ev::sig> to avoid clashes with the C<signal> macro
		2228	defines by many implementations.
		2229
		2230	All of those classes have these methods:
		2231
		2232	=over 4
		2233
		2234	=item ev::TYPE::TYPE ()
		2235
		2236	=item ev::TYPE::TYPE (struct ev_loop *)
		2237
		2238	=item ev::TYPE::~TYPE
		2239
		2240	The constructor (optionally) takes an event loop to associate the watcher
		2241	with. If it is omitted, it will use C<EV_DEFAULT>.
		2242
		2243	The constructor calls C<ev_init> for you, which means you have to call the
		2244	C<set> method before starting it.
		2245
		2246	It will not set a callback, however: You have to call the templated C<set>
		2247	method to set a callback before you can start the watcher.
		2248
		2249	(The reason why you have to use a method is a limitation in C++ which does
		2250	not allow explicit template arguments for constructors).
		2251
		2252	The destructor automatically stops the watcher if it is active.
		2253
		2254	=item w->set<class, &class::method> (object *)
		2255
		2256	This method sets the callback method to call. The method has to have a
		2257	signature of C<void (*)(ev_TYPE &, int)>, it receives the watcher as
		2258	first argument and the C<revents> as second. The object must be given as
		2259	parameter and is stored in the C<data> member of the watcher.
		2260
		2261	This method synthesizes efficient thunking code to call your method from
		2262	the C callback that libev requires. If your compiler can inline your
		2263	callback (i.e. it is visible to it at the place of the C<set> call and
		2264	your compiler is good :), then the method will be fully inlined into the
		2265	thunking function, making it as fast as a direct C callback.
		2266
		2267	Example: simple class declaration and watcher initialisation
		2268
		2269	struct myclass
		2270	{
		2271	void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents) { }
		2272	}
		2273
		2274	myclass obj;
		2275	ev::io iow;
		2276	iow.set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb> (&obj);
		2277
		2278	=item w->set<function> (void *data = 0)
		2279
		2280	Also sets a callback, but uses a static method or plain function as
		2281	callback. The optional C<data> argument will be stored in the watcher's
		2282	C<data> member and is free for you to use.
		2283
		2284	The prototype of the C<function> must be C<void (*)(ev::TYPE &w, int)>.
		2285
		2286	See the method-C<set> above for more details.
		2287
		2288	Example:
		2289
		2290	static void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents) { }
		2291	iow.set <io_cb> ();
		2292
		2293	=item w->set (struct ev_loop *)
		2294
		2295	Associates a different C<struct ev_loop> with this watcher. You can only
		2296	do this when the watcher is inactive (and not pending either).
		2297
		2298	=item w->set ([args])
		2299
		2300	Basically the same as C<ev_TYPE_set>, with the same args. Must be
		2301	called at least once. Unlike the C counterpart, an active watcher gets
		2302	automatically stopped and restarted when reconfiguring it with this
		2303	method.
		2304
		2305	=item w->start ()
		2306
		2307	Starts the watcher. Note that there is no C<loop> argument, as the
		2308	constructor already stores the event loop.
		2309
		2310	=item w->stop ()
		2311
		2312	Stops the watcher if it is active. Again, no C<loop> argument.
		2313
		2314	=item w->again () (C<ev::timer>, C<ev::periodic> only)
		2315
		2316	For C<ev::timer> and C<ev::periodic>, this invokes the corresponding
		2317	C<ev_TYPE_again> function.
		2318
		2319	=item w->sweep () (C<ev::embed> only)
		2320
		2321	Invokes C<ev_embed_sweep>.
		2322
		2323	=item w->update () (C<ev::stat> only)
		2324
		2325	Invokes C<ev_stat_stat>.
		2326
		2327	=back
		2328
		2329	=back
		2330
		2331	Example: Define a class with an IO and idle watcher, start one of them in
		2332	the constructor.
