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Revision 1.155 by root, Mon May 19 13:48:20 2008 UTC vs.
Revision 1.352 by root, Mon Jan 10 14:30:15 2011 UTC

…		…
2		2
3	libev - a high performance full-featured event loop written in C	3	libev - a high performance full-featured event loop written in C
4		4
5	=head1 SYNOPSIS	5	=head1 SYNOPSIS
6		6
7	#include <ev.h>	7	#include <ev.h>
8		8
9	=head2 EXAMPLE PROGRAM	9	=head2 EXAMPLE PROGRAM
10		10
11	// a single header file is required	11	// a single header file is required
12	#include <ev.h>	12	#include <ev.h>
13		13
		14	#include <stdio.h> // for puts
		15
14	// every watcher type has its own typedef'd struct	16	// every watcher type has its own typedef'd struct
15	// with the name ev_<type>	17	// with the name ev_TYPE
16	ev_io stdin_watcher;	18	ev_io stdin_watcher;
17	ev_timer timeout_watcher;	19	ev_timer timeout_watcher;
18		20
19	// all watcher callbacks have a similar signature	21	// all watcher callbacks have a similar signature
20	// this callback is called when data is readable on stdin	22	// this callback is called when data is readable on stdin
21	static void	23	static void
22	stdin_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_io *w, int revents)	24	stdin_cb (EV_P_ ev_io *w, int revents)
23	{	25	{
24	puts ("stdin ready");	26	puts ("stdin ready");
25	// for one-shot events, one must manually stop the watcher	27	// for one-shot events, one must manually stop the watcher
26	// with its corresponding stop function.	28	// with its corresponding stop function.
27	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ w);	29	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ w);
28		30
29	// this causes all nested ev_loop's to stop iterating	31	// this causes all nested ev_run's to stop iterating
30	ev_unloop (EV_A_ EVUNLOOP_ALL);	32	ev_break (EV_A_ EVBREAK_ALL);
31	}	33	}
32		34
33	// another callback, this time for a time-out	35	// another callback, this time for a time-out
34	static void	36	static void
35	timeout_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	37	timeout_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
36	{	38	{
37	puts ("timeout");	39	puts ("timeout");
38	// this causes the innermost ev_loop to stop iterating	40	// this causes the innermost ev_run to stop iterating
39	ev_unloop (EV_A_ EVUNLOOP_ONE);	41	ev_break (EV_A_ EVBREAK_ONE);
40	}	42	}
41		43
42	int	44	int
43	main (void)	45	main (void)
44	{	46	{
45	// use the default event loop unless you have special needs	47	// use the default event loop unless you have special needs
46	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_loop (0);	48	struct ev_loop *loop = EV_DEFAULT;
47		49
48	// initialise an io watcher, then start it	50	// initialise an io watcher, then start it
49	// this one will watch for stdin to become readable	51	// this one will watch for stdin to become readable
50	ev_io_init (&stdin_watcher, stdin_cb, /*STDIN_FILENO*/ 0, EV_READ);	52	ev_io_init (&stdin_watcher, stdin_cb, /*STDIN_FILENO*/ 0, EV_READ);
51	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_watcher);	53	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_watcher);
52		54
53	// initialise a timer watcher, then start it	55	// initialise a timer watcher, then start it
54	// simple non-repeating 5.5 second timeout	56	// simple non-repeating 5.5 second timeout
55	ev_timer_init (&timeout_watcher, timeout_cb, 5.5, 0.);	57	ev_timer_init (&timeout_watcher, timeout_cb, 5.5, 0.);
56	ev_timer_start (loop, &timeout_watcher);	58	ev_timer_start (loop, &timeout_watcher);
57		59
58	// now wait for events to arrive	60	// now wait for events to arrive
59	ev_loop (loop, 0);	61	ev_run (loop, 0);
60		62
61	// unloop was called, so exit	63	// unloop was called, so exit
62	return 0;	64	return 0;
63	}	65	}
64		66
65	=head1 DESCRIPTION	67	=head1 ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT
		68
		69	This document documents the libev software package.
66		70
67	The newest version of this document is also available as an html-formatted	71	The newest version of this document is also available as an html-formatted
68	web page you might find easier to navigate when reading it for the first	72	web page you might find easier to navigate when reading it for the first
69	time: L<http://pod.tst.eu/http://cvs.schmorp.de/libev/ev.pod>.	73	time: L<http://pod.tst.eu/http://cvs.schmorp.de/libev/ev.pod>.
		74
		75	While this document tries to be as complete as possible in documenting
		76	libev, its usage and the rationale behind its design, it is not a tutorial
		77	on event-based programming, nor will it introduce event-based programming
		78	with libev.
		79
		80	Familiarity with event based programming techniques in general is assumed
		81	throughout this document.
		82
		83	=head1 WHAT TO READ WHEN IN A HURRY
		84
		85	This manual tries to be very detailed, but unfortunately, this also makes
		86	it very long. If you just want to know the basics of libev, I suggest
		87	reading L<ANATOMY OF A WATCHER>, then the L<EXAMPLE PROGRAM> above and
		88	look up the missing functions in L<GLOBAL FUNCTIONS> and the C<ev_io> and
		89	C<ev_timer> sections in L<WATCHER TYPES>.
		90
		91	=head1 ABOUT LIBEV
70		92
71	Libev is an event loop: you register interest in certain events (such as a	93	Libev is an event loop: you register interest in certain events (such as a
72	file descriptor being readable or a timeout occurring), and it will manage	94	file descriptor being readable or a timeout occurring), and it will manage
73	these event sources and provide your program with events.	95	these event sources and provide your program with events.
74		96
…		…
84	=head2 FEATURES	106	=head2 FEATURES
85		107
86	Libev supports C<select>, C<poll>, the Linux-specific C<epoll>, the	108	Libev supports C<select>, C<poll>, the Linux-specific C<epoll>, the
87	BSD-specific C<kqueue> and the Solaris-specific event port mechanisms	109	BSD-specific C<kqueue> and the Solaris-specific event port mechanisms
88	for file descriptor events (C<ev_io>), the Linux C<inotify> interface	110	for file descriptor events (C<ev_io>), the Linux C<inotify> interface
89	(for C<ev_stat>), relative timers (C<ev_timer>), absolute timers	111	(for C<ev_stat>), Linux eventfd/signalfd (for faster and cleaner
90	with customised rescheduling (C<ev_periodic>), synchronous signals	112	inter-thread wakeup (C<ev_async>)/signal handling (C<ev_signal>)) relative
91	(C<ev_signal>), process status change events (C<ev_child>), and event	113	timers (C<ev_timer>), absolute timers with customised rescheduling
92	watchers dealing with the event loop mechanism itself (C<ev_idle>,	114	(C<ev_periodic>), synchronous signals (C<ev_signal>), process status
93	C<ev_embed>, C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> watchers) as well as	115	change events (C<ev_child>), and event watchers dealing with the event
94	file watchers (C<ev_stat>) and even limited support for fork events	116	loop mechanism itself (C<ev_idle>, C<ev_embed>, C<ev_prepare> and
95	(C<ev_fork>).	117	C<ev_check> watchers) as well as file watchers (C<ev_stat>) and even
		118	limited support for fork events (C<ev_fork>).
96		119
97	It also is quite fast (see this	120	It also is quite fast (see this
98	L<benchmark|http://libev.schmorp.de/bench.html> comparing it to libevent	121	L<benchmark|http://libev.schmorp.de/bench.html> comparing it to libevent
99	for example).	122	for example).
100		123
…		…
108	name C<loop> (which is always of type C<struct ev_loop *>) will not have	131	name C<loop> (which is always of type C<struct ev_loop *>) will not have
109	this argument.	132	this argument.
110		133
111	=head2 TIME REPRESENTATION	134	=head2 TIME REPRESENTATION
112		135
113	Libev represents time as a single floating point number, representing the	136	Libev represents time as a single floating point number, representing
114	(fractional) number of seconds since the (POSIX) epoch (somewhere near	137	the (fractional) number of seconds since the (POSIX) epoch (in practice
115	the beginning of 1970, details are complicated, don't ask). This type is	138	somewhere near the beginning of 1970, details are complicated, don't
116	called C<ev_tstamp>, which is what you should use too. It usually aliases	139	ask). This type is called C<ev_tstamp>, which is what you should use
117	to the C<double> type in C, and when you need to do any calculations on	140	too. It usually aliases to the C<double> type in C. When you need to do
118	it, you should treat it as some floatingpoint value. Unlike the name	141	any calculations on it, you should treat it as some floating point value.
		142
119	component C<stamp> might indicate, it is also used for time differences	143	Unlike the name component C<stamp> might indicate, it is also used for
120	throughout libev.	144	time differences (e.g. delays) throughout libev.
		145
		146	=head1 ERROR HANDLING
		147
		148	Libev knows three classes of errors: operating system errors, usage errors
		149	and internal errors (bugs).
		150
		151	When libev catches an operating system error it cannot handle (for example
		152	a system call indicating a condition libev cannot fix), it calls the callback
		153	set via C<ev_set_syserr_cb>, which is supposed to fix the problem or
		154	abort. The default is to print a diagnostic message and to call C<abort
		155	()>.
		156
		157	When libev detects a usage error such as a negative timer interval, then
		158	it will print a diagnostic message and abort (via the C<assert> mechanism,
		159	so C<NDEBUG> will disable this checking): these are programming errors in
		160	the libev caller and need to be fixed there.
		161
		162	Libev also has a few internal error-checking C<assert>ions, and also has
		163	extensive consistency checking code. These do not trigger under normal
		164	circumstances, as they indicate either a bug in libev or worse.
		165
121		166
122	=head1 GLOBAL FUNCTIONS	167	=head1 GLOBAL FUNCTIONS
123		168
124	These functions can be called anytime, even before initialising the	169	These functions can be called anytime, even before initialising the
125	library in any way.	170	library in any way.
…		…
128		173
129	=item ev_tstamp ev_time ()	174	=item ev_tstamp ev_time ()
130		175
131	Returns the current time as libev would use it. Please note that the	176	Returns the current time as libev would use it. Please note that the
132	C<ev_now> function is usually faster and also often returns the timestamp	177	C<ev_now> function is usually faster and also often returns the timestamp
133	you actually want to know.	178	you actually want to know. Also interesting is the combination of
		179	C<ev_update_now> and C<ev_now>.
134		180
135	=item ev_sleep (ev_tstamp interval)	181	=item ev_sleep (ev_tstamp interval)
136		182
137	Sleep for the given interval: The current thread will be blocked until	183	Sleep for the given interval: The current thread will be blocked until
138	either it is interrupted or the given time interval has passed. Basically	184	either it is interrupted or the given time interval has passed. Basically
139	this is a subsecond-resolution C<sleep ()>.	185	this is a sub-second-resolution C<sleep ()>.
140		186
141	=item int ev_version_major ()	187	=item int ev_version_major ()
142		188
143	=item int ev_version_minor ()	189	=item int ev_version_minor ()
144		190
…		…
155	as this indicates an incompatible change. Minor versions are usually	201	as this indicates an incompatible change. Minor versions are usually
156	compatible to older versions, so a larger minor version alone is usually	202	compatible to older versions, so a larger minor version alone is usually
157	not a problem.	203	not a problem.
158		204
159	Example: Make sure we haven't accidentally been linked against the wrong	205	Example: Make sure we haven't accidentally been linked against the wrong
160	version.	206	version (note, however, that this will not detect other ABI mismatches,
		207	such as LFS or reentrancy).
161		208
162	assert (("libev version mismatch",	209	assert (("libev version mismatch",
163	ev_version_major () == EV_VERSION_MAJOR	210	ev_version_major () == EV_VERSION_MAJOR
164	&& ev_version_minor () >= EV_VERSION_MINOR));	211	&& ev_version_minor () >= EV_VERSION_MINOR));
165		212
166	=item unsigned int ev_supported_backends ()	213	=item unsigned int ev_supported_backends ()
167		214
168	Return the set of all backends (i.e. their corresponding C<EV_BACKEND_*>	215	Return the set of all backends (i.e. their corresponding C<EV_BACKEND_*>
169	value) compiled into this binary of libev (independent of their	216	value) compiled into this binary of libev (independent of their
…		…
171	a description of the set values.	218	a description of the set values.
172		219
173	Example: make sure we have the epoll method, because yeah this is cool and	220	Example: make sure we have the epoll method, because yeah this is cool and
174	a must have and can we have a torrent of it please!!!11	221	a must have and can we have a torrent of it please!!!11
175		222
176	assert (("sorry, no epoll, no sex",	223	assert (("sorry, no epoll, no sex",
177	ev_supported_backends () & EVBACKEND_EPOLL));	224	ev_supported_backends () & EVBACKEND_EPOLL));
178		225
179	=item unsigned int ev_recommended_backends ()	226	=item unsigned int ev_recommended_backends ()
180		227
181	Return the set of all backends compiled into this binary of libev and also	228	Return the set of all backends compiled into this binary of libev and
182	recommended for this platform. This set is often smaller than the one	229	also recommended for this platform, meaning it will work for most file
		230	descriptor types. This set is often smaller than the one returned by
183	returned by C<ev_supported_backends>, as for example kqueue is broken on	231	C<ev_supported_backends>, as for example kqueue is broken on most BSDs
184	most BSDs and will not be autodetected unless you explicitly request it	232	and will not be auto-detected unless you explicitly request it (assuming
185	(assuming you know what you are doing). This is the set of backends that	233	you know what you are doing). This is the set of backends that libev will
186	libev will probe for if you specify no backends explicitly.	234	probe for if you specify no backends explicitly.
187		235
188	=item unsigned int ev_embeddable_backends ()	236	=item unsigned int ev_embeddable_backends ()
189		237
190	Returns the set of backends that are embeddable in other event loops. This	238	Returns the set of backends that are embeddable in other event loops. This
191	is the theoretical, all-platform, value. To find which backends	239	value is platform-specific but can include backends not available on the
192	might be supported on the current system, you would need to look at	240	current system. To find which embeddable backends might be supported on
193	C<ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_supported_backends ()>, likewise for	241	the current system, you would need to look at C<ev_embeddable_backends ()
194	recommended ones.	242	& ev_supported_backends ()>, likewise for recommended ones.
195		243
196	See the description of C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.	244	See the description of C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.
197		245
198	=item ev_set_allocator (void *(*cb)(void *ptr, long size))	246	=item ev_set_allocator (void *(*cb)(void *ptr, long size))
199		247
…		…
229	}	277	}
230		278
231	...	279	...
232	ev_set_allocator (persistent_realloc);	280	ev_set_allocator (persistent_realloc);
233		281
234	=item ev_set_syserr_cb (void (*cb)(const char *msg));	282	=item ev_set_syserr_cb (void (*cb)(const char *msg))
235		283
236	Set the callback function to call on a retryable syscall error (such	284	Set the callback function to call on a retryable system call error (such
237	as failed select, poll, epoll_wait). The message is a printable string	285	as failed select, poll, epoll_wait). The message is a printable string
238	indicating the system call or subsystem causing the problem. If this	286	indicating the system call or subsystem causing the problem. If this
239	callback is set, then libev will expect it to remedy the sitution, no	287	callback is set, then libev will expect it to remedy the situation, no
240	matter what, when it returns. That is, libev will generally retry the	288	matter what, when it returns. That is, libev will generally retry the
241	requested operation, or, if the condition doesn't go away, do bad stuff	289	requested operation, or, if the condition doesn't go away, do bad stuff
242	(such as abort).	290	(such as abort).
243		291
244	Example: This is basically the same thing that libev does internally, too.	292	Example: This is basically the same thing that libev does internally, too.
…		…
251	}	299	}
252		300
253	...	301	...
254	ev_set_syserr_cb (fatal_error);	302	ev_set_syserr_cb (fatal_error);
255		303
		304	=item ev_feed_signal (int signum)
		305
		306	This function can be used to "simulate" a signal receive. It is completely
		307	safe to call this function at any time, from any context, including signal
		308	handlers or random threads.
		309
		310	Its main use is to customise signal handling in your process, especially
		311	in the presence of threads. For example, you could block signals
		312	by default in all threads (and specifying C<EVFLAG_NOSIGMASK> when
		313	creating any loops), and in one thread, use C<sigwait> or any other
		314	mechanism to wait for signals, then "deliver" them to libev by calling
		315	C<ev_feed_signal>.
		316
256	=back	317	=back
257		318
258	=head1 FUNCTIONS CONTROLLING THE EVENT LOOP	319	=head1 FUNCTIONS CONTROLLING EVENT LOOPS
259		320
260	An event loop is described by a C<struct ev_loop *>. The library knows two	321	An event loop is described by a C<struct ev_loop *> (the C<struct> is
261	types of such loops, the I<default> loop, which supports signals and child	322	I<not> optional in this case unless libev 3 compatibility is disabled, as
262	events, and dynamically created loops which do not.	323	libev 3 had an C<ev_loop> function colliding with the struct name).