		2333
		2334	class myclass
		2335	{
		2336	ev::io io; void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents);
		2337	ev:idle idle void idle_cb (ev::idle &w, int revents);
		2338
		2339	myclass (int fd)
		2340	{
		2341	io .set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb > (this);
		2342	idle.set <myclass, &myclass::idle_cb> (this);
		2343
		2344	io.start (fd, ev::READ);
		2345	}
		2346	};
		2347
		2348
		2349	=head1 MACRO MAGIC
		2350
		2351	Libev can be compiled with a variety of options, the most fundamantal
		2352	of which is C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>. This option determines whether (most)
		2353	functions and callbacks have an initial C<struct ev_loop *> argument.
		2354
		2355	To make it easier to write programs that cope with either variant, the
		2356	following macros are defined:
		2357
		2358	=over 4
		2359
		2360	=item C<EV_A>, C<EV_A_>
		2361
		2362	This provides the loop I<argument> for functions, if one is required ("ev
		2363	loop argument"). The C<EV_A> form is used when this is the sole argument,
		2364	C<EV_A_> is used when other arguments are following. Example:
		2365
		2366	ev_unref (EV_A);
		2367	ev_timer_add (EV_A_ watcher);
		2368	ev_loop (EV_A_ 0);
		2369
		2370	It assumes the variable C<loop> of type C<struct ev_loop *> is in scope,
		2371	which is often provided by the following macro.
		2372
		2373	=item C<EV_P>, C<EV_P_>
		2374
		2375	This provides the loop I<parameter> for functions, if one is required ("ev
		2376	loop parameter"). The C<EV_P> form is used when this is the sole parameter,
		2377	C<EV_P_> is used when other parameters are following. Example:
		2378
		2379	// this is how ev_unref is being declared
		2380	static void ev_unref (EV_P);
		2381
		2382	// this is how you can declare your typical callback
		2383	static void cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
		2384
		2385	It declares a parameter C<loop> of type C<struct ev_loop *>, quite
		2386	suitable for use with C<EV_A>.
		2387
		2388	=item C<EV_DEFAULT>, C<EV_DEFAULT_>
		2389
		2390	Similar to the other two macros, this gives you the value of the default
		2391	loop, if multiple loops are supported ("ev loop default").
		2392
		2393	=back
		2394
		2395	Example: Declare and initialise a check watcher, utilising the above
		2396	macros so it will work regardless of whether multiple loops are supported
		2397	or not.
		2398
		2399	static void
		2400	check_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
		2401	{
		2402	ev_check_stop (EV_A_ w);
		2403	}
		2404
		2405	ev_check check;
		2406	ev_check_init (&check, check_cb);
		2407	ev_check_start (EV_DEFAULT_ &check);
		2408	ev_loop (EV_DEFAULT_ 0);
		2409
		2410	=head1 EMBEDDING
		2411
		2412	Libev can (and often is) directly embedded into host
		2413	applications. Examples of applications that embed it include the Deliantra
		2414	Game Server, the EV perl module, the GNU Virtual Private Ethernet (gvpe)
		2415	and rxvt-unicode.
		2416
		2417	The goal is to enable you to just copy the necessary files into your
		2418	source directory without having to change even a single line in them, so
		2419	you can easily upgrade by simply copying (or having a checked-out copy of
		2420	libev somewhere in your source tree).
		2421
		2422	=head2 FILESETS
		2423
		2424	Depending on what features you need you need to include one or more sets of files
		2425	in your app.
		2426
		2427	=head3 CORE EVENT LOOP
		2428
		2429	To include only the libev core (all the C<ev_*> functions), with manual
		2430	configuration (no autoconf):
		2431
		2432	#define EV_STANDALONE 1
		2433	#include "ev.c"
		2434
		2435	This will automatically include F<ev.h>, too, and should be done in a
		2436	single C source file only to provide the function implementations. To use
		2437	it, do the same for F<ev.h> in all files wishing to use this API (best
		2438	done by writing a wrapper around F<ev.h> that you can include instead and
		2439	where you can put other configuration options):
		2440
		2441	#define EV_STANDALONE 1
		2442	#include "ev.h"
		2443
		2444	Both header files and implementation files can be compiled with a C++
		2445	compiler (at least, thats a stated goal, and breakage will be treated
		2446	as a bug).
		2447
		2448	You need the following files in your source tree, or in a directory
		2449	in your include path (e.g. in libev/ when using -Ilibev):
		2450
		2451	ev.h
		2452	ev.c
		2453	ev_vars.h
		2454	ev_wrap.h
		2455
		2456	ev_win32.c required on win32 platforms only
		2457
		2458	ev_select.c only when select backend is enabled (which is enabled by default)
		2459	ev_poll.c only when poll backend is enabled (disabled by default)
		2460	ev_epoll.c only when the epoll backend is enabled (disabled by default)
		2461	ev_kqueue.c only when the kqueue backend is enabled (disabled by default)
		2462	ev_port.c only when the solaris port backend is enabled (disabled by default)
		2463
		2464	F<ev.c> includes the backend files directly when enabled, so you only need
		2465	to compile this single file.
		2466
		2467	=head3 LIBEVENT COMPATIBILITY API
		2468
		2469	To include the libevent compatibility API, also include:
		2470
		2471	#include "event.c"
		2472
		2473	in the file including F<ev.c>, and:
		2474
		2475	#include "event.h"
		2476
		2477	in the files that want to use the libevent API. This also includes F<ev.h>.
		2478
		2479	You need the following additional files for this:
		2480
		2481	event.h
		2482	event.c
		2483
		2484	=head3 AUTOCONF SUPPORT
		2485
		2486	Instead of using C<EV_STANDALONE=1> and providing your config in
		2487	whatever way you want, you can also C<m4_include([libev.m4])> in your
		2488	F<configure.ac> and leave C<EV_STANDALONE> undefined. F<ev.c> will then
		2489	include F<config.h> and configure itself accordingly.
		2490
		2491	For this of course you need the m4 file:
		2492
		2493	libev.m4
		2494
		2495	=head2 PREPROCESSOR SYMBOLS/MACROS
		2496
		2497	Libev can be configured via a variety of preprocessor symbols you have to define
		2498	before including any of its files. The default is not to build for multiplicity
		2499	and only include the select backend.
		2500
		2501	=over 4
		2502
		2503	=item EV_STANDALONE
		2504
		2505	Must always be C<1> if you do not use autoconf configuration, which
		2506	keeps libev from including F<config.h>, and it also defines dummy
		2507	implementations for some libevent functions (such as logging, which is not
		2508	supported). It will also not define any of the structs usually found in
		2509	F<event.h> that are not directly supported by the libev core alone.
		2510
		2511	=item EV_USE_MONOTONIC
		2512
		2513	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the
		2514	monotonic clock option at both compiletime and runtime. Otherwise no use
		2515	of the monotonic clock option will be attempted. If you enable this, you
		2516	usually have to link against librt or something similar. Enabling it when
		2517	the functionality isn't available is safe, though, although you have
		2518	to make sure you link against any libraries where the C<clock_gettime>
		2519	function is hiding in (often F<-lrt>).
		2520
		2521	=item EV_USE_REALTIME
		2522
		2523	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the
		2524	realtime clock option at compiletime (and assume its availability at
		2525	runtime if successful). Otherwise no use of the realtime clock option will
		2526	be attempted. This effectively replaces C<gettimeofday> by C<clock_get
		2527	(CLOCK_REALTIME, ...)> and will not normally affect correctness. See the
		2528	note about libraries in the description of C<EV_USE_MONOTONIC>, though.
		2529
		2530	=item EV_USE_NANOSLEEP
		2531
		2532	If defined to be C<1>, libev will assume that C<nanosleep ()> is available
		2533	and will use it for delays. Otherwise it will use C<select ()>.
		2534
		2535	=item EV_USE_SELECT
		2536
		2537	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the
		2538	C<select>(2) backend. No attempt at autodetection will be done: if no
		2539	other method takes over, select will be it. Otherwise the select backend
		2540	will not be compiled in.