		324
		325	The library knows two types of such loops, the I<default> loop, which
		326	supports child process events, and dynamically created event loops which
		327	do not.
263		328
264	=over 4	329	=over 4
265		330
266	=item struct ev_loop *ev_default_loop (unsigned int flags)	331	=item struct ev_loop *ev_default_loop (unsigned int flags)
267		332
268	This will initialise the default event loop if it hasn't been initialised	333	This returns the "default" event loop object, which is what you should
269	yet and return it. If the default loop could not be initialised, returns	334	normally use when you just need "the event loop". Event loop objects and
270	false. If it already was initialised it simply returns it (and ignores the	335	the C<flags> parameter are described in more detail in the entry for
271	flags. If that is troubling you, check C<ev_backend ()> afterwards).	336	C<ev_loop_new>.
		337
		338	If the default loop is already initialised then this function simply
		339	returns it (and ignores the flags. If that is troubling you, check
		340	C<ev_backend ()> afterwards). Otherwise it will create it with the given
		341	flags, which should almost always be C<0>, unless the caller is also the
		342	one calling C<ev_run> or otherwise qualifies as "the main program".
272		343
273	If you don't know what event loop to use, use the one returned from this	344	If you don't know what event loop to use, use the one returned from this
274	function.	345	function (or via the C<EV_DEFAULT> macro).
275		346
276	Note that this function is I<not> thread-safe, so if you want to use it	347	Note that this function is I<not> thread-safe, so if you want to use it
277	from multiple threads, you have to lock (note also that this is unlikely,	348	from multiple threads, you have to employ some kind of mutex (note also
278	as loops cannot bes hared easily between threads anyway).	349	that this case is unlikely, as loops cannot be shared easily between
		350	threads anyway).
279		351
280	The default loop is the only loop that can handle C<ev_signal> and	352	The default loop is the only loop that can handle C<ev_child> watchers,
281	C<ev_child> watchers, and to do this, it always registers a handler	353	and to do this, it always registers a handler for C<SIGCHLD>. If this is
282	for C<SIGCHLD>. If this is a problem for your app you can either	354	a problem for your application you can either create a dynamic loop with
283	create a dynamic loop with C<ev_loop_new> that doesn't do that, or you	355	C<ev_loop_new> which doesn't do that, or you can simply overwrite the
284	can simply overwrite the C<SIGCHLD> signal handler I<after> calling	356	C<SIGCHLD> signal handler I<after> calling C<ev_default_init>.
285	C<ev_default_init>.	357
		358	Example: This is the most typical usage.
		359
		360	if (!ev_default_loop (0))
		361	fatal ("could not initialise libev, bad $LIBEV_FLAGS in environment?");
		362
		363	Example: Restrict libev to the select and poll backends, and do not allow
		364	environment settings to be taken into account:
		365
		366	ev_default_loop (EVBACKEND_POLL | EVBACKEND_SELECT | EVFLAG_NOENV);
		367
		368	=item struct ev_loop *ev_loop_new (unsigned int flags)
		369
		370	This will create and initialise a new event loop object. If the loop
		371	could not be initialised, returns false.
		372
		373	This function is thread-safe, and one common way to use libev with
		374	threads is indeed to create one loop per thread, and using the default
		375	loop in the "main" or "initial" thread.
286		376
287	The flags argument can be used to specify special behaviour or specific	377	The flags argument can be used to specify special behaviour or specific
288	backends to use, and is usually specified as C<0> (or C<EVFLAG_AUTO>).	378	backends to use, and is usually specified as C<0> (or C<EVFLAG_AUTO>).
289		379
290	The following flags are supported:	380	The following flags are supported:
…		…
296	The default flags value. Use this if you have no clue (it's the right	386	The default flags value. Use this if you have no clue (it's the right
297	thing, believe me).	387	thing, believe me).
298		388
299	=item C<EVFLAG_NOENV>	389	=item C<EVFLAG_NOENV>
300		390
301	If this flag bit is ored into the flag value (or the program runs setuid	391	If this flag bit is or'ed into the flag value (or the program runs setuid
302	or setgid) then libev will I<not> look at the environment variable	392	or setgid) then libev will I<not> look at the environment variable
303	C<LIBEV_FLAGS>. Otherwise (the default), this environment variable will	393	C<LIBEV_FLAGS>. Otherwise (the default), this environment variable will
304	override the flags completely if it is found in the environment. This is	394	override the flags completely if it is found in the environment. This is
305	useful to try out specific backends to test their performance, or to work	395	useful to try out specific backends to test their performance, or to work
306	around bugs.	396	around bugs.
307		397
308	=item C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>	398	=item C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>
309		399
310	Instead of calling C<ev_default_fork> or C<ev_loop_fork> manually after	400	Instead of calling C<ev_loop_fork> manually after a fork, you can also
311	a fork, you can also make libev check for a fork in each iteration by	401	make libev check for a fork in each iteration by enabling this flag.
312	enabling this flag.
313		402
314	This works by calling C<getpid ()> on every iteration of the loop,	403	This works by calling C<getpid ()> on every iteration of the loop,
315	and thus this might slow down your event loop if you do a lot of loop	404	and thus this might slow down your event loop if you do a lot of loop
316	iterations and little real work, but is usually not noticeable (on my	405	iterations and little real work, but is usually not noticeable (on my
317	GNU/Linux system for example, C<getpid> is actually a simple 5-insn sequence	406	GNU/Linux system for example, C<getpid> is actually a simple 5-insn sequence
318	without a syscall and thus I<very> fast, but my GNU/Linux system also has	407	without a system call and thus I<very> fast, but my GNU/Linux system also has
319	C<pthread_atfork> which is even faster).	408	C<pthread_atfork> which is even faster).
320		409
321	The big advantage of this flag is that you can forget about fork (and	410	The big advantage of this flag is that you can forget about fork (and
322	forget about forgetting to tell libev about forking) when you use this	411	forget about forgetting to tell libev about forking) when you use this
323	flag.	412	flag.
324		413
325	This flag setting cannot be overriden or specified in the C<LIBEV_FLAGS>	414	This flag setting cannot be overridden or specified in the C<LIBEV_FLAGS>
326	environment variable.	415	environment variable.
		416
		417	=item C<EVFLAG_NOINOTIFY>
		418
		419	When this flag is specified, then libev will not attempt to use the
		420	I<inotify> API for its C<ev_stat> watchers. Apart from debugging and
		421	testing, this flag can be useful to conserve inotify file descriptors, as
		422	otherwise each loop using C<ev_stat> watchers consumes one inotify handle.
		423
		424	=item C<EVFLAG_SIGNALFD>
		425
		426	When this flag is specified, then libev will attempt to use the
		427	I<signalfd> API for its C<ev_signal> (and C<ev_child>) watchers. This API
		428	delivers signals synchronously, which makes it both faster and might make
		429	it possible to get the queued signal data. It can also simplify signal
		430	handling with threads, as long as you properly block signals in your
		431	threads that are not interested in handling them.
		432
		433	Signalfd will not be used by default as this changes your signal mask, and
		434	there are a lot of shoddy libraries and programs (glib's threadpool for
		435	example) that can't properly initialise their signal masks.
		436
		437	=item C<EVFLAG_NOSIGMASK>
		438
		439	When this flag is specified, then libev will avoid to modify the signal
		440	mask. Specifically, this means you ahve to make sure signals are unblocked
		441	when you want to receive them.
		442
		443	This behaviour is useful when you want to do your own signal handling, or
		444	want to handle signals only in specific threads and want to avoid libev
		445	unblocking the signals.
		446
		447	This flag's behaviour will become the default in future versions of libev.
327		448
328	=item C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> (value 1, portable select backend)	449	=item C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> (value 1, portable select backend)
329		450
330	This is your standard select(2) backend. Not I<completely> standard, as	451	This is your standard select(2) backend. Not I<completely> standard, as
331	libev tries to roll its own fd_set with no limits on the number of fds,	452	libev tries to roll its own fd_set with no limits on the number of fds,
332	but if that fails, expect a fairly low limit on the number of fds when	453	but if that fails, expect a fairly low limit on the number of fds when
333	using this backend. It doesn't scale too well (O(highest_fd)), but its	454	using this backend. It doesn't scale too well (O(highest_fd)), but its
334	usually the fastest backend for a low number of (low-numbered :) fds.	455	usually the fastest backend for a low number of (low-numbered :) fds.
335		456
336	To get good performance out of this backend you need a high amount of	457	To get good performance out of this backend you need a high amount of
337	parallelity (most of the file descriptors should be busy). If you are	458	parallelism (most of the file descriptors should be busy). If you are
338	writing a server, you should C<accept ()> in a loop to accept as many	459	writing a server, you should C<accept ()> in a loop to accept as many
339	connections as possible during one iteration. You might also want to have	460	connections as possible during one iteration. You might also want to have
340	a look at C<ev_set_io_collect_interval ()> to increase the amount of	461	a look at C<ev_set_io_collect_interval ()> to increase the amount of
341	readiness notifications you get per iteration.	462	readiness notifications you get per iteration.
		463
		464	This backend maps C<EV_READ> to the C<readfds> set and C<EV_WRITE> to the
		465	C<writefds> set (and to work around Microsoft Windows bugs, also onto the
		466	C<exceptfds> set on that platform).
342		467
343	=item C<EVBACKEND_POLL> (value 2, poll backend, available everywhere except on windows)	468	=item C<EVBACKEND_POLL> (value 2, poll backend, available everywhere except on windows)
344		469
345	And this is your standard poll(2) backend. It's more complicated	470	And this is your standard poll(2) backend. It's more complicated
346	than select, but handles sparse fds better and has no artificial	471	than select, but handles sparse fds better and has no artificial
347	limit on the number of fds you can use (except it will slow down	472	limit on the number of fds you can use (except it will slow down
348	considerably with a lot of inactive fds). It scales similarly to select,	473	considerably with a lot of inactive fds). It scales similarly to select,
349	i.e. O(total_fds). See the entry for C<EVBACKEND_SELECT>, above, for	474	i.e. O(total_fds). See the entry for C<EVBACKEND_SELECT>, above, for
350	performance tips.	475	performance tips.
351		476
		477	This backend maps C<EV_READ> to C<POLLIN | POLLERR | POLLHUP>, and
		478	C<EV_WRITE> to C<POLLOUT | POLLERR | POLLHUP>.
		479
352	=item C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL> (value 4, Linux)	480	=item C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL> (value 4, Linux)
		481
		482	Use the linux-specific epoll(7) interface (for both pre- and post-2.6.9
		483	kernels).
353		484
354	For few fds, this backend is a bit little slower than poll and select,	485	For few fds, this backend is a bit little slower than poll and select,
355	but it scales phenomenally better. While poll and select usually scale	486	but it scales phenomenally better. While poll and select usually scale
356	like O(total_fds) where n is the total number of fds (or the highest fd),	487	like O(total_fds) where n is the total number of fds (or the highest fd),
357	epoll scales either O(1) or O(active_fds). The epoll design has a number	488	epoll scales either O(1) or O(active_fds).
358	of shortcomings, such as silently dropping events in some hard-to-detect	489
359	cases and requiring a syscall per fd change, no fork support and bad	490	The epoll mechanism deserves honorable mention as the most misdesigned
360	support for dup.	491	of the more advanced event mechanisms: mere annoyances include silently
		492	dropping file descriptors, requiring a system call per change per file
		493	descriptor (and unnecessary guessing of parameters), problems with dup,
		494	returning before the timeout value, resulting in additional iterations
		495	(and only giving 5ms accuracy while select on the same platform gives
		496	0.1ms) and so on. The biggest issue is fork races, however - if a program
		497	forks then I<both> parent and child process have to recreate the epoll
		498	set, which can take considerable time (one syscall per file descriptor)
		499	and is of course hard to detect.
		500
		501	Epoll is also notoriously buggy - embedding epoll fds I<should> work, but
		502	of course I<doesn't>, and epoll just loves to report events for totally
		503	I<different> file descriptors (even already closed ones, so one cannot
		504	even remove them from the set) than registered in the set (especially
		505	on SMP systems). Libev tries to counter these spurious notifications by
		506	employing an additional generation counter and comparing that against the
		507	events to filter out spurious ones, recreating the set when required. Last
		508	not least, it also refuses to work with some file descriptors which work
		509	perfectly fine with C<select> (files, many character devices...).
		510
		511	Epoll is truly the train wreck analog among event poll mechanisms.
361		512
362	While stopping, setting and starting an I/O watcher in the same iteration	513	While stopping, setting and starting an I/O watcher in the same iteration
363	will result in some caching, there is still a syscall per such incident	514	will result in some caching, there is still a system call per such
364	(because the fd could point to a different file description now), so its	515	incident (because the same I<file descriptor> could point to a different
365	best to avoid that. Also, C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors might not work	516	I<file description> now), so its best to avoid that. Also, C<dup ()>'ed
366	very well if you register events for both fds.	517	file descriptors might not work very well if you register events for both
367		518	file descriptors.
368	Please note that epoll sometimes generates spurious notifications, so you
369	need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid blocking when no data
370	(or space) is available.
371		519
372	Best performance from this backend is achieved by not unregistering all	520	Best performance from this backend is achieved by not unregistering all
373	watchers for a file descriptor until it has been closed, if possible, i.e.	521	watchers for a file descriptor until it has been closed, if possible,
374	keep at least one watcher active per fd at all times.	522	i.e. keep at least one watcher active per fd at all times. Stopping and
		523	starting a watcher (without re-setting it) also usually doesn't cause
		524	extra overhead. A fork can both result in spurious notifications as well
		525	as in libev having to destroy and recreate the epoll object, which can
		526	take considerable time and thus should be avoided.
375		527
		528	All this means that, in practice, C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> can be as fast or
		529	faster than epoll for maybe up to a hundred file descriptors, depending on
		530	the usage. So sad.
		531
376	While nominally embeddeble in other event loops, this feature is broken in	532	While nominally embeddable in other event loops, this feature is broken in
377	all kernel versions tested so far.	533	all kernel versions tested so far.
		534
		535	This backend maps C<EV_READ> and C<EV_WRITE> in the same way as
		536	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
378		537
379	=item C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE> (value 8, most BSD clones)	538	=item C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE> (value 8, most BSD clones)
380		539
381	Kqueue deserves special mention, as at the time of this writing, it	540	Kqueue deserves special mention, as at the time of this writing, it
382	was broken on all BSDs except NetBSD (usually it doesn't work reliably	541	was broken on all BSDs except NetBSD (usually it doesn't work reliably
383	with anything but sockets and pipes, except on Darwin, where of course	542	with anything but sockets and pipes, except on Darwin, where of course
384	it's completely useless). For this reason it's not being "autodetected"	543	it's completely useless). Unlike epoll, however, whose brokenness
		544	is by design, these kqueue bugs can (and eventually will) be fixed
		545	without API changes to existing programs. For this reason it's not being
385	unless you explicitly specify it explicitly in the flags (i.e. using	546	"auto-detected" unless you explicitly specify it in the flags (i.e. using
386	C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>) or libev was compiled on a known-to-be-good (-enough)	547	C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>) or libev was compiled on a known-to-be-good (-enough)
387	system like NetBSD.	548	system like NetBSD.
388		549
389	You still can embed kqueue into a normal poll or select backend and use it	550	You still can embed kqueue into a normal poll or select backend and use it
390	only for sockets (after having made sure that sockets work with kqueue on	551	only for sockets (after having made sure that sockets work with kqueue on
391	the target platform). See C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.	552	the target platform). See C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.
392		553
393	It scales in the same way as the epoll backend, but the interface to the	554	It scales in the same way as the epoll backend, but the interface to the
394	kernel is more efficient (which says nothing about its actual speed, of	555	kernel is more efficient (which says nothing about its actual speed, of
395	course). While stopping, setting and starting an I/O watcher does never	556	course). While stopping, setting and starting an I/O watcher does never
396	cause an extra syscall as with C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL>, it still adds up to	557	cause an extra system call as with C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL>, it still adds up to
397	two event changes per incident, support for C<fork ()> is very bad and it	558	two event changes per incident. Support for C<fork ()> is very bad (but
398	drops fds silently in similarly hard-to-detect cases.	559	sane, unlike epoll) and it drops fds silently in similarly hard-to-detect
		560	cases
399		561
400	This backend usually performs well under most conditions.	562	This backend usually performs well under most conditions.
401		563
402	While nominally embeddable in other event loops, this doesn't work	564	While nominally embeddable in other event loops, this doesn't work
403	everywhere, so you might need to test for this. And since it is broken	565	everywhere, so you might need to test for this. And since it is broken
404	almost everywhere, you should only use it when you have a lot of sockets	566	almost everywhere, you should only use it when you have a lot of sockets
405	(for which it usually works), by embedding it into another event loop	567	(for which it usually works), by embedding it into another event loop
406	(e.g. C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>) and using it only for	568	(e.g. C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL> (but C<poll> is of course
407	sockets.	569	also broken on OS X)) and, did I mention it, using it only for sockets.
		570
		571	This backend maps C<EV_READ> into an C<EVFILT_READ> kevent with
		572	C<NOTE_EOF>, and C<EV_WRITE> into an C<EVFILT_WRITE> kevent with
		573	C<NOTE_EOF>.
408		574
409	=item C<EVBACKEND_DEVPOLL> (value 16, Solaris 8)	575	=item C<EVBACKEND_DEVPOLL> (value 16, Solaris 8)
410		576
411	This is not implemented yet (and might never be, unless you send me an	577	This is not implemented yet (and might never be, unless you send me an
412	implementation). According to reports, C</dev/poll> only supports sockets	578	implementation). According to reports, C</dev/poll> only supports sockets
…		…
416	=item C<EVBACKEND_PORT> (value 32, Solaris 10)	582	=item C<EVBACKEND_PORT> (value 32, Solaris 10)
417		583
418	This uses the Solaris 10 event port mechanism. As with everything on Solaris,	584	This uses the Solaris 10 event port mechanism. As with everything on Solaris,
419	it's really slow, but it still scales very well (O(active_fds)).	585	it's really slow, but it still scales very well (O(active_fds)).
420		586
421	Please note that solaris event ports can deliver a lot of spurious
422	notifications, so you need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid
423	blocking when no data (or space) is available.
424
425	While this backend scales well, it requires one system call per active	587	While this backend scales well, it requires one system call per active
426	file descriptor per loop iteration. For small and medium numbers of file	588	file descriptor per loop iteration. For small and medium numbers of file
427	descriptors a "slow" C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL> backend	589	descriptors a "slow" C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL> backend
428	might perform better.	590	might perform better.
429		591
430	On the positive side, ignoring the spurious readiness notifications, this	592	On the positive side, this backend actually performed fully to
431	backend actually performed to specification in all tests and is fully	593	specification in all tests and is fully embeddable, which is a rare feat
432	embeddable, which is a rare feat among the OS-specific backends.	594	among the OS-specific backends (I vastly prefer correctness over speed
		595	hacks).
		596
		597	On the negative side, the interface is I<bizarre> - so bizarre that
		598	even sun itself gets it wrong in their code examples: The event polling
		599	function sometimes returning events to the caller even though an error
		600	occured, but with no indication whether it has done so or not (yes, it's
		601	even documented that way) - deadly for edge-triggered interfaces where
		602	you absolutely have to know whether an event occured or not because you
		603	have to re-arm the watcher.
		604
		605	Fortunately libev seems to be able to work around these idiocies.
		606
		607	This backend maps C<EV_READ> and C<EV_WRITE> in the same way as
		608	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
433		609
434	=item C<EVBACKEND_ALL>	610	=item C<EVBACKEND_ALL>
435		611
436	Try all backends (even potentially broken ones that wouldn't be tried	612	Try all backends (even potentially broken ones that wouldn't be tried
437	with C<EVFLAG_AUTO>). Since this is a mask, you can do stuff such as	613	with C<EVFLAG_AUTO>). Since this is a mask, you can do stuff such as
438	C<EVBACKEND_ALL & ~EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>.	614	C<EVBACKEND_ALL & ~EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>.
439		615
440	It is definitely not recommended to use this flag.	616	It is definitely not recommended to use this flag, use whatever
		617	C<ev_recommended_backends ()> returns, or simply do not specify a backend
		618	at all.
		619
		620	=item C<EVBACKEND_MASK>
		621
		622	Not a backend at all, but a mask to select all backend bits from a
		623	C<flags> value, in case you want to mask out any backends from a flags
		624	value (e.g. when modifying the C<LIBEV_FLAGS> environment variable).
441		625
442	=back	626	=back
443		627
444	If one or more of these are ored into the flags value, then only these	628	If one or more of the backend flags are or'ed into the flags value,
445	backends will be tried (in the reverse order as listed here). If none are	629	then only these backends will be tried (in the reverse order as listed
446	specified, all backends in C<ev_recommended_backends ()> will be tried.	630	here). If none are specified, all backends in C<ev_recommended_backends
447		631	()> will be tried.
448	The most typical usage is like this:
449
450	if (!ev_default_loop (0))
451	fatal ("could not initialise libev, bad $LIBEV_FLAGS in environment?");
452
453	Restrict libev to the select and poll backends, and do not allow
454	environment settings to be taken into account:
455
456	ev_default_loop (EVBACKEND_POLL | EVBACKEND_SELECT | EVFLAG_NOENV);
457
458	Use whatever libev has to offer, but make sure that kqueue is used if
459	available (warning, breaks stuff, best use only with your own private
460	event loop and only if you know the OS supports your types of fds):
461
462	ev_default_loop (ev_recommended_backends () | EVBACKEND_KQUEUE);
463
464	=item struct ev_loop *ev_loop_new (unsigned int flags)
465
466	Similar to C<ev_default_loop>, but always creates a new event loop that is
467	always distinct from the default loop. Unlike the default loop, it cannot
468	handle signal and child watchers, and attempts to do so will be greeted by
469	undefined behaviour (or a failed assertion if assertions are enabled).
470
471	Note that this function I<is> thread-safe, and the recommended way to use
472	libev with threads is indeed to create one loop per thread, and using the
473	default loop in the "main" or "initial" thread.
474		632
475	Example: Try to create a event loop that uses epoll and nothing else.	633	Example: Try to create a event loop that uses epoll and nothing else.
476		634
477	struct ev_loop *epoller = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_EPOLL | EVFLAG_NOENV);	635	struct ev_loop *epoller = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_EPOLL | EVFLAG_NOENV);
478	if (!epoller)	636	if (!epoller)
479	fatal ("no epoll found here, maybe it hides under your chair");	637	fatal ("no epoll found here, maybe it hides under your chair");
480		638
		639	Example: Use whatever libev has to offer, but make sure that kqueue is
		640	used if available.
		641
		642	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_loop_new (ev_recommended_backends () | EVBACKEND_KQUEUE);
		643
481	=item ev_default_destroy ()	644	=item ev_loop_destroy (loop)
482		645
483	Destroys the default loop again (frees all memory and kernel state	646	Destroys an event loop object (frees all memory and kernel state
484	etc.). None of the active event watchers will be stopped in the normal	647	etc.). None of the active event watchers will be stopped in the normal
485	sense, so e.g. C<ev_is_active> might still return true. It is your	648	sense, so e.g. C<ev_is_active> might still return true. It is your
486	responsibility to either stop all watchers cleanly yoursef I<before>	649	responsibility to either stop all watchers cleanly yourself I<before>
487	calling this function, or cope with the fact afterwards (which is usually	650	calling this function, or cope with the fact afterwards (which is usually
488	the easiest thing, you can just ignore the watchers and/or C<free ()> them	651	the easiest thing, you can just ignore the watchers and/or C<free ()> them
489	for example).	652	for example).
490		653
491	Note that certain global state, such as signal state, will not be freed by	654	Note that certain global state, such as signal state (and installed signal
492	this function, and related watchers (such as signal and child watchers)	655	handlers), will not be freed by this function, and related watchers (such
493	would need to be stopped manually.	656	as signal and child watchers) would need to be stopped manually.
494		657
495	In general it is not advisable to call this function except in the	658	This function is normally used on loop objects allocated by
496	rare occasion where you really need to free e.g. the signal handling	659	C<ev_loop_new>, but it can also be used on the default loop returned by
		660	C<ev_default_loop>, in which case it is not thread-safe.
		661
		662	Note that it is not advisable to call this function on the default loop
		663	except in the rare occasion where you really need to free its resources.
497	pipe fds. If you need dynamically allocated loops it is better to use	664	If you need dynamically allocated loops it is better to use C<ev_loop_new>
498	C<ev_loop_new> and C<ev_loop_destroy>).	665	and C<ev_loop_destroy>.
499		666
500	=item ev_loop_destroy (loop)	667	=item ev_loop_fork (loop)
501		668
502	Like C<ev_default_destroy>, but destroys an event loop created by an
503	earlier call to C<ev_loop_new>.
504
505	=item ev_default_fork ()
506
507	This function sets a flag that causes subsequent C<ev_loop> iterations	669	This function sets a flag that causes subsequent C<ev_run> iterations to
508	to reinitialise the kernel state for backends that have one. Despite the	670	reinitialise the kernel state for backends that have one. Despite the
509	name, you can call it anytime, but it makes most sense after forking, in	671	name, you can call it anytime, but it makes most sense after forking, in
510	the child process (or both child and parent, but that again makes little	672	the child process. You I<must> call it (or use C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>) in the
511	sense). You I<must> call it in the child before using any of the libev	673	child before resuming or calling C<ev_run>.
512	functions, and it will only take effect at the next C<ev_loop> iteration.	674
		675	Again, you I<have> to call it on I<any> loop that you want to re-use after
		676	a fork, I<even if you do not plan to use the loop in the parent>. This is
		677	because some kernel interfaces *cough* I<kqueue> *cough* do funny things
		678	during fork.
513		679
514	On the other hand, you only need to call this function in the child	680	On the other hand, you only need to call this function in the child
515	process if and only if you want to use the event library in the child. If	681	process if and only if you want to use the event loop in the child. If
516	you just fork+exec, you don't have to call it at all.	682	you just fork+exec or create a new loop in the child, you don't have to
		683	call it at all (in fact, C<epoll> is so badly broken that it makes a
		684	difference, but libev will usually detect this case on its own and do a
		685	costly reset of the backend).
517		686
518	The function itself is quite fast and it's usually not a problem to call	687	The function itself is quite fast and it's usually not a problem to call
519	it just in case after a fork. To make this easy, the function will fit in	688	it just in case after a fork.
520	quite nicely into a call to C<pthread_atfork>:
521		689
		690	Example: Automate calling C<ev_loop_fork> on the default loop when
		691	using pthreads.
		692
		693	static void
		694	post_fork_child (void)
		695	{
		696	ev_loop_fork (EV_DEFAULT);
		697	}
		698
		699	...
522	pthread_atfork (0, 0, ev_default_fork);	700	pthread_atfork (0, 0, post_fork_child);
523
524	=item ev_loop_fork (loop)
525
526	Like C<ev_default_fork>, but acts on an event loop created by
527	C<ev_loop_new>. Yes, you have to call this on every allocated event loop
528	after fork, and how you do this is entirely your own problem.
529		701
530	=item int ev_is_default_loop (loop)	702	=item int ev_is_default_loop (loop)
531		703
532	Returns true when the given loop actually is the default loop, false otherwise.	704	Returns true when the given loop is, in fact, the default loop, and false
		705	otherwise.
533		706
534	=item unsigned int ev_loop_count (loop)	707	=item unsigned int ev_iteration (loop)
535		708
536	Returns the count of loop iterations for the loop, which is identical to	709	Returns the current iteration count for the event loop, which is identical
537	the number of times libev did poll for new events. It starts at C<0> and	710	to the number of times libev did poll for new events. It starts at C<0>
538	happily wraps around with enough iterations.	711	and happily wraps around with enough iterations.
539		712
540	This value can sometimes be useful as a generation counter of sorts (it	713	This value can sometimes be useful as a generation counter of sorts (it
541	"ticks" the number of loop iterations), as it roughly corresponds with	714	"ticks" the number of loop iterations), as it roughly corresponds with
542	C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> calls.	715	C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> calls - and is incremented between the
		716	prepare and check phases.
		717
		718	=item unsigned int ev_depth (loop)
		719
		720	Returns the number of times C<ev_run> was entered minus the number of
		721	times C<ev_run> was exited normally, in other words, the recursion depth.
		722
		723	Outside C<ev_run>, this number is zero. In a callback, this number is
		724	C<1>, unless C<ev_run> was invoked recursively (or from another thread),
		725	in which case it is higher.
		726
		727	Leaving C<ev_run> abnormally (setjmp/longjmp, cancelling the thread,
		728	throwing an exception etc.), doesn't count as "exit" - consider this
		729	as a hint to avoid such ungentleman-like behaviour unless it's really
		730	convenient, in which case it is fully supported.
543		731
544	=item unsigned int ev_backend (loop)	732	=item unsigned int ev_backend (loop)
545		733
546	Returns one of the C<EVBACKEND_*> flags indicating the event backend in	734	Returns one of the C<EVBACKEND_*> flags indicating the event backend in
547	use.	735	use.
…		…
552	received events and started processing them. This timestamp does not	740	received events and started processing them. This timestamp does not
553	change as long as callbacks are being processed, and this is also the base	741	change as long as callbacks are being processed, and this is also the base
554	time used for relative timers. You can treat it as the timestamp of the	742	time used for relative timers. You can treat it as the timestamp of the
555	event occurring (or more correctly, libev finding out about it).	743	event occurring (or more correctly, libev finding out about it).
556		744
		745	=item ev_now_update (loop)
		746
		747	Establishes the current time by querying the kernel, updating the time
		748	returned by C<ev_now ()> in the progress. This is a costly operation and
		749	is usually done automatically within C<ev_run ()>.
		750
		751	This function is rarely useful, but when some event callback runs for a
		752	very long time without entering the event loop, updating libev's idea of
		753	the current time is a good idea.
		754
		755	See also L<The special problem of time updates> in the C<ev_timer> section.
		756
		757	=item ev_suspend (loop)
		758
		759	=item ev_resume (loop)
		760
		761	These two functions suspend and resume an event loop, for use when the
		762	loop is not used for a while and timeouts should not be processed.
		763
		764	A typical use case would be an interactive program such as a game: When
		765	the user presses C<^Z> to suspend the game and resumes it an hour later it
		766	would be best to handle timeouts as if no time had actually passed while
		767	the program was suspended. This can be achieved by calling C<ev_suspend>
		768	in your C<SIGTSTP> handler, sending yourself a C<SIGSTOP> and calling
		769	C<ev_resume> directly afterwards to resume timer processing.
		770
		771	Effectively, all C<ev_timer> watchers will be delayed by the time spend
		772	between C<ev_suspend> and C<ev_resume>, and all C<ev_periodic> watchers
		773	will be rescheduled (that is, they will lose any events that would have
		774	occurred while suspended).
		775
		776	After calling C<ev_suspend> you B<must not> call I<any> function on the
		777	given loop other than C<ev_resume>, and you B<must not> call C<ev_resume>
		778	without a previous call to C<ev_suspend>.
		779
		780	Calling C<ev_suspend>/C<ev_resume> has the side effect of updating the
		781	event loop time (see C<ev_now_update>).
		782
557	=item ev_loop (loop, int flags)	783	=item ev_run (loop, int flags)
558		784
559	Finally, this is it, the event handler. This function usually is called	785	Finally, this is it, the event handler. This function usually is called
560	after you initialised all your watchers and you want to start handling	786	after you have initialised all your watchers and you want to start
561	events.	787	handling events. It will ask the operating system for any new events, call
		788	the watcher callbacks, an then repeat the whole process indefinitely: This
		789	is why event loops are called I<loops>.
562		790
563	If the flags argument is specified as C<0>, it will not return until	791	If the flags argument is specified as C<0>, it will keep handling events
564	either no event watchers are active anymore or C<ev_unloop> was called.	792	until either no event watchers are active anymore or C<ev_break> was
		793	called.
565		794
566	Please note that an explicit C<ev_unloop> is usually better than	795	Please note that an explicit C<ev_break> is usually better than
567	relying on all watchers to be stopped when deciding when a program has	796	relying on all watchers to be stopped when deciding when a program has
568	finished (especially in interactive programs), but having a program that	797	finished (especially in interactive programs), but having a program
569	automatically loops as long as it has to and no longer by virtue of	798	that automatically loops as long as it has to and no longer by virtue
570	relying on its watchers stopping correctly is a thing of beauty.	799	of relying on its watchers stopping correctly, that is truly a thing of
		800	beauty.