		2541
		2542	=item EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET
		2543
		2544	If defined to C<1>, then the select backend will use the system C<fd_set>
		2545	structure. This is useful if libev doesn't compile due to a missing
		2546	C<NFDBITS> or C<fd_mask> definition or it misguesses the bitset layout on
		2547	exotic systems. This usually limits the range of file descriptors to some
		2548	low limit such as 1024 or might have other limitations (winsocket only
		2549	allows 64 sockets). The C<FD_SETSIZE> macro, set before compilation, might
		2550	influence the size of the C<fd_set> used.
		2551
		2552	=item EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET
		2553
		2554	When defined to C<1>, the select backend will assume that
		2555	select/socket/connect etc. don't understand file descriptors but
		2556	wants osf handles on win32 (this is the case when the select to
		2557	be used is the winsock select). This means that it will call
		2558	C<_get_osfhandle> on the fd to convert it to an OS handle. Otherwise,
		2559	it is assumed that all these functions actually work on fds, even
		2560	on win32. Should not be defined on non-win32 platforms.
		2561
		2562	=item EV_FD_TO_WIN32_HANDLE
		2563
		2564	If C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> is enabled, then libev needs a way to map
		2565	file descriptors to socket handles. When not defining this symbol (the
		2566	default), then libev will call C<_get_osfhandle>, which is usually
		2567	correct. In some cases, programs use their own file descriptor management,
		2568	in which case they can provide this function to map fds to socket handles.
		2569
		2570	=item EV_USE_POLL
		2571
		2572	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the C<poll>(2)
		2573	backend. Otherwise it will be enabled on non-win32 platforms. It
		2574	takes precedence over select.
		2575
		2576	=item EV_USE_EPOLL
		2577
		2578	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux
		2579	C<epoll>(7) backend. Its availability will be detected at runtime,
		2580	otherwise another method will be used as fallback. This is the
		2581	preferred backend for GNU/Linux systems.
		2582
		2583	=item EV_USE_KQUEUE
		2584
		2585	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the BSD style
		2586	C<kqueue>(2) backend. Its actual availability will be detected at runtime,
		2587	otherwise another method will be used as fallback. This is the preferred
		2588	backend for BSD and BSD-like systems, although on most BSDs kqueue only
		2589	supports some types of fds correctly (the only platform we found that
		2590	supports ptys for example was NetBSD), so kqueue might be compiled in, but
		2591	not be used unless explicitly requested. The best way to use it is to find
		2592	out whether kqueue supports your type of fd properly and use an embedded
		2593	kqueue loop.
		2594
		2595	=item EV_USE_PORT
		2596
		2597	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Solaris
		2598	10 port style backend. Its availability will be detected at runtime,
		2599	otherwise another method will be used as fallback. This is the preferred
		2600	backend for Solaris 10 systems.
		2601
		2602	=item EV_USE_DEVPOLL
		2603
		2604	reserved for future expansion, works like the USE symbols above.
		2605
		2606	=item EV_USE_INOTIFY
		2607
		2608	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux inotify
		2609	interface to speed up C<ev_stat> watchers. Its actual availability will
		2610	be detected at runtime.
		2611
		2612	=item EV_H
		2613
		2614	The name of the F<ev.h> header file used to include it. The default if
		2615	undefined is C<"ev.h"> in F<event.h>, F<ev.c> and F<ev++.h>. This can be
		2616	used to virtually rename the F<ev.h> header file in case of conflicts.
		2617
		2618	=item EV_CONFIG_H
		2619
		2620	If C<EV_STANDALONE> isn't C<1>, this variable can be used to override
		2621	F<ev.c>'s idea of where to find the F<config.h> file, similarly to
		2622	C<EV_H>, above.
		2623
		2624	=item EV_EVENT_H
		2625
		2626	Similarly to C<EV_H>, this macro can be used to override F<event.c>'s idea
		2627	of how the F<event.h> header can be found, the default is C<"event.h">.
		2628
		2629	=item EV_PROTOTYPES
		2630
		2631	If defined to be C<0>, then F<ev.h> will not define any function
		2632	prototypes, but still define all the structs and other symbols. This is
		2633	occasionally useful if you want to provide your own wrapper functions
		2634	around libev functions.