571		801
		802	This function is also I<mostly> exception-safe - you can break out of
		803	a C<ev_run> call by calling C<longjmp> in a callback, throwing a C++
		804	exception and so on. This does not decrement the C<ev_depth> value, nor
		805	will it clear any outstanding C<EVBREAK_ONE> breaks.
		806
572	A flags value of C<EVLOOP_NONBLOCK> will look for new events, will handle	807	A flags value of C<EVRUN_NOWAIT> will look for new events, will handle
573	those events and any outstanding ones, but will not block your process in	808	those events and any already outstanding ones, but will not wait and
574	case there are no events and will return after one iteration of the loop.	809	block your process in case there are no events and will return after one
		810	iteration of the loop. This is sometimes useful to poll and handle new
		811	events while doing lengthy calculations, to keep the program responsive.
575		812
576	A flags value of C<EVLOOP_ONESHOT> will look for new events (waiting if	813	A flags value of C<EVRUN_ONCE> will look for new events (waiting if
577	neccessary) and will handle those and any outstanding ones. It will block	814	necessary) and will handle those and any already outstanding ones. It
578	your process until at least one new event arrives, and will return after	815	will block your process until at least one new event arrives (which could
579	one iteration of the loop. This is useful if you are waiting for some	816	be an event internal to libev itself, so there is no guarantee that a
580	external event in conjunction with something not expressible using other	817	user-registered callback will be called), and will return after one
		818	iteration of the loop.
		819
		820	This is useful if you are waiting for some external event in conjunction
		821	with something not expressible using other libev watchers (i.e. "roll your
581	libev watchers. However, a pair of C<ev_prepare>/C<ev_check> watchers is	822	own C<ev_run>"). However, a pair of C<ev_prepare>/C<ev_check> watchers is
582	usually a better approach for this kind of thing.	823	usually a better approach for this kind of thing.
583		824
584	Here are the gory details of what C<ev_loop> does:	825	Here are the gory details of what C<ev_run> does:
585		826
		827	- Increment loop depth.
		828	- Reset the ev_break status.
586	- Before the first iteration, call any pending watchers.	829	- Before the first iteration, call any pending watchers.
		830	LOOP:
587	* If EVFLAG_FORKCHECK was used, check for a fork.	831	- If EVFLAG_FORKCHECK was used, check for a fork.
588	- If a fork was detected, queue and call all fork watchers.	832	- If a fork was detected (by any means), queue and call all fork watchers.
589	- Queue and call all prepare watchers.	833	- Queue and call all prepare watchers.
		834	- If ev_break was called, goto FINISH.
590	- If we have been forked, recreate the kernel state.	835	- If we have been forked, detach and recreate the kernel state
		836	as to not disturb the other process.
591	- Update the kernel state with all outstanding changes.	837	- Update the kernel state with all outstanding changes.
592	- Update the "event loop time".	838	- Update the "event loop time" (ev_now ()).
593	- Calculate for how long to sleep or block, if at all	839	- Calculate for how long to sleep or block, if at all
594	(active idle watchers, EVLOOP_NONBLOCK or not having	840	(active idle watchers, EVRUN_NOWAIT or not having
595	any active watchers at all will result in not sleeping).	841	any active watchers at all will result in not sleeping).
596	- Sleep if the I/O and timer collect interval say so.	842	- Sleep if the I/O and timer collect interval say so.
		843	- Increment loop iteration counter.
597	- Block the process, waiting for any events.	844	- Block the process, waiting for any events.
598	- Queue all outstanding I/O (fd) events.	845	- Queue all outstanding I/O (fd) events.
599	- Update the "event loop time" and do time jump handling.	846	- Update the "event loop time" (ev_now ()), and do time jump adjustments.
600	- Queue all outstanding timers.	847	- Queue all expired timers.
601	- Queue all outstanding periodics.	848	- Queue all expired periodics.
602	- If no events are pending now, queue all idle watchers.	849	- Queue all idle watchers with priority higher than that of pending events.
603	- Queue all check watchers.	850	- Queue all check watchers.
604	- Call all queued watchers in reverse order (i.e. check watchers first).	851	- Call all queued watchers in reverse order (i.e. check watchers first).
605	Signals and child watchers are implemented as I/O watchers, and will	852	Signals and child watchers are implemented as I/O watchers, and will
606	be handled here by queueing them when their watcher gets executed.	853	be handled here by queueing them when their watcher gets executed.
607	- If ev_unloop has been called, or EVLOOP_ONESHOT or EVLOOP_NONBLOCK	854	- If ev_break has been called, or EVRUN_ONCE or EVRUN_NOWAIT
608	were used, or there are no active watchers, return, otherwise	855	were used, or there are no active watchers, goto FINISH, otherwise
609	continue with step *.	856	continue with step LOOP.
		857	FINISH:
		858	- Reset the ev_break status iff it was EVBREAK_ONE.
		859	- Decrement the loop depth.
		860	- Return.
610		861
611	Example: Queue some jobs and then loop until no events are outstanding	862	Example: Queue some jobs and then loop until no events are outstanding
612	anymore.	863	anymore.
613		864
614	... queue jobs here, make sure they register event watchers as long	865	... queue jobs here, make sure they register event watchers as long
615	... as they still have work to do (even an idle watcher will do..)	866	... as they still have work to do (even an idle watcher will do..)
616	ev_loop (my_loop, 0);	867	ev_run (my_loop, 0);
617	... jobs done. yeah!	868	... jobs done or somebody called unloop. yeah!
618		869
619	=item ev_unloop (loop, how)	870	=item ev_break (loop, how)
620		871
621	Can be used to make a call to C<ev_loop> return early (but only after it	872	Can be used to make a call to C<ev_run> return early (but only after it
622	has processed all outstanding events). The C<how> argument must be either	873	has processed all outstanding events). The C<how> argument must be either
623	C<EVUNLOOP_ONE>, which will make the innermost C<ev_loop> call return, or	874	C<EVBREAK_ONE>, which will make the innermost C<ev_run> call return, or
624	C<EVUNLOOP_ALL>, which will make all nested C<ev_loop> calls return.	875	C<EVBREAK_ALL>, which will make all nested C<ev_run> calls return.
625		876
626	This "unloop state" will be cleared when entering C<ev_loop> again.	877	This "break state" will be cleared on the next call to C<ev_run>.
		878
		879	It is safe to call C<ev_break> from outside any C<ev_run> calls, too, in
		880	which case it will have no effect.
627		881
628	=item ev_ref (loop)	882	=item ev_ref (loop)
629		883
630	=item ev_unref (loop)	884	=item ev_unref (loop)
631		885
632	Ref/unref can be used to add or remove a reference count on the event	886	Ref/unref can be used to add or remove a reference count on the event
633	loop: Every watcher keeps one reference, and as long as the reference	887	loop: Every watcher keeps one reference, and as long as the reference
634	count is nonzero, C<ev_loop> will not return on its own. If you have	888	count is nonzero, C<ev_run> will not return on its own.
635	a watcher you never unregister that should not keep C<ev_loop> from	889
636	returning, ev_unref() after starting, and ev_ref() before stopping it. For	890	This is useful when you have a watcher that you never intend to
		891	unregister, but that nevertheless should not keep C<ev_run> from
		892	returning. In such a case, call C<ev_unref> after starting, and C<ev_ref>
		893	before stopping it.
		894
637	example, libev itself uses this for its internal signal pipe: It is not	895	As an example, libev itself uses this for its internal signal pipe: It
638	visible to the libev user and should not keep C<ev_loop> from exiting if	896	is not visible to the libev user and should not keep C<ev_run> from
639	no event watchers registered by it are active. It is also an excellent	897	exiting if no event watchers registered by it are active. It is also an
640	way to do this for generic recurring timers or from within third-party	898	excellent way to do this for generic recurring timers or from within
641	libraries. Just remember to I<unref after start> and I<ref before stop>	899	third-party libraries. Just remember to I<unref after start> and I<ref
642	(but only if the watcher wasn't active before, or was active before,	900	before stop> (but only if the watcher wasn't active before, or was active
643	respectively).	901	before, respectively. Note also that libev might stop watchers itself
		902	(e.g. non-repeating timers) in which case you have to C<ev_ref>
		903	in the callback).
644		904
645	Example: Create a signal watcher, but keep it from keeping C<ev_loop>	905	Example: Create a signal watcher, but keep it from keeping C<ev_run>
646	running when nothing else is active.	906	running when nothing else is active.
647		907
648	struct ev_signal exitsig;	908	ev_signal exitsig;
649	ev_signal_init (&exitsig, sig_cb, SIGINT);	909	ev_signal_init (&exitsig, sig_cb, SIGINT);
650	ev_signal_start (loop, &exitsig);	910	ev_signal_start (loop, &exitsig);
651	evf_unref (loop);	911	ev_unref (loop);
652		912
653	Example: For some weird reason, unregister the above signal handler again.	913	Example: For some weird reason, unregister the above signal handler again.
654		914
655	ev_ref (loop);	915	ev_ref (loop);
656	ev_signal_stop (loop, &exitsig);	916	ev_signal_stop (loop, &exitsig);
657		917
658	=item ev_set_io_collect_interval (loop, ev_tstamp interval)	918	=item ev_set_io_collect_interval (loop, ev_tstamp interval)
659		919
660	=item ev_set_timeout_collect_interval (loop, ev_tstamp interval)	920	=item ev_set_timeout_collect_interval (loop, ev_tstamp interval)
661		921
662	These advanced functions influence the time that libev will spend waiting	922	These advanced functions influence the time that libev will spend waiting
663	for events. Both are by default C<0>, meaning that libev will try to	923	for events. Both time intervals are by default C<0>, meaning that libev
664	invoke timer/periodic callbacks and I/O callbacks with minimum latency.	924	will try to invoke timer/periodic callbacks and I/O callbacks with minimum
		925	latency.
665		926
666	Setting these to a higher value (the C<interval> I<must> be >= C<0>)	927	Setting these to a higher value (the C<interval> I<must> be >= C<0>)
667	allows libev to delay invocation of I/O and timer/periodic callbacks to	928	allows libev to delay invocation of I/O and timer/periodic callbacks
668	increase efficiency of loop iterations.	929	to increase efficiency of loop iterations (or to increase power-saving
		930	opportunities).
669		931
670	The background is that sometimes your program runs just fast enough to	932	The idea is that sometimes your program runs just fast enough to handle
671	handle one (or very few) event(s) per loop iteration. While this makes	933	one (or very few) event(s) per loop iteration. While this makes the
672	the program responsive, it also wastes a lot of CPU time to poll for new	934	program responsive, it also wastes a lot of CPU time to poll for new
673	events, especially with backends like C<select ()> which have a high	935	events, especially with backends like C<select ()> which have a high
674	overhead for the actual polling but can deliver many events at once.	936	overhead for the actual polling but can deliver many events at once.
675		937
676	By setting a higher I<io collect interval> you allow libev to spend more	938	By setting a higher I<io collect interval> you allow libev to spend more
677	time collecting I/O events, so you can handle more events per iteration,	939	time collecting I/O events, so you can handle more events per iteration,
678	at the cost of increasing latency. Timeouts (both C<ev_periodic> and	940	at the cost of increasing latency. Timeouts (both C<ev_periodic> and
679	C<ev_timer>) will be not affected. Setting this to a non-null value will	941	C<ev_timer>) will be not affected. Setting this to a non-null value will
680	introduce an additional C<ev_sleep ()> call into most loop iterations.	942	introduce an additional C<ev_sleep ()> call into most loop iterations. The
		943	sleep time ensures that libev will not poll for I/O events more often then
		944	once per this interval, on average.
681		945
682	Likewise, by setting a higher I<timeout collect interval> you allow libev	946	Likewise, by setting a higher I<timeout collect interval> you allow libev
683	to spend more time collecting timeouts, at the expense of increased	947	to spend more time collecting timeouts, at the expense of increased
684	latency (the watcher callback will be called later). C<ev_io> watchers	948	latency/jitter/inexactness (the watcher callback will be called
685	will not be affected. Setting this to a non-null value will not introduce	949	later). C<ev_io> watchers will not be affected. Setting this to a non-null
686	any overhead in libev.	950	value will not introduce any overhead in libev.
687		951
688	Many (busy) programs can usually benefit by setting the io collect	952	Many (busy) programs can usually benefit by setting the I/O collect
689	interval to a value near C<0.1> or so, which is often enough for	953	interval to a value near C<0.1> or so, which is often enough for
690	interactive servers (of course not for games), likewise for timeouts. It	954	interactive servers (of course not for games), likewise for timeouts. It
691	usually doesn't make much sense to set it to a lower value than C<0.01>,	955	usually doesn't make much sense to set it to a lower value than C<0.01>,
692	as this approsaches the timing granularity of most systems.	956	as this approaches the timing granularity of most systems. Note that if
		957	you do transactions with the outside world and you can't increase the
		958	parallelity, then this setting will limit your transaction rate (if you
		959	need to poll once per transaction and the I/O collect interval is 0.01,
		960	then you can't do more than 100 transactions per second).
		961
		962	Setting the I<timeout collect interval> can improve the opportunity for
		963	saving power, as the program will "bundle" timer callback invocations that
		964	are "near" in time together, by delaying some, thus reducing the number of
		965	times the process sleeps and wakes up again. Another useful technique to
		966	reduce iterations/wake-ups is to use C<ev_periodic> watchers and make sure
		967	they fire on, say, one-second boundaries only.
		968
		969	Example: we only need 0.1s timeout granularity, and we wish not to poll
		970	more often than 100 times per second:
		971
		972	ev_set_timeout_collect_interval (EV_DEFAULT_UC_ 0.1);
		973	ev_set_io_collect_interval (EV_DEFAULT_UC_ 0.01);
		974
		975	=item ev_invoke_pending (loop)
		976
		977	This call will simply invoke all pending watchers while resetting their
		978	pending state. Normally, C<ev_run> does this automatically when required,
		979	but when overriding the invoke callback this call comes handy. This
		980	function can be invoked from a watcher - this can be useful for example
		981	when you want to do some lengthy calculation and want to pass further
		982	event handling to another thread (you still have to make sure only one
		983	thread executes within C<ev_invoke_pending> or C<ev_run> of course).
		984
		985	=item int ev_pending_count (loop)
		986
		987	Returns the number of pending watchers - zero indicates that no watchers
		988	are pending.
		989
		990	=item ev_set_invoke_pending_cb (loop, void (*invoke_pending_cb)(EV_P))
		991
		992	This overrides the invoke pending functionality of the loop: Instead of
		993	invoking all pending watchers when there are any, C<ev_run> will call
		994	this callback instead. This is useful, for example, when you want to
		995	invoke the actual watchers inside another context (another thread etc.).
		996
		997	If you want to reset the callback, use C<ev_invoke_pending> as new
		998	callback.
		999
		1000	=item ev_set_loop_release_cb (loop, void (*release)(EV_P), void (*acquire)(EV_P))
		1001
		1002	Sometimes you want to share the same loop between multiple threads. This
		1003	can be done relatively simply by putting mutex_lock/unlock calls around
		1004	each call to a libev function.
		1005
		1006	However, C<ev_run> can run an indefinite time, so it is not feasible
		1007	to wait for it to return. One way around this is to wake up the event
		1008	loop via C<ev_break> and C<av_async_send>, another way is to set these
		1009	I<release> and I<acquire> callbacks on the loop.
		1010
		1011	When set, then C<release> will be called just before the thread is
		1012	suspended waiting for new events, and C<acquire> is called just
		1013	afterwards.
		1014
		1015	Ideally, C<release> will just call your mutex_unlock function, and
		1016	C<acquire> will just call the mutex_lock function again.
		1017
		1018	While event loop modifications are allowed between invocations of
		1019	C<release> and C<acquire> (that's their only purpose after all), no
		1020	modifications done will affect the event loop, i.e. adding watchers will
		1021	have no effect on the set of file descriptors being watched, or the time
		1022	waited. Use an C<ev_async> watcher to wake up C<ev_run> when you want it
		1023	to take note of any changes you made.
		1024
		1025	In theory, threads executing C<ev_run> will be async-cancel safe between
		1026	invocations of C<release> and C<acquire>.
		1027
		1028	See also the locking example in the C<THREADS> section later in this
		1029	document.
		1030
		1031	=item ev_set_userdata (loop, void *data)
		1032
		1033	=item void *ev_userdata (loop)
		1034
		1035	Set and retrieve a single C<void *> associated with a loop. When
		1036	C<ev_set_userdata> has never been called, then C<ev_userdata> returns
		1037	C<0>.
		1038
		1039	These two functions can be used to associate arbitrary data with a loop,
		1040	and are intended solely for the C<invoke_pending_cb>, C<release> and
		1041	C<acquire> callbacks described above, but of course can be (ab-)used for
		1042	any other purpose as well.
		1043
		1044	=item ev_verify (loop)
		1045
		1046	This function only does something when C<EV_VERIFY> support has been
		1047	compiled in, which is the default for non-minimal builds. It tries to go
		1048	through all internal structures and checks them for validity. If anything
		1049	is found to be inconsistent, it will print an error message to standard
		1050	error and call C<abort ()>.
		1051
		1052	This can be used to catch bugs inside libev itself: under normal
		1053	circumstances, this function will never abort as of course libev keeps its
		1054	data structures consistent.
693		1055
694	=back	1056	=back
695		1057
696		1058
697	=head1 ANATOMY OF A WATCHER	1059	=head1 ANATOMY OF A WATCHER
698		1060
		1061	In the following description, uppercase C<TYPE> in names stands for the
		1062	watcher type, e.g. C<ev_TYPE_start> can mean C<ev_timer_start> for timer
		1063	watchers and C<ev_io_start> for I/O watchers.
		1064
699	A watcher is a structure that you create and register to record your	1065	A watcher is an opaque structure that you allocate and register to record
700	interest in some event. For instance, if you want to wait for STDIN to	1066	your interest in some event. To make a concrete example, imagine you want
701	become readable, you would create an C<ev_io> watcher for that:	1067	to wait for STDIN to become readable, you would create an C<ev_io> watcher
		1068	for that:
702		1069
703	static void my_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w, int revents)	1070	static void my_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w, int revents)
704	{	1071	{
705	ev_io_stop (w);	1072	ev_io_stop (w);
706	ev_unloop (loop, EVUNLOOP_ALL);	1073	ev_break (loop, EVBREAK_ALL);
707	}	1074	}
708		1075
709	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_loop (0);	1076	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_loop (0);
		1077
710	struct ev_io stdin_watcher;	1078	ev_io stdin_watcher;
		1079
711	ev_init (&stdin_watcher, my_cb);	1080	ev_init (&stdin_watcher, my_cb);
712	ev_io_set (&stdin_watcher, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);	1081	ev_io_set (&stdin_watcher, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);
713	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_watcher);	1082	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_watcher);
		1083
714	ev_loop (loop, 0);	1084	ev_run (loop, 0);
715		1085
716	As you can see, you are responsible for allocating the memory for your	1086	As you can see, you are responsible for allocating the memory for your
717	watcher structures (and it is usually a bad idea to do this on the stack,	1087	watcher structures (and it is I<usually> a bad idea to do this on the
718	although this can sometimes be quite valid).	1088	stack).
719		1089
		1090	Each watcher has an associated watcher structure (called C<struct ev_TYPE>
		1091	or simply C<ev_TYPE>, as typedefs are provided for all watcher structs).
		1092
720	Each watcher structure must be initialised by a call to C<ev_init	1093	Each watcher structure must be initialised by a call to C<ev_init (watcher
721	(watcher *, callback)>, which expects a callback to be provided. This	1094	*, callback)>, which expects a callback to be provided. This callback is
722	callback gets invoked each time the event occurs (or, in the case of io	1095	invoked each time the event occurs (or, in the case of I/O watchers, each
723	watchers, each time the event loop detects that the file descriptor given	1096	time the event loop detects that the file descriptor given is readable
724	is readable and/or writable).	1097	and/or writable).
725		1098
726	Each watcher type has its own C<< ev_<type>_set (watcher *, ...) >> macro	1099	Each watcher type further has its own C<< ev_TYPE_set (watcher *, ...) >>
727	with arguments specific to this watcher type. There is also a macro	1100	macro to configure it, with arguments specific to the watcher type. There
728	to combine initialisation and setting in one call: C<< ev_<type>_init	1101	is also a macro to combine initialisation and setting in one call: C<<
729	(watcher *, callback, ...) >>.	1102	ev_TYPE_init (watcher *, callback, ...) >>.
730		1103
731	To make the watcher actually watch out for events, you have to start it	1104	To make the watcher actually watch out for events, you have to start it
732	with a watcher-specific start function (C<< ev_<type>_start (loop, watcher	1105	with a watcher-specific start function (C<< ev_TYPE_start (loop, watcher
733	*) >>), and you can stop watching for events at any time by calling the	1106	*) >>), and you can stop watching for events at any time by calling the
734	corresponding stop function (C<< ev_<type>_stop (loop, watcher *) >>.	1107	corresponding stop function (C<< ev_TYPE_stop (loop, watcher *) >>.
735		1108
736	As long as your watcher is active (has been started but not stopped) you	1109	As long as your watcher is active (has been started but not stopped) you
737	must not touch the values stored in it. Most specifically you must never	1110	must not touch the values stored in it. Most specifically you must never
738	reinitialise it or call its C<set> macro.	1111	reinitialise it or call its C<ev_TYPE_set> macro.
739		1112
740	Each and every callback receives the event loop pointer as first, the	1113	Each and every callback receives the event loop pointer as first, the
741	registered watcher structure as second, and a bitset of received events as	1114	registered watcher structure as second, and a bitset of received events as
742	third argument.	1115	third argument.
743		1116
…		…
752	=item C<EV_WRITE>	1125	=item C<EV_WRITE>
753		1126
754	The file descriptor in the C<ev_io> watcher has become readable and/or	1127	The file descriptor in the C<ev_io> watcher has become readable and/or
755	writable.	1128	writable.
756		1129
757	=item C<EV_TIMEOUT>	1130	=item C<EV_TIMER>
758		1131
759	The C<ev_timer> watcher has timed out.	1132	The C<ev_timer> watcher has timed out.
760		1133
761	=item C<EV_PERIODIC>	1134	=item C<EV_PERIODIC>
762		1135
…		…
780		1153
781	=item C<EV_PREPARE>	1154	=item C<EV_PREPARE>
782		1155
783	=item C<EV_CHECK>	1156	=item C<EV_CHECK>
784		1157
785	All C<ev_prepare> watchers are invoked just I<before> C<ev_loop> starts	1158	All C<ev_prepare> watchers are invoked just I<before> C<ev_run> starts
786	to gather new events, and all C<ev_check> watchers are invoked just after	1159	to gather new events, and all C<ev_check> watchers are invoked just after
787	C<ev_loop> has gathered them, but before it invokes any callbacks for any	1160	C<ev_run> has gathered them, but before it invokes any callbacks for any
788	received events. Callbacks of both watcher types can start and stop as	1161	received events. Callbacks of both watcher types can start and stop as
789	many watchers as they want, and all of them will be taken into account	1162	many watchers as they want, and all of them will be taken into account
790	(for example, a C<ev_prepare> watcher might start an idle watcher to keep	1163	(for example, a C<ev_prepare> watcher might start an idle watcher to keep
791	C<ev_loop> from blocking).	1164	C<ev_run> from blocking).
792		1165
793	=item C<EV_EMBED>	1166	=item C<EV_EMBED>
794		1167
795	The embedded event loop specified in the C<ev_embed> watcher needs attention.	1168	The embedded event loop specified in the C<ev_embed> watcher needs attention.
796		1169
797	=item C<EV_FORK>	1170	=item C<EV_FORK>
798		1171
799	The event loop has been resumed in the child process after fork (see	1172	The event loop has been resumed in the child process after fork (see
800	C<ev_fork>).	1173	C<ev_fork>).
801		1174
		1175	=item C<EV_CLEANUP>
		1176
		1177	The event loop is about to be destroyed (see C<ev_cleanup>).
		1178
802	=item C<EV_ASYNC>	1179	=item C<EV_ASYNC>
803		1180
804	The given async watcher has been asynchronously notified (see C<ev_async>).	1181	The given async watcher has been asynchronously notified (see C<ev_async>).
805		1182
		1183	=item C<EV_CUSTOM>
		1184
		1185	Not ever sent (or otherwise used) by libev itself, but can be freely used
		1186	by libev users to signal watchers (e.g. via C<ev_feed_event>).
		1187
806	=item C<EV_ERROR>	1188	=item C<EV_ERROR>
807		1189
808	An unspecified error has occured, the watcher has been stopped. This might	1190	An unspecified error has occurred, the watcher has been stopped. This might
809	happen because the watcher could not be properly started because libev	1191	happen because the watcher could not be properly started because libev
810	ran out of memory, a file descriptor was found to be closed or any other	1192	ran out of memory, a file descriptor was found to be closed or any other
		1193	problem. Libev considers these application bugs.
		1194
811	problem. You best act on it by reporting the problem and somehow coping	1195	You best act on it by reporting the problem and somehow coping with the
812	with the watcher being stopped.	1196	watcher being stopped. Note that well-written programs should not receive
		1197	an error ever, so when your watcher receives it, this usually indicates a
		1198	bug in your program.
813		1199
814	Libev will usually signal a few "dummy" events together with an error,	1200	Libev will usually signal a few "dummy" events together with an error, for
815	for example it might indicate that a fd is readable or writable, and if	1201	example it might indicate that a fd is readable or writable, and if your
816	your callbacks is well-written it can just attempt the operation and cope	1202	callbacks is well-written it can just attempt the operation and cope with
817	with the error from read() or write(). This will not work in multithreaded	1203	the error from read() or write(). This will not work in multi-threaded
818	programs, though, so beware.	1204	programs, though, as the fd could already be closed and reused for another
		1205	thing, so beware.
819		1206
820	=back	1207	=back
821		1208
822	=head2 GENERIC WATCHER FUNCTIONS	1209	=head2 GENERIC WATCHER FUNCTIONS
823
824	In the following description, C<TYPE> stands for the watcher type,
825	e.g. C<timer> for C<ev_timer> watchers and C<io> for C<ev_io> watchers.
826		1210
827	=over 4	1211	=over 4
828		1212
829	=item C<ev_init> (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback)	1213	=item C<ev_init> (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback)
830		1214
…		…
836	which rolls both calls into one.	1220	which rolls both calls into one.
837		1221
838	You can reinitialise a watcher at any time as long as it has been stopped	1222	You can reinitialise a watcher at any time as long as it has been stopped
839	(or never started) and there are no pending events outstanding.	1223	(or never started) and there are no pending events outstanding.
840		1224
841	The callback is always of type C<void (*)(ev_loop *loop, ev_TYPE *watcher,	1225	The callback is always of type C<void (*)(struct ev_loop *loop, ev_TYPE *watcher,
842	int revents)>.	1226	int revents)>.
843		1227
		1228	Example: Initialise an C<ev_io> watcher in two steps.
		1229
		1230	ev_io w;
		1231	ev_init (&w, my_cb);
		1232	ev_io_set (&w, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);
		1233
844	=item C<ev_TYPE_set> (ev_TYPE *, [args])	1234	=item C<ev_TYPE_set> (ev_TYPE *watcher, [args])
845		1235
846	This macro initialises the type-specific parts of a watcher. You need to	1236	This macro initialises the type-specific parts of a watcher. You need to
847	call C<ev_init> at least once before you call this macro, but you can	1237	call C<ev_init> at least once before you call this macro, but you can
848	call C<ev_TYPE_set> any number of times. You must not, however, call this	1238	call C<ev_TYPE_set> any number of times. You must not, however, call this
849	macro on a watcher that is active (it can be pending, however, which is a	1239	macro on a watcher that is active (it can be pending, however, which is a
850	difference to the C<ev_init> macro).	1240	difference to the C<ev_init> macro).
851		1241
852	Although some watcher types do not have type-specific arguments	1242	Although some watcher types do not have type-specific arguments
853	(e.g. C<ev_prepare>) you still need to call its C<set> macro.	1243	(e.g. C<ev_prepare>) you still need to call its C<set> macro.
854		1244
		1245	See C<ev_init>, above, for an example.
		1246
855	=item C<ev_TYPE_init> (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback, [args])	1247	=item C<ev_TYPE_init> (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback, [args])
856		1248
857	This convinience macro rolls both C<ev_init> and C<ev_TYPE_set> macro	1249	This convenience macro rolls both C<ev_init> and C<ev_TYPE_set> macro
858	calls into a single call. This is the most convinient method to initialise	1250	calls into a single call. This is the most convenient method to initialise
859	a watcher. The same limitations apply, of course.	1251	a watcher. The same limitations apply, of course.
860		1252
		1253	Example: Initialise and set an C<ev_io> watcher in one step.
		1254
		1255	ev_io_init (&w, my_cb, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);
		1256
861	=item C<ev_TYPE_start> (loop *, ev_TYPE *watcher)	1257	=item C<ev_TYPE_start> (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher)
862		1258
863	Starts (activates) the given watcher. Only active watchers will receive	1259	Starts (activates) the given watcher. Only active watchers will receive
864	events. If the watcher is already active nothing will happen.	1260	events. If the watcher is already active nothing will happen.
865		1261
		1262	Example: Start the C<ev_io> watcher that is being abused as example in this
		1263	whole section.
		1264
		1265	ev_io_start (EV_DEFAULT_UC, &w);
		1266
866	=item C<ev_TYPE_stop> (loop *, ev_TYPE *watcher)	1267	=item C<ev_TYPE_stop> (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher)
867		1268
868	Stops the given watcher again (if active) and clears the pending	1269	Stops the given watcher if active, and clears the pending status (whether
		1270	the watcher was active or not).
		1271
869	status. It is possible that stopped watchers are pending (for example,	1272	It is possible that stopped watchers are pending - for example,
870	non-repeating timers are being stopped when they become pending), but	1273	non-repeating timers are being stopped when they become pending - but
871	C<ev_TYPE_stop> ensures that the watcher is neither active nor pending. If	1274	calling C<ev_TYPE_stop> ensures that the watcher is neither active nor
872	you want to free or reuse the memory used by the watcher it is therefore a	1275	pending. If you want to free or reuse the memory used by the watcher it is
873	good idea to always call its C<ev_TYPE_stop> function.	1276	therefore a good idea to always call its C<ev_TYPE_stop> function.
874		1277
875	=item bool ev_is_active (ev_TYPE *watcher)	1278	=item bool ev_is_active (ev_TYPE *watcher)
876		1279
877	Returns a true value iff the watcher is active (i.e. it has been started	1280	Returns a true value iff the watcher is active (i.e. it has been started
878	and not yet been stopped). As long as a watcher is active you must not modify	1281	and not yet been stopped). As long as a watcher is active you must not modify
…		…
894	=item ev_cb_set (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback)	1297	=item ev_cb_set (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback)
895		1298
896	Change the callback. You can change the callback at virtually any time	1299	Change the callback. You can change the callback at virtually any time
897	(modulo threads).	1300	(modulo threads).
898		1301
899	=item ev_set_priority (ev_TYPE *watcher, priority)	1302	=item ev_set_priority (ev_TYPE *watcher, int priority)
900		1303
901	=item int ev_priority (ev_TYPE *watcher)	1304	=item int ev_priority (ev_TYPE *watcher)
902		1305
903	Set and query the priority of the watcher. The priority is a small	1306	Set and query the priority of the watcher. The priority is a small
904	integer between C<EV_MAXPRI> (default: C<2>) and C<EV_MINPRI>	1307	integer between C<EV_MAXPRI> (default: C<2>) and C<EV_MINPRI>
905	(default: C<-2>). Pending watchers with higher priority will be invoked	1308	(default: C<-2>). Pending watchers with higher priority will be invoked
906	before watchers with lower priority, but priority will not keep watchers	1309	before watchers with lower priority, but priority will not keep watchers
907	from being executed (except for C<ev_idle> watchers).	1310	from being executed (except for C<ev_idle> watchers).
908		1311
909	This means that priorities are I<only> used for ordering callback
910	invocation after new events have been received. This is useful, for
911	example, to reduce latency after idling, or more often, to bind two
912	watchers on the same event and make sure one is called first.
913
914	If you need to suppress invocation when higher priority events are pending	1312	If you need to suppress invocation when higher priority events are pending
915	you need to look at C<ev_idle> watchers, which provide this functionality.	1313	you need to look at C<ev_idle> watchers, which provide this functionality.
916		1314
917	You I<must not> change the priority of a watcher as long as it is active or	1315	You I<must not> change the priority of a watcher as long as it is active or
918	pending.	1316	pending.
919		1317
		1318	Setting a priority outside the range of C<EV_MINPRI> to C<EV_MAXPRI> is
		1319	fine, as long as you do not mind that the priority value you query might
		1320	or might not have been clamped to the valid range.
		1321
920	The default priority used by watchers when no priority has been set is	1322	The default priority used by watchers when no priority has been set is
921	always C<0>, which is supposed to not be too high and not be too low :).	1323	always C<0>, which is supposed to not be too high and not be too low :).