		2635
		2636	=item EV_MULTIPLICITY
		2637
		2638	If undefined or defined to C<1>, then all event-loop-specific functions
		2639	will have the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument, and you can create
		2640	additional independent event loops. Otherwise there will be no support
		2641	for multiple event loops and there is no first event loop pointer
		2642	argument. Instead, all functions act on the single default loop.
		2643
		2644	=item EV_MINPRI
		2645
		2646	=item EV_MAXPRI
		2647
		2648	The range of allowed priorities. C<EV_MINPRI> must be smaller or equal to
		2649	C<EV_MAXPRI>, but otherwise there are no non-obvious limitations. You can
		2650	provide for more priorities by overriding those symbols (usually defined
		2651	to be C<-2> and C<2>, respectively).
		2652
		2653	When doing priority-based operations, libev usually has to linearly search
		2654	all the priorities, so having many of them (hundreds) uses a lot of space
		2655	and time, so using the defaults of five priorities (-2 .. +2) is usually
		2656	fine.
		2657
		2658	If your embedding app does not need any priorities, defining these both to
		2659	C<0> will save some memory and cpu.
		2660
		2661	=item EV_PERIODIC_ENABLE
		2662
		2663	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then periodic timers are supported. If
		2664	defined to be C<0>, then they are not. Disabling them saves a few kB of
		2665	code.
		2666
		2667	=item EV_IDLE_ENABLE
		2668
		2669	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then idle watchers are supported. If
		2670	defined to be C<0>, then they are not. Disabling them saves a few kB of
		2671	code.
		2672
		2673	=item EV_EMBED_ENABLE
		2674
		2675	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then embed watchers are supported. If
		2676	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
		2677
		2678	=item EV_STAT_ENABLE
		2679
		2680	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then stat watchers are supported. If
		2681	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
		2682
		2683	=item EV_FORK_ENABLE
		2684
		2685	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then fork watchers are supported. If
		2686	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
		2687
		2688	=item EV_MINIMAL
		2689
		2690	If you need to shave off some kilobytes of code at the expense of some
		2691	speed, define this symbol to C<1>. Currently only used for gcc to override
		2692	some inlining decisions, saves roughly 30% codesize of amd64.
		2693
		2694	=item EV_PID_HASHSIZE
		2695
		2696	C<ev_child> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by
		2697	pid. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_MINIMAL>), usually more
		2698	than enough. If you need to manage thousands of children you might want to
		2699	increase this value (I<must> be a power of two).
		2700
		2701	=item EV_INOTIFY_HASHSIZE
		2702
		2703	C<ev_stat> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by
		2704	inotify watch id. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_MINIMAL>),
		2705	usually more than enough. If you need to manage thousands of C<ev_stat>
		2706	watchers you might want to increase this value (I<must> be a power of
		2707	two).
		2708
		2709	=item EV_COMMON
		2710
		2711	By default, all watchers have a C<void *data> member. By redefining
		2712	this macro to a something else you can include more and other types of
		2713	members. You have to define it each time you include one of the files,
		2714	though, and it must be identical each time.
		2715
		2716	For example, the perl EV module uses something like this:
		2717
		2718	#define EV_COMMON \
		2719	SV *self; /* contains this struct */ \
		2720	SV *cb_sv, *fh /* note no trailing ";" */
		2721
		2722	=item EV_CB_DECLARE (type)
		2723
		2724	=item EV_CB_INVOKE (watcher, revents)
		2725
		2726	=item ev_set_cb (ev, cb)
		2727
		2728	Can be used to change the callback member declaration in each watcher,
		2729	and the way callbacks are invoked and set. Must expand to a struct member
		2730	definition and a statement, respectively. See the F<ev.h> header file for
		2731	their default definitions. One possible use for overriding these is to
		2732	avoid the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument in all cases, or to use
		2733	method calls instead of plain function calls in C++.
		2734
		2735	=head2 EXPORTED API SYMBOLS
		2736
		2737	If you need to re-export the API (e.g. via a dll) and you need a list of
		2738	exported symbols, you can use the provided F<Symbol.*> files which list
		2739	all public symbols, one per line:
		2740
		2741	Symbols.ev for libev proper
		2742	Symbols.event for the libevent emulation
		2743
		2744	This can also be used to rename all public symbols to avoid clashes with
		2745	multiple versions of libev linked together (which is obviously bad in
		2746	itself, but sometimes it is inconvinient to avoid this).