922		1324
923	Setting a priority outside the range of C<EV_MINPRI> to C<EV_MAXPRI> is	1325	See L<WATCHER PRIORITY MODELS>, below, for a more thorough treatment of
924	fine, as long as you do not mind that the priority value you query might	1326	priorities.
925	or might not have been adjusted to be within valid range.
926		1327
927	=item ev_invoke (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher, int revents)	1328	=item ev_invoke (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher, int revents)
928		1329
929	Invoke the C<watcher> with the given C<loop> and C<revents>. Neither	1330	Invoke the C<watcher> with the given C<loop> and C<revents>. Neither
930	C<loop> nor C<revents> need to be valid as long as the watcher callback	1331	C<loop> nor C<revents> need to be valid as long as the watcher callback
931	can deal with that fact.	1332	can deal with that fact, as both are simply passed through to the
		1333	callback.
932		1334
933	=item int ev_clear_pending (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher)	1335	=item int ev_clear_pending (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher)
934		1336
935	If the watcher is pending, this function returns clears its pending status	1337	If the watcher is pending, this function clears its pending status and
936	and returns its C<revents> bitset (as if its callback was invoked). If the	1338	returns its C<revents> bitset (as if its callback was invoked). If the
937	watcher isn't pending it does nothing and returns C<0>.	1339	watcher isn't pending it does nothing and returns C<0>.
938		1340
		1341	Sometimes it can be useful to "poll" a watcher instead of waiting for its
		1342	callback to be invoked, which can be accomplished with this function.
		1343
		1344	=item ev_feed_event (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher, int revents)
		1345
		1346	Feeds the given event set into the event loop, as if the specified event
		1347	had happened for the specified watcher (which must be a pointer to an
		1348	initialised but not necessarily started event watcher). Obviously you must
		1349	not free the watcher as long as it has pending events.
		1350
		1351	Stopping the watcher, letting libev invoke it, or calling
		1352	C<ev_clear_pending> will clear the pending event, even if the watcher was
		1353	not started in the first place.
		1354
		1355	See also C<ev_feed_fd_event> and C<ev_feed_signal_event> for related
		1356	functions that do not need a watcher.
		1357
939	=back	1358	=back
940		1359
941
942	=head2 ASSOCIATING CUSTOM DATA WITH A WATCHER	1360	=head2 ASSOCIATING CUSTOM DATA WITH A WATCHER
943		1361
944	Each watcher has, by default, a member C<void *data> that you can change	1362	Each watcher has, by default, a member C<void *data> that you can change
945	and read at any time, libev will completely ignore it. This can be used	1363	and read at any time: libev will completely ignore it. This can be used
946	to associate arbitrary data with your watcher. If you need more data and	1364	to associate arbitrary data with your watcher. If you need more data and
947	don't want to allocate memory and store a pointer to it in that data	1365	don't want to allocate memory and store a pointer to it in that data
948	member, you can also "subclass" the watcher type and provide your own	1366	member, you can also "subclass" the watcher type and provide your own
949	data:	1367	data:
950		1368
951	struct my_io	1369	struct my_io
952	{	1370	{
953	struct ev_io io;	1371	ev_io io;
954	int otherfd;	1372	int otherfd;
955	void *somedata;	1373	void *somedata;
956	struct whatever *mostinteresting;	1374	struct whatever *mostinteresting;
957	}	1375	};
		1376
		1377	...
		1378	struct my_io w;
		1379	ev_io_init (&w.io, my_cb, fd, EV_READ);
958		1380
959	And since your callback will be called with a pointer to the watcher, you	1381	And since your callback will be called with a pointer to the watcher, you
960	can cast it back to your own type:	1382	can cast it back to your own type:
961		1383
962	static void my_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w_, int revents)	1384	static void my_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w_, int revents)
963	{	1385	{
964	struct my_io *w = (struct my_io *)w_;	1386	struct my_io *w = (struct my_io *)w_;
965	...	1387	...
966	}	1388	}
967		1389
968	More interesting and less C-conformant ways of casting your callback type	1390	More interesting and less C-conformant ways of casting your callback type
969	instead have been omitted.	1391	instead have been omitted.
970		1392
971	Another common scenario is having some data structure with multiple	1393	Another common scenario is to use some data structure with multiple
972	watchers:	1394	embedded watchers:
973		1395
974	struct my_biggy	1396	struct my_biggy
975	{	1397	{
976	int some_data;	1398	int some_data;
977	ev_timer t1;	1399	ev_timer t1;
978	ev_timer t2;	1400	ev_timer t2;
979	}	1401	}
980		1402
981	In this case getting the pointer to C<my_biggy> is a bit more complicated,	1403	In this case getting the pointer to C<my_biggy> is a bit more
982	you need to use C<offsetof>:	1404	complicated: Either you store the address of your C<my_biggy> struct
		1405	in the C<data> member of the watcher (for woozies), or you need to use
		1406	some pointer arithmetic using C<offsetof> inside your watchers (for real
		1407	programmers):
983		1408
984	#include <stddef.h>	1409	#include <stddef.h>
985		1410
986	static void	1411	static void
987	t1_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	1412	t1_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
988	{	1413	{
989	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *	1414	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *)
990	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t1));	1415	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t1));
991	}	1416	}
992		1417
993	static void	1418	static void
994	t2_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	1419	t2_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
995	{	1420	{
996	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *	1421	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *)
997	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t2));	1422	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t2));
998	}	1423	}
		1424
		1425	=head2 WATCHER STATES
		1426
		1427	There are various watcher states mentioned throughout this manual -
		1428	active, pending and so on. In this section these states and the rules to
		1429	transition between them will be described in more detail - and while these
		1430	rules might look complicated, they usually do "the right thing".
		1431
		1432	=over 4
		1433
		1434	=item initialiased
		1435
		1436	Before a watcher can be registered with the event looop it has to be
		1437	initialised. This can be done with a call to C<ev_TYPE_init>, or calls to
		1438	C<ev_init> followed by the watcher-specific C<ev_TYPE_set> function.
		1439
		1440	In this state it is simply some block of memory that is suitable for use
		1441	in an event loop. It can be moved around, freed, reused etc. at will.
		1442
		1443	=item started/running/active
		1444
		1445	Once a watcher has been started with a call to C<ev_TYPE_start> it becomes
		1446	property of the event loop, and is actively waiting for events. While in
		1447	this state it cannot be accessed (except in a few documented ways), moved,
		1448	freed or anything else - the only legal thing is to keep a pointer to it,
		1449	and call libev functions on it that are documented to work on active watchers.
		1450
		1451	=item pending
		1452
		1453	If a watcher is active and libev determines that an event it is interested
		1454	in has occurred (such as a timer expiring), it will become pending. It will
		1455	stay in this pending state until either it is stopped or its callback is
		1456	about to be invoked, so it is not normally pending inside the watcher
		1457	callback.
		1458
		1459	The watcher might or might not be active while it is pending (for example,
		1460	an expired non-repeating timer can be pending but no longer active). If it
		1461	is stopped, it can be freely accessed (e.g. by calling C<ev_TYPE_set>),
		1462	but it is still property of the event loop at this time, so cannot be
		1463	moved, freed or reused. And if it is active the rules described in the
		1464	previous item still apply.
		1465
		1466	It is also possible to feed an event on a watcher that is not active (e.g.
		1467	via C<ev_feed_event>), in which case it becomes pending without being
		1468	active.
		1469
		1470	=item stopped
		1471
		1472	A watcher can be stopped implicitly by libev (in which case it might still
		1473	be pending), or explicitly by calling its C<ev_TYPE_stop> function. The
		1474	latter will clear any pending state the watcher might be in, regardless
		1475	of whether it was active or not, so stopping a watcher explicitly before
		1476	freeing it is often a good idea.
		1477
		1478	While stopped (and not pending) the watcher is essentially in the
		1479	initialised state, that is it can be reused, moved, modified in any way
		1480	you wish.
		1481
		1482	=back
		1483
		1484	=head2 WATCHER PRIORITY MODELS
		1485
		1486	Many event loops support I<watcher priorities>, which are usually small
		1487	integers that influence the ordering of event callback invocation
		1488	between watchers in some way, all else being equal.
		1489
		1490	In libev, Watcher priorities can be set using C<ev_set_priority>. See its
		1491	description for the more technical details such as the actual priority
		1492	range.
		1493
		1494	There are two common ways how these these priorities are being interpreted
		1495	by event loops:
		1496
		1497	In the more common lock-out model, higher priorities "lock out" invocation
		1498	of lower priority watchers, which means as long as higher priority
		1499	watchers receive events, lower priority watchers are not being invoked.
		1500
		1501	The less common only-for-ordering model uses priorities solely to order
		1502	callback invocation within a single event loop iteration: Higher priority
		1503	watchers are invoked before lower priority ones, but they all get invoked
		1504	before polling for new events.
		1505
		1506	Libev uses the second (only-for-ordering) model for all its watchers
		1507	except for idle watchers (which use the lock-out model).
		1508
		1509	The rationale behind this is that implementing the lock-out model for
		1510	watchers is not well supported by most kernel interfaces, and most event
		1511	libraries will just poll for the same events again and again as long as
		1512	their callbacks have not been executed, which is very inefficient in the
		1513	common case of one high-priority watcher locking out a mass of lower
		1514	priority ones.
		1515
		1516	Static (ordering) priorities are most useful when you have two or more
		1517	watchers handling the same resource: a typical usage example is having an
		1518	C<ev_io> watcher to receive data, and an associated C<ev_timer> to handle
		1519	timeouts. Under load, data might be received while the program handles
		1520	other jobs, but since timers normally get invoked first, the timeout
		1521	handler will be executed before checking for data. In that case, giving
		1522	the timer a lower priority than the I/O watcher ensures that I/O will be
		1523	handled first even under adverse conditions (which is usually, but not
		1524	always, what you want).
		1525
		1526	Since idle watchers use the "lock-out" model, meaning that idle watchers
		1527	will only be executed when no same or higher priority watchers have
		1528	received events, they can be used to implement the "lock-out" model when
		1529	required.
		1530
		1531	For example, to emulate how many other event libraries handle priorities,
		1532	you can associate an C<ev_idle> watcher to each such watcher, and in
		1533	the normal watcher callback, you just start the idle watcher. The real
		1534	processing is done in the idle watcher callback. This causes libev to
		1535	continuously poll and process kernel event data for the watcher, but when
		1536	the lock-out case is known to be rare (which in turn is rare :), this is
		1537	workable.
		1538
		1539	Usually, however, the lock-out model implemented that way will perform
		1540	miserably under the type of load it was designed to handle. In that case,
		1541	it might be preferable to stop the real watcher before starting the
		1542	idle watcher, so the kernel will not have to process the event in case
		1543	the actual processing will be delayed for considerable time.
		1544
		1545	Here is an example of an I/O watcher that should run at a strictly lower
		1546	priority than the default, and which should only process data when no
		1547	other events are pending:
		1548
		1549	ev_idle idle; // actual processing watcher
		1550	ev_io io; // actual event watcher
		1551
		1552	static void
		1553	io_cb (EV_P_ ev_io *w, int revents)
		1554	{
		1555	// stop the I/O watcher, we received the event, but
		1556	// are not yet ready to handle it.
		1557	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ w);
		1558
		1559	// start the idle watcher to handle the actual event.
		1560	// it will not be executed as long as other watchers
		1561	// with the default priority are receiving events.
		1562	ev_idle_start (EV_A_ &idle);
		1563	}
		1564
		1565	static void
		1566	idle_cb (EV_P_ ev_idle *w, int revents)
		1567	{
		1568	// actual processing
		1569	read (STDIN_FILENO, ...);
		1570
		1571	// have to start the I/O watcher again, as
		1572	// we have handled the event
		1573	ev_io_start (EV_P_ &io);
		1574	}
		1575
		1576	// initialisation
		1577	ev_idle_init (&idle, idle_cb);
		1578	ev_io_init (&io, io_cb, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);
		1579	ev_io_start (EV_DEFAULT_ &io);
		1580
		1581	In the "real" world, it might also be beneficial to start a timer, so that
		1582	low-priority connections can not be locked out forever under load. This
		1583	enables your program to keep a lower latency for important connections
		1584	during short periods of high load, while not completely locking out less
		1585	important ones.
999		1586
1000		1587
1001	=head1 WATCHER TYPES	1588	=head1 WATCHER TYPES
1002		1589
1003	This section describes each watcher in detail, but will not repeat	1590	This section describes each watcher in detail, but will not repeat
…		…
1027	In general you can register as many read and/or write event watchers per	1614	In general you can register as many read and/or write event watchers per
1028	fd as you want (as long as you don't confuse yourself). Setting all file	1615	fd as you want (as long as you don't confuse yourself). Setting all file
1029	descriptors to non-blocking mode is also usually a good idea (but not	1616	descriptors to non-blocking mode is also usually a good idea (but not
1030	required if you know what you are doing).	1617	required if you know what you are doing).
1031		1618
1032	If you must do this, then force the use of a known-to-be-good backend	1619	If you cannot use non-blocking mode, then force the use of a
1033	(at the time of this writing, this includes only C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> and	1620	known-to-be-good backend (at the time of this writing, this includes only
1034	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>).	1621	C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> and C<EVBACKEND_POLL>). The same applies to file
		1622	descriptors for which non-blocking operation makes no sense (such as
		1623	files) - libev doesn't guarantee any specific behaviour in that case.
1035		1624
1036	Another thing you have to watch out for is that it is quite easy to	1625	Another thing you have to watch out for is that it is quite easy to
1037	receive "spurious" readiness notifications, that is your callback might	1626	receive "spurious" readiness notifications, that is your callback might
1038	be called with C<EV_READ> but a subsequent C<read>(2) will actually block	1627	be called with C<EV_READ> but a subsequent C<read>(2) will actually block
1039	because there is no data. Not only are some backends known to create a	1628	because there is no data. Not only are some backends known to create a
1040	lot of those (for example solaris ports), it is very easy to get into	1629	lot of those (for example Solaris ports), it is very easy to get into
1041	this situation even with a relatively standard program structure. Thus	1630	this situation even with a relatively standard program structure. Thus
1042	it is best to always use non-blocking I/O: An extra C<read>(2) returning	1631	it is best to always use non-blocking I/O: An extra C<read>(2) returning
1043	C<EAGAIN> is far preferable to a program hanging until some data arrives.	1632	C<EAGAIN> is far preferable to a program hanging until some data arrives.
1044		1633
1045	If you cannot run the fd in non-blocking mode (for example you should not	1634	If you cannot run the fd in non-blocking mode (for example you should
1046	play around with an Xlib connection), then you have to seperately re-test	1635	not play around with an Xlib connection), then you have to separately
1047	whether a file descriptor is really ready with a known-to-be good interface	1636	re-test whether a file descriptor is really ready with a known-to-be good
1048	such as poll (fortunately in our Xlib example, Xlib already does this on	1637	interface such as poll (fortunately in our Xlib example, Xlib already
1049	its own, so its quite safe to use).	1638	does this on its own, so its quite safe to use). Some people additionally
		1639	use C<SIGALRM> and an interval timer, just to be sure you won't block
		1640	indefinitely.
		1641
		1642	But really, best use non-blocking mode.
1050		1643
1051	=head3 The special problem of disappearing file descriptors	1644	=head3 The special problem of disappearing file descriptors
1052		1645
1053	Some backends (e.g. kqueue, epoll) need to be told about closing a file	1646	Some backends (e.g. kqueue, epoll) need to be told about closing a file
1054	descriptor (either by calling C<close> explicitly or by any other means,	1647	descriptor (either due to calling C<close> explicitly or any other means,
1055	such as C<dup>). The reason is that you register interest in some file	1648	such as C<dup2>). The reason is that you register interest in some file
1056	descriptor, but when it goes away, the operating system will silently drop	1649	descriptor, but when it goes away, the operating system will silently drop
1057	this interest. If another file descriptor with the same number then is	1650	this interest. If another file descriptor with the same number then is
1058	registered with libev, there is no efficient way to see that this is, in	1651	registered with libev, there is no efficient way to see that this is, in
1059	fact, a different file descriptor.	1652	fact, a different file descriptor.