		2747
		2748	A sed command like this will create wrapper C<#define>'s that you need to
		2749	include before including F<ev.h>:
		2750
		2751	<Symbols.ev sed -e "s/.*/#define & myprefix_&/" >wrap.h
		2752
		2753	This would create a file F<wrap.h> which essentially looks like this:
		2754
		2755	#define ev_backend myprefix_ev_backend
		2756	#define ev_check_start myprefix_ev_check_start
		2757	#define ev_check_stop myprefix_ev_check_stop
		2758	...
		2759
		2760	=head2 EXAMPLES
		2761
		2762	For a real-world example of a program the includes libev
		2763	verbatim, you can have a look at the EV perl module
		2764	(L<http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/EV.html>). It has the libev files in
		2765	the F<libev/> subdirectory and includes them in the F<EV/EVAPI.h> (public
		2766	interface) and F<EV.xs> (implementation) files. Only the F<EV.xs> file
		2767	will be compiled. It is pretty complex because it provides its own header
		2768	file.
		2769
		2770	The usage in rxvt-unicode is simpler. It has a F<ev_cpp.h> header file
		2771	that everybody includes and which overrides some configure choices:
		2772
		2773	#define EV_MINIMAL 1
		2774	#define EV_USE_POLL 0
		2775	#define EV_MULTIPLICITY 0
		2776	#define EV_PERIODIC_ENABLE 0
		2777	#define EV_STAT_ENABLE 0
		2778	#define EV_FORK_ENABLE 0
		2779	#define EV_CONFIG_H <config.h>
		2780	#define EV_MINPRI 0
		2781	#define EV_MAXPRI 0
		2782
		2783	#include "ev++.h"
		2784
		2785	And a F<ev_cpp.C> implementation file that contains libev proper and is compiled:
		2786
		2787	#include "ev_cpp.h"
		2788	#include "ev.c"
		2789
		2790
		2791	=head1 COMPLEXITIES
		2792
		2793	In this section the complexities of (many of) the algorithms used inside
		2794	libev will be explained. For complexity discussions about backends see the
		2795	documentation for C<ev_default_init>.
		2796
		2797	All of the following are about amortised time: If an array needs to be
		2798	extended, libev needs to realloc and move the whole array, but this
		2799	happens asymptotically never with higher number of elements, so O(1) might
		2800	mean it might do a lengthy realloc operation in rare cases, but on average
		2801	it is much faster and asymptotically approaches constant time.
		2802
		2803	=over 4
		2804
		2805	=item Starting and stopping timer/periodic watchers: O(log skipped_other_timers)
		2806
		2807	This means that, when you have a watcher that triggers in one hour and
		2808	there are 100 watchers that would trigger before that then inserting will
		2809	have to skip roughly seven (C<ld 100>) of these watchers.
		2810
		2811	=item Changing timer/periodic watchers (by autorepeat or calling again): O(log skipped_other_timers)
		2812
		2813	That means that changing a timer costs less than removing/adding them
		2814	as only the relative motion in the event queue has to be paid for.
		2815
		2816	=item Starting io/check/prepare/idle/signal/child watchers: O(1)
		2817
		2818	These just add the watcher into an array or at the head of a list.
		2819
		2820	=item Stopping check/prepare/idle watchers: O(1)
		2821
		2822	=item Stopping an io/signal/child watcher: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_(fd/signal/pid % EV_PID_HASHSIZE))
		2823
		2824	These watchers are stored in lists then need to be walked to find the
		2825	correct watcher to remove. The lists are usually short (you don't usually
		2826	have many watchers waiting for the same fd or signal).
		2827
		2828	=item Finding the next timer in each loop iteration: O(1)
		2829
		2830	By virtue of using a binary heap, the next timer is always found at the
		2831	beginning of the storage array.