1060		1653
…		…
1091	enable C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>, or resort to C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or	1684	enable C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>, or resort to C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or
1092	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.	1685	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
1093		1686
1094	=head3 The special problem of SIGPIPE	1687	=head3 The special problem of SIGPIPE
1095		1688
1096	While not really specific to libev, it is easy to forget about SIGPIPE:	1689	While not really specific to libev, it is easy to forget about C<SIGPIPE>:
1097	when reading from a pipe whose other end has been closed, your program	1690	when writing to a pipe whose other end has been closed, your program gets
1098	gets send a SIGPIPE, which, by default, aborts your program. For most	1691	sent a SIGPIPE, which, by default, aborts your program. For most programs
1099	programs this is sensible behaviour, for daemons, this is usually	1692	this is sensible behaviour, for daemons, this is usually undesirable.
1100	undesirable.
1101		1693
1102	So when you encounter spurious, unexplained daemon exits, make sure you	1694	So when you encounter spurious, unexplained daemon exits, make sure you
1103	ignore SIGPIPE (and maybe make sure you log the exit status of your daemon	1695	ignore SIGPIPE (and maybe make sure you log the exit status of your daemon
1104	somewhere, as that would have given you a big clue).	1696	somewhere, as that would have given you a big clue).
1105		1697
		1698	=head3 The special problem of accept()ing when you can't
		1699
		1700	Many implementations of the POSIX C<accept> function (for example,
		1701	found in post-2004 Linux) have the peculiar behaviour of not removing a
		1702	connection from the pending queue in all error cases.
		1703
		1704	For example, larger servers often run out of file descriptors (because
		1705	of resource limits), causing C<accept> to fail with C<ENFILE> but not
		1706	rejecting the connection, leading to libev signalling readiness on
		1707	the next iteration again (the connection still exists after all), and
		1708	typically causing the program to loop at 100% CPU usage.
		1709
		1710	Unfortunately, the set of errors that cause this issue differs between
		1711	operating systems, there is usually little the app can do to remedy the
		1712	situation, and no known thread-safe method of removing the connection to
		1713	cope with overload is known (to me).
		1714
		1715	One of the easiest ways to handle this situation is to just ignore it
		1716	- when the program encounters an overload, it will just loop until the
		1717	situation is over. While this is a form of busy waiting, no OS offers an
		1718	event-based way to handle this situation, so it's the best one can do.
		1719
		1720	A better way to handle the situation is to log any errors other than
		1721	C<EAGAIN> and C<EWOULDBLOCK>, making sure not to flood the log with such
		1722	messages, and continue as usual, which at least gives the user an idea of
		1723	what could be wrong ("raise the ulimit!"). For extra points one could stop
		1724	the C<ev_io> watcher on the listening fd "for a while", which reduces CPU
		1725	usage.
		1726
		1727	If your program is single-threaded, then you could also keep a dummy file
		1728	descriptor for overload situations (e.g. by opening F</dev/null>), and
		1729	when you run into C<ENFILE> or C<EMFILE>, close it, run C<accept>,
		1730	close that fd, and create a new dummy fd. This will gracefully refuse
		1731	clients under typical overload conditions.
		1732
		1733	The last way to handle it is to simply log the error and C<exit>, as
		1734	is often done with C<malloc> failures, but this results in an easy
		1735	opportunity for a DoS attack.
1106		1736
1107	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions	1737	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions
1108		1738
1109	=over 4	1739	=over 4
1110		1740
1111	=item ev_io_init (ev_io *, callback, int fd, int events)	1741	=item ev_io_init (ev_io *, callback, int fd, int events)
1112		1742
1113	=item ev_io_set (ev_io *, int fd, int events)	1743	=item ev_io_set (ev_io *, int fd, int events)
1114		1744
1115	Configures an C<ev_io> watcher. The C<fd> is the file descriptor to	1745	Configures an C<ev_io> watcher. The C<fd> is the file descriptor to
1116	rceeive events for and events is either C<EV_READ>, C<EV_WRITE> or	1746	receive events for and C<events> is either C<EV_READ>, C<EV_WRITE> or
1117	C<EV_READ | EV_WRITE> to receive the given events.	1747	C<EV_READ | EV_WRITE>, to express the desire to receive the given events.
1118		1748
1119	=item int fd [read-only]	1749	=item int fd [read-only]
1120		1750
1121	The file descriptor being watched.	1751	The file descriptor being watched.
1122		1752
…		…
1130		1760
1131	Example: Call C<stdin_readable_cb> when STDIN_FILENO has become, well	1761	Example: Call C<stdin_readable_cb> when STDIN_FILENO has become, well
1132	readable, but only once. Since it is likely line-buffered, you could	1762	readable, but only once. Since it is likely line-buffered, you could
1133	attempt to read a whole line in the callback.	1763	attempt to read a whole line in the callback.
1134		1764
1135	static void	1765	static void
1136	stdin_readable_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w, int revents)	1766	stdin_readable_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w, int revents)
1137	{	1767	{
1138	ev_io_stop (loop, w);	1768	ev_io_stop (loop, w);
1139	.. read from stdin here (or from w->fd) and haqndle any I/O errors	1769	.. read from stdin here (or from w->fd) and handle any I/O errors
1140	}	1770	}
1141		1771
1142	...	1772	...
1143	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_init (0);	1773	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_init (0);
1144	struct ev_io stdin_readable;	1774	ev_io stdin_readable;
1145	ev_io_init (&stdin_readable, stdin_readable_cb, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);	1775	ev_io_init (&stdin_readable, stdin_readable_cb, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);
1146	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_readable);	1776	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_readable);
1147	ev_loop (loop, 0);	1777	ev_run (loop, 0);
1148		1778
1149		1779
1150	=head2 C<ev_timer> - relative and optionally repeating timeouts	1780	=head2 C<ev_timer> - relative and optionally repeating timeouts
1151		1781
1152	Timer watchers are simple relative timers that generate an event after a	1782	Timer watchers are simple relative timers that generate an event after a
1153	given time, and optionally repeating in regular intervals after that.	1783	given time, and optionally repeating in regular intervals after that.
1154		1784
1155	The timers are based on real time, that is, if you register an event that	1785	The timers are based on real time, that is, if you register an event that
1156	times out after an hour and you reset your system clock to last years	1786	times out after an hour and you reset your system clock to January last
1157	time, it will still time out after (roughly) and hour. "Roughly" because	1787	year, it will still time out after (roughly) one hour. "Roughly" because
1158	detecting time jumps is hard, and some inaccuracies are unavoidable (the	1788	detecting time jumps is hard, and some inaccuracies are unavoidable (the
1159	monotonic clock option helps a lot here).	1789	monotonic clock option helps a lot here).
		1790
		1791	The callback is guaranteed to be invoked only I<after> its timeout has
		1792	passed (not I<at>, so on systems with very low-resolution clocks this
		1793	might introduce a small delay). If multiple timers become ready during the
		1794	same loop iteration then the ones with earlier time-out values are invoked
		1795	before ones of the same priority with later time-out values (but this is
		1796	no longer true when a callback calls C<ev_run> recursively).
		1797
		1798	=head3 Be smart about timeouts
		1799
		1800	Many real-world problems involve some kind of timeout, usually for error
		1801	recovery. A typical example is an HTTP request - if the other side hangs,
		1802	you want to raise some error after a while.
		1803
		1804	What follows are some ways to handle this problem, from obvious and
		1805	inefficient to smart and efficient.
		1806
		1807	In the following, a 60 second activity timeout is assumed - a timeout that
		1808	gets reset to 60 seconds each time there is activity (e.g. each time some
		1809	data or other life sign was received).
		1810
		1811	=over 4
		1812
		1813	=item 1. Use a timer and stop, reinitialise and start it on activity.
		1814
		1815	This is the most obvious, but not the most simple way: In the beginning,
		1816	start the watcher:
		1817
		1818	ev_timer_init (timer, callback, 60., 0.);
		1819	ev_timer_start (loop, timer);
		1820
		1821	Then, each time there is some activity, C<ev_timer_stop> it, initialise it
		1822	and start it again:
		1823
		1824	ev_timer_stop (loop, timer);
		1825	ev_timer_set (timer, 60., 0.);
		1826	ev_timer_start (loop, timer);
		1827
		1828	This is relatively simple to implement, but means that each time there is
		1829	some activity, libev will first have to remove the timer from its internal
		1830	data structure and then add it again. Libev tries to be fast, but it's
		1831	still not a constant-time operation.
		1832
		1833	=item 2. Use a timer and re-start it with C<ev_timer_again> inactivity.
		1834
		1835	This is the easiest way, and involves using C<ev_timer_again> instead of
		1836	C<ev_timer_start>.
		1837
		1838	To implement this, configure an C<ev_timer> with a C<repeat> value
		1839	of C<60> and then call C<ev_timer_again> at start and each time you
		1840	successfully read or write some data. If you go into an idle state where
		1841	you do not expect data to travel on the socket, you can C<ev_timer_stop>
		1842	the timer, and C<ev_timer_again> will automatically restart it if need be.
		1843
		1844	That means you can ignore both the C<ev_timer_start> function and the
		1845	C<after> argument to C<ev_timer_set>, and only ever use the C<repeat>
		1846	member and C<ev_timer_again>.
		1847
		1848	At start:
		1849
		1850	ev_init (timer, callback);
		1851	timer->repeat = 60.;
		1852	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
		1853
		1854	Each time there is some activity:
		1855
		1856	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
		1857
		1858	It is even possible to change the time-out on the fly, regardless of
		1859	whether the watcher is active or not:
		1860
		1861	timer->repeat = 30.;
		1862	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
		1863
		1864	This is slightly more efficient then stopping/starting the timer each time
		1865	you want to modify its timeout value, as libev does not have to completely
		1866	remove and re-insert the timer from/into its internal data structure.
		1867
		1868	It is, however, even simpler than the "obvious" way to do it.
		1869
		1870	=item 3. Let the timer time out, but then re-arm it as required.
		1871
		1872	This method is more tricky, but usually most efficient: Most timeouts are
		1873	relatively long compared to the intervals between other activity - in
		1874	our example, within 60 seconds, there are usually many I/O events with
		1875	associated activity resets.
		1876
		1877	In this case, it would be more efficient to leave the C<ev_timer> alone,
		1878	but remember the time of last activity, and check for a real timeout only
		1879	within the callback:
		1880
		1881	ev_tstamp last_activity; // time of last activity
		1882
		1883	static void
		1884	callback (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
		1885	{
		1886	ev_tstamp now = ev_now (EV_A);
		1887	ev_tstamp timeout = last_activity + 60.;
		1888
		1889	// if last_activity + 60. is older than now, we did time out
		1890	if (timeout < now)
		1891	{
		1892	// timeout occurred, take action
		1893	}
		1894	else
		1895	{
		1896	// callback was invoked, but there was some activity, re-arm
		1897	// the watcher to fire in last_activity + 60, which is
		1898	// guaranteed to be in the future, so "again" is positive:
		1899	w->repeat = timeout - now;
		1900	ev_timer_again (EV_A_ w);
		1901	}
		1902	}
		1903
		1904	To summarise the callback: first calculate the real timeout (defined
		1905	as "60 seconds after the last activity"), then check if that time has
		1906	been reached, which means something I<did>, in fact, time out. Otherwise
		1907	the callback was invoked too early (C<timeout> is in the future), so
		1908	re-schedule the timer to fire at that future time, to see if maybe we have
		1909	a timeout then.
		1910
		1911	Note how C<ev_timer_again> is used, taking advantage of the
		1912	C<ev_timer_again> optimisation when the timer is already running.
		1913
		1914	This scheme causes more callback invocations (about one every 60 seconds
		1915	minus half the average time between activity), but virtually no calls to
		1916	libev to change the timeout.
		1917
		1918	To start the timer, simply initialise the watcher and set C<last_activity>
		1919	to the current time (meaning we just have some activity :), then call the
		1920	callback, which will "do the right thing" and start the timer:
		1921
		1922	ev_init (timer, callback);
		1923	last_activity = ev_now (loop);
		1924	callback (loop, timer, EV_TIMER);
		1925
		1926	And when there is some activity, simply store the current time in
		1927	C<last_activity>, no libev calls at all:
		1928
		1929	last_activity = ev_now (loop);
		1930
		1931	This technique is slightly more complex, but in most cases where the
		1932	time-out is unlikely to be triggered, much more efficient.
		1933
		1934	Changing the timeout is trivial as well (if it isn't hard-coded in the
		1935	callback :) - just change the timeout and invoke the callback, which will
		1936	fix things for you.
		1937
		1938	=item 4. Wee, just use a double-linked list for your timeouts.
		1939
		1940	If there is not one request, but many thousands (millions...), all
		1941	employing some kind of timeout with the same timeout value, then one can
		1942	do even better:
		1943
		1944	When starting the timeout, calculate the timeout value and put the timeout
		1945	at the I<end> of the list.
		1946
		1947	Then use an C<ev_timer> to fire when the timeout at the I<beginning> of
		1948	the list is expected to fire (for example, using the technique #3).
		1949
		1950	When there is some activity, remove the timer from the list, recalculate
		1951	the timeout, append it to the end of the list again, and make sure to
		1952	update the C<ev_timer> if it was taken from the beginning of the list.
		1953
		1954	This way, one can manage an unlimited number of timeouts in O(1) time for
		1955	starting, stopping and updating the timers, at the expense of a major
		1956	complication, and having to use a constant timeout. The constant timeout
		1957	ensures that the list stays sorted.
		1958
		1959	=back
		1960
		1961	So which method the best?
		1962
		1963	Method #2 is a simple no-brain-required solution that is adequate in most
		1964	situations. Method #3 requires a bit more thinking, but handles many cases
		1965	better, and isn't very complicated either. In most case, choosing either
		1966	one is fine, with #3 being better in typical situations.
		1967
		1968	Method #1 is almost always a bad idea, and buys you nothing. Method #4 is
		1969	rather complicated, but extremely efficient, something that really pays
		1970	off after the first million or so of active timers, i.e. it's usually
		1971	overkill :)
		1972
		1973	=head3 The special problem of time updates
		1974
		1975	Establishing the current time is a costly operation (it usually takes at
		1976	least two system calls): EV therefore updates its idea of the current
		1977	time only before and after C<ev_run> collects new events, which causes a
		1978	growing difference between C<ev_now ()> and C<ev_time ()> when handling
		1979	lots of events in one iteration.
1160		1980
1161	The relative timeouts are calculated relative to the C<ev_now ()>	1981	The relative timeouts are calculated relative to the C<ev_now ()>
1162	time. This is usually the right thing as this timestamp refers to the time	1982	time. This is usually the right thing as this timestamp refers to the time
1163	of the event triggering whatever timeout you are modifying/starting. If	1983	of the event triggering whatever timeout you are modifying/starting. If
1164	you suspect event processing to be delayed and you I<need> to base the timeout	1984	you suspect event processing to be delayed and you I<need> to base the
1165	on the current time, use something like this to adjust for this:	1985	timeout on the current time, use something like this to adjust for this:
1166		1986
1167	ev_timer_set (&timer, after + ev_now () - ev_time (), 0.);	1987	ev_timer_set (&timer, after + ev_now () - ev_time (), 0.);
1168		1988
1169	The callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when its timeout has passed,	1989	If the event loop is suspended for a long time, you can also force an
1170	but if multiple timers become ready during the same loop iteration then	1990	update of the time returned by C<ev_now ()> by calling C<ev_now_update
1171	order of execution is undefined.	1991	()>.
		1992
		1993	=head3 The special problems of suspended animation
		1994
		1995	When you leave the server world it is quite customary to hit machines that
		1996	can suspend/hibernate - what happens to the clocks during such a suspend?
		1997
		1998	Some quick tests made with a Linux 2.6.28 indicate that a suspend freezes
		1999	all processes, while the clocks (C<times>, C<CLOCK_MONOTONIC>) continue
		2000	to run until the system is suspended, but they will not advance while the
		2001	system is suspended. That means, on resume, it will be as if the program
		2002	was frozen for a few seconds, but the suspend time will not be counted
		2003	towards C<ev_timer> when a monotonic clock source is used. The real time
		2004	clock advanced as expected, but if it is used as sole clocksource, then a
		2005	long suspend would be detected as a time jump by libev, and timers would
		2006	be adjusted accordingly.
		2007
		2008	I would not be surprised to see different behaviour in different between
		2009	operating systems, OS versions or even different hardware.
		2010
		2011	The other form of suspend (job control, or sending a SIGSTOP) will see a
		2012	time jump in the monotonic clocks and the realtime clock. If the program
		2013	is suspended for a very long time, and monotonic clock sources are in use,
		2014	then you can expect C<ev_timer>s to expire as the full suspension time
		2015	will be counted towards the timers. When no monotonic clock source is in
		2016	use, then libev will again assume a timejump and adjust accordingly.
		2017
		2018	It might be beneficial for this latter case to call C<ev_suspend>
		2019	and C<ev_resume> in code that handles C<SIGTSTP>, to at least get
		2020	deterministic behaviour in this case (you can do nothing against
		2021	C<SIGSTOP>).
1172		2022
1173	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	2023	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1174		2024
1175	=over 4	2025	=over 4
1176		2026
1177	=item ev_timer_init (ev_timer *, callback, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)	2027	=item ev_timer_init (ev_timer *, callback, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)
1178		2028
1179	=item ev_timer_set (ev_timer *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)	2029	=item ev_timer_set (ev_timer *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)
1180		2030
1181	Configure the timer to trigger after C<after> seconds. If C<repeat> is	2031	Configure the timer to trigger after C<after> seconds. If C<repeat>
1182	C<0.>, then it will automatically be stopped. If it is positive, then the	2032	is C<0.>, then it will automatically be stopped once the timeout is
1183	timer will automatically be configured to trigger again C<repeat> seconds	2033	reached. If it is positive, then the timer will automatically be
1184	later, again, and again, until stopped manually.	2034	configured to trigger again C<repeat> seconds later, again, and again,
		2035	until stopped manually.
1185		2036
1186	The timer itself will do a best-effort at avoiding drift, that is, if you	2037	The timer itself will do a best-effort at avoiding drift, that is, if
1187	configure a timer to trigger every 10 seconds, then it will trigger at	2038	you configure a timer to trigger every 10 seconds, then it will normally
1188	exactly 10 second intervals. If, however, your program cannot keep up with	2039	trigger at exactly 10 second intervals. If, however, your program cannot
1189	the timer (because it takes longer than those 10 seconds to do stuff) the	2040	keep up with the timer (because it takes longer than those 10 seconds to
1190	timer will not fire more than once per event loop iteration.	2041	do stuff) the timer will not fire more than once per event loop iteration.
1191		2042
1192	=item ev_timer_again (loop, ev_timer *)	2043	=item ev_timer_again (loop, ev_timer *)
1193		2044
1194	This will act as if the timer timed out and restart it again if it is	2045	This will act as if the timer timed out and restart it again if it is
1195	repeating. The exact semantics are:	2046	repeating. The exact semantics are:
1196		2047
1197	If the timer is pending, its pending status is cleared.	2048	If the timer is pending, its pending status is cleared.
1198		2049
1199	If the timer is started but nonrepeating, stop it (as if it timed out).	2050	If the timer is started but non-repeating, stop it (as if it timed out).
1200		2051
1201	If the timer is repeating, either start it if necessary (with the	2052	If the timer is repeating, either start it if necessary (with the
1202	C<repeat> value), or reset the running timer to the C<repeat> value.	2053	C<repeat> value), or reset the running timer to the C<repeat> value.
1203		2054
1204	This sounds a bit complicated, but here is a useful and typical	2055	This sounds a bit complicated, see L<Be smart about timeouts>, above, for a
1205	example: Imagine you have a tcp connection and you want a so-called idle	2056	usage example.
1206	timeout, that is, you want to be called when there have been, say, 60
1207	seconds of inactivity on the socket. The easiest way to do this is to
1208	configure an C<ev_timer> with a C<repeat> value of C<60> and then call
1209	C<ev_timer_again> each time you successfully read or write some data. If
1210	you go into an idle state where you do not expect data to travel on the
1211	socket, you can C<ev_timer_stop> the timer, and C<ev_timer_again> will
1212	automatically restart it if need be.
1213		2057
1214	That means you can ignore the C<after> value and C<ev_timer_start>	2058	=item ev_tstamp ev_timer_remaining (loop, ev_timer *)
1215	altogether and only ever use the C<repeat> value and C<ev_timer_again>:
1216		2059
1217	ev_timer_init (timer, callback, 0., 5.);	2060	Returns the remaining time until a timer fires. If the timer is active,
1218	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);	2061	then this time is relative to the current event loop time, otherwise it's
1219	...	2062	the timeout value currently configured.
1220	timer->again = 17.;
1221	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
1222	...
1223	timer->again = 10.;
1224	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
1225		2063
1226	This is more slightly efficient then stopping/starting the timer each time	2064	That is, after an C<ev_timer_set (w, 5, 7)>, C<ev_timer_remaining> returns
1227	you want to modify its timeout value.	2065	C<5>. When the timer is started and one second passes, C<ev_timer_remaining>
		2066	will return C<4>. When the timer expires and is restarted, it will return
		2067	roughly C<7> (likely slightly less as callback invocation takes some time,
		2068	too), and so on.
1228		2069
1229	=item ev_tstamp repeat [read-write]	2070	=item ev_tstamp repeat [read-write]
1230		2071
1231	The current C<repeat> value. Will be used each time the watcher times out	2072	The current C<repeat> value. Will be used each time the watcher times out
1232	or C<ev_timer_again> is called and determines the next timeout (if any),	2073	or C<ev_timer_again> is called, and determines the next timeout (if any),
1233	which is also when any modifications are taken into account.	2074	which is also when any modifications are taken into account.
1234		2075
1235	=back	2076	=back
1236		2077
1237	=head3 Examples	2078	=head3 Examples
1238		2079
1239	Example: Create a timer that fires after 60 seconds.	2080	Example: Create a timer that fires after 60 seconds.
1240		2081
1241	static void	2082	static void
1242	one_minute_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	2083	one_minute_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_timer *w, int revents)
1243	{	2084	{
1244	.. one minute over, w is actually stopped right here	2085	.. one minute over, w is actually stopped right here
1245	}	2086	}
1246		2087
1247	struct ev_timer mytimer;	2088	ev_timer mytimer;
1248	ev_timer_init (&mytimer, one_minute_cb, 60., 0.);	2089	ev_timer_init (&mytimer, one_minute_cb, 60., 0.);
1249	ev_timer_start (loop, &mytimer);	2090	ev_timer_start (loop, &mytimer);
1250		2091
1251	Example: Create a timeout timer that times out after 10 seconds of	2092	Example: Create a timeout timer that times out after 10 seconds of
1252	inactivity.	2093	inactivity.
1253		2094
1254	static void	2095	static void
1255	timeout_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	2096	timeout_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_timer *w, int revents)
1256	{	2097	{
1257	.. ten seconds without any activity	2098	.. ten seconds without any activity
1258	}	2099	}
1259		2100
1260	struct ev_timer mytimer;	2101	ev_timer mytimer;
1261	ev_timer_init (&mytimer, timeout_cb, 0., 10.); /* note, only repeat used */	2102	ev_timer_init (&mytimer, timeout_cb, 0., 10.); /* note, only repeat used */
1262	ev_timer_again (&mytimer); /* start timer */	2103	ev_timer_again (&mytimer); /* start timer */
1263	ev_loop (loop, 0);	2104	ev_run (loop, 0);
1264		2105
1265	// and in some piece of code that gets executed on any "activity":	2106	// and in some piece of code that gets executed on any "activity":
1266	// reset the timeout to start ticking again at 10 seconds	2107	// reset the timeout to start ticking again at 10 seconds
1267	ev_timer_again (&mytimer);	2108	ev_timer_again (&mytimer);
1268		2109
1269		2110
1270	=head2 C<ev_periodic> - to cron or not to cron?	2111	=head2 C<ev_periodic> - to cron or not to cron?
1271		2112
1272	Periodic watchers are also timers of a kind, but they are very versatile	2113	Periodic watchers are also timers of a kind, but they are very versatile
1273	(and unfortunately a bit complex).	2114	(and unfortunately a bit complex).
1274		2115
1275	Unlike C<ev_timer>'s, they are not based on real time (or relative time)	2116	Unlike C<ev_timer>, periodic watchers are not based on real time (or
1276	but on wallclock time (absolute time). You can tell a periodic watcher	2117	relative time, the physical time that passes) but on wall clock time
1277	to trigger "at" some specific point in time. For example, if you tell a	2118	(absolute time, the thing you can read on your calender or clock). The
1278	periodic watcher to trigger in 10 seconds (by specifiying e.g. C<ev_now ()	2119	difference is that wall clock time can run faster or slower than real
1279	+ 10.>) and then reset your system clock to the last year, then it will	2120	time, and time jumps are not uncommon (e.g. when you adjust your
1280	take a year to trigger the event (unlike an C<ev_timer>, which would trigger	2121	wrist-watch).
1281	roughly 10 seconds later).
1282		2122
1283	They can also be used to implement vastly more complex timers, such as	2123	You can tell a periodic watcher to trigger after some specific point
1284	triggering an event on each midnight, local time or other, complicated,	2124	in time: for example, if you tell a periodic watcher to trigger "in 10
1285	rules.	2125	seconds" (by specifying e.g. C<ev_now () + 10.>, that is, an absolute time
		2126	not a delay) and then reset your system clock to January of the previous
		2127	year, then it will take a year or more to trigger the event (unlike an
		2128	C<ev_timer>, which would still trigger roughly 10 seconds after starting
		2129	it, as it uses a relative timeout).
1286		2130
		2131	C<ev_periodic> watchers can also be used to implement vastly more complex
		2132	timers, such as triggering an event on each "midnight, local time", or
		2133	other complicated rules. This cannot be done with C<ev_timer> watchers, as
		2134	those cannot react to time jumps.
		2135
1287	As with timers, the callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when the	2136	As with timers, the callback is guaranteed to be invoked only when the
1288	time (C<at>) has been passed, but if multiple periodic timers become ready	2137	point in time where it is supposed to trigger has passed. If multiple
1289	during the same loop iteration then order of execution is undefined.	2138	timers become ready during the same loop iteration then the ones with
		2139	earlier time-out values are invoked before ones with later time-out values
		2140	(but this is no longer true when a callback calls C<ev_run> recursively).
1290		2141
1291	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	2142	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1292		2143
1293	=over 4	2144	=over 4
1294		2145
1295	=item ev_periodic_init (ev_periodic *, callback, ev_tstamp at, ev_tstamp interval, reschedule_cb)	2146	=item ev_periodic_init (ev_periodic *, callback, ev_tstamp offset, ev_tstamp interval, reschedule_cb)
1296		2147
1297	=item ev_periodic_set (ev_periodic *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat, reschedule_cb)	2148	=item ev_periodic_set (ev_periodic *, ev_tstamp offset, ev_tstamp interval, reschedule_cb)
1298		2149
1299	Lots of arguments, lets sort it out... There are basically three modes of	2150	Lots of arguments, let's sort it out... There are basically three modes of
1300	operation, and we will explain them from simplest to complex:	2151	operation, and we will explain them from simplest to most complex:
1301		2152
1302	=over 4	2153	=over 4
1303		2154
1304	=item * absolute timer (at = time, interval = reschedule_cb = 0)	2155	=item * absolute timer (offset = absolute time, interval = 0, reschedule_cb = 0)
1305		2156
1306	In this configuration the watcher triggers an event at the wallclock time	2157	In this configuration the watcher triggers an event after the wall clock
1307	C<at> and doesn't repeat. It will not adjust when a time jump occurs,	2158	time C<offset> has passed. It will not repeat and will not adjust when a
1308	that is, if it is to be run at January 1st 2011 then it will run when the	2159	time jump occurs, that is, if it is to be run at January 1st 2011 then it
1309	system time reaches or surpasses this time.	2160	will be stopped and invoked when the system clock reaches or surpasses
		2161	this point in time.
1310		2162
1311	=item * repeating interval timer (at = offset, interval > 0, reschedule_cb = 0)	2163	=item * repeating interval timer (offset = offset within interval, interval > 0, reschedule_cb = 0)
1312		2164
1313	In this mode the watcher will always be scheduled to time out at the next	2165	In this mode the watcher will always be scheduled to time out at the next
1314	C<at + N * interval> time (for some integer N, which can also be negative)	2166	C<offset + N * interval> time (for some integer N, which can also be
1315	and then repeat, regardless of any time jumps.	2167	negative) and then repeat, regardless of any time jumps. The C<offset>
		2168	argument is merely an offset into the C<interval> periods.
1316		2169
1317	This can be used to create timers that do not drift with respect to system	2170	This can be used to create timers that do not drift with respect to the
1318	time:	2171	system clock, for example, here is an C<ev_periodic> that triggers each
		2172	hour, on the hour (with respect to UTC):
1319		2173
1320	ev_periodic_set (&periodic, 0., 3600., 0);	2174	ev_periodic_set (&periodic, 0., 3600., 0);
1321		2175
1322	This doesn't mean there will always be 3600 seconds in between triggers,	2176	This doesn't mean there will always be 3600 seconds in between triggers,
1323	but only that the the callback will be called when the system time shows a	2177	but only that the callback will be called when the system time shows a
1324	full hour (UTC), or more correctly, when the system time is evenly divisible	2178	full hour (UTC), or more correctly, when the system time is evenly divisible
1325	by 3600.	2179	by 3600.
1326		2180
1327	Another way to think about it (for the mathematically inclined) is that	2181	Another way to think about it (for the mathematically inclined) is that
1328	C<ev_periodic> will try to run the callback in this mode at the next possible	2182	C<ev_periodic> will try to run the callback in this mode at the next possible
1329	time where C<time = at (mod interval)>, regardless of any time jumps.	2183	time where C<time = offset (mod interval)>, regardless of any time jumps.
1330		2184
1331	For numerical stability it is preferable that the C<at> value is near	2185	For numerical stability it is preferable that the C<offset> value is near
1332	C<ev_now ()> (the current time), but there is no range requirement for	2186	C<ev_now ()> (the current time), but there is no range requirement for
1333	this value.	2187	this value, and in fact is often specified as zero.
1334		2188
		2189	Note also that there is an upper limit to how often a timer can fire (CPU
		2190	speed for example), so if C<interval> is very small then timing stability
		2191	will of course deteriorate. Libev itself tries to be exact to be about one
		2192	millisecond (if the OS supports it and the machine is fast enough).
		2193
1335	=item * manual reschedule mode (at and interval ignored, reschedule_cb = callback)	2194	=item * manual reschedule mode (offset ignored, interval ignored, reschedule_cb = callback)
1336		2195
1337	In this mode the values for C<interval> and C<at> are both being	2196	In this mode the values for C<interval> and C<offset> are both being
1338	ignored. Instead, each time the periodic watcher gets scheduled, the	2197	ignored. Instead, each time the periodic watcher gets scheduled, the
1339	reschedule callback will be called with the watcher as first, and the	2198	reschedule callback will be called with the watcher as first, and the
1340	current time as second argument.	2199	current time as second argument.
1341		2200
1342	NOTE: I<This callback MUST NOT stop or destroy any periodic watcher,	2201	NOTE: I<This callback MUST NOT stop or destroy any periodic watcher, ever,
1343	ever, or make any event loop modifications>. If you need to stop it,	2202	or make ANY other event loop modifications whatsoever, unless explicitly
1344	return C<now + 1e30> (or so, fudge fudge) and stop it afterwards (e.g. by	2203	allowed by documentation here>.
1345	starting an C<ev_prepare> watcher, which is legal).
1346		2204
		2205	If you need to stop it, return C<now + 1e30> (or so, fudge fudge) and stop
		2206	it afterwards (e.g. by starting an C<ev_prepare> watcher, which is the
		2207	only event loop modification you are allowed to do).
		2208
1347	Its prototype is C<ev_tstamp (*reschedule_cb)(struct ev_periodic *w,	2209	The callback prototype is C<ev_tstamp (*reschedule_cb)(ev_periodic
1348	ev_tstamp now)>, e.g.:	2210	*w, ev_tstamp now)>, e.g.:
1349		2211
		2212	static ev_tstamp
1350	static ev_tstamp my_rescheduler (struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)	2213	my_rescheduler (ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)
1351	{	2214	{
1352	return now + 60.;	2215	return now + 60.;
1353	}	2216	}
1354		2217
1355	It must return the next time to trigger, based on the passed time value	2218	It must return the next time to trigger, based on the passed time value
1356	(that is, the lowest time value larger than to the second argument). It	2219	(that is, the lowest time value larger than to the second argument). It
1357	will usually be called just before the callback will be triggered, but	2220	will usually be called just before the callback will be triggered, but
1358	might be called at other times, too.	2221	might be called at other times, too.
1359		2222
1360	NOTE: I<< This callback must always return a time that is later than the	2223	NOTE: I<< This callback must always return a time that is higher than or
1361	passed C<now> value >>. Not even C<now> itself will do, it I<must> be larger.	2224	equal to the passed C<now> value >>.
1362		2225
1363	This can be used to create very complex timers, such as a timer that	2226	This can be used to create very complex timers, such as a timer that
1364	triggers on each midnight, local time. To