		2832
		2833	=item Each change on a file descriptor per loop iteration: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_fd)
		2834
		2835	A change means an I/O watcher gets started or stopped, which requires
		2836	libev to recalculate its status (and possibly tell the kernel, depending
		2837	on backend and wether C<ev_io_set> was used).
		2838
		2839	=item Activating one watcher (putting it into the pending state): O(1)
		2840
		2841	=item Priority handling: O(number_of_priorities)
		2842
		2843	Priorities are implemented by allocating some space for each
		2844	priority. When doing priority-based operations, libev usually has to
		2845	linearly search all the priorities, but starting/stopping and activating
		2846	watchers becomes O(1) w.r.t. prioritiy handling.
		2847
		2848	=back
		2849
		2850
		2851	=head1 Win32 platform limitations and workarounds
		2852
		2853	Win32 doesn't support any of the standards (e.g. POSIX) that libev
		2854	requires, and its I/O model is fundamentally incompatible with the POSIX
		2855	model. Libev still offers limited functionality on this platform in
		2856	the form of the C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> backend, and only supports socket
		2857	descriptors. This only applies when using Win32 natively, not when using
		2858	e.g. cygwin.
		2859
		2860	There is no supported compilation method available on windows except
		2861	embedding it into other applications.
		2862
		2863	Due to the many, low, and arbitrary limits on the win32 platform and the
		2864	abysmal performance of winsockets, using a large number of sockets is not
		2865	recommended (and not reasonable). If your program needs to use more than
		2866	a hundred or so sockets, then likely it needs to use a totally different
		2867	implementation for windows, as libev offers the POSIX model, which cannot
		2868	be implemented efficiently on windows (microsoft monopoly games).
		2869
		2870	=over 4
		2871
		2872	=item The winsocket select function
		2873
		2874	The winsocket C<select> function doesn't follow POSIX in that it requires
		2875	socket I<handles> and not socket I<file descriptors>. This makes select
		2876	very inefficient, and also requires a mapping from file descriptors
		2877	to socket handles. See the discussion of the C<EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET>,
		2878	C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> and C<EV_FD_TO_WIN32_HANDLE> preprocessor
		2879	symbols for more info.
		2880
		2881	The configuration for a "naked" win32 using the microsoft runtime
		2882	libraries and raw winsocket select is:
		2883
		2884	#define EV_USE_SELECT 1
		2885	#define EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET 1 /* forces EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET, too */
		2886
		2887	Note that winsockets handling of fd sets is O(n), so you can easily get a
		2888	complexity in the O(n²) range when using win32.
		2889
		2890	=item Limited number of file descriptors
		2891
		2892	Windows has numerous arbitrary (and low) limits on things. Early versions
		2893	of winsocket's select only supported waiting for a max. of C<64> handles
		2894	(probably owning to the fact that all windows kernels can only wait for
		2895	C<64> things at the same time internally; microsoft recommends spawning a
		2896	chain of threads and wait for 63 handles and the previous thread in each).
		2897
		2898	Newer versions support more handles, but you need to define C<FD_SETSIZE>
		2899	to some high number (e.g. C<2048>) before compiling the winsocket select
		2900	call (which might be in libev or elsewhere, for example, perl does its own
		2901	select emulation on windows).
		2902
		2903	Another limit is the number of file descriptors in the microsoft runtime
		2904	libraries, which by default is C<64> (there must be a hidden I<64> fetish
		2905	or something like this inside microsoft). You can increase this by calling
		2906	C<_setmaxstdio>, which can increase this limit to C<2048> (another
		2907	arbitrary limit), but is broken in many versions of the microsoft runtime
		2908	libraries.
		2909
		2910	This might get you to about C<512> or C<2048> sockets (depending on
		2911	windows version and/or the phase of the moon). To get more, you need to
		2912	wrap all I/O functions and provide your own fd management, but the cost of
		2913	calling select (O(n²)) will likely make this unworkable.
		2914
		2915	=back
		2916
1217		2917
1218	=head1 AUTHOR	2918	=head1 AUTHOR
1219		2919
1220	Marc Lehmann <libev@schmorp.de>.	2920	Marc Lehmann <libev@schmorp.de>.
1221		2921

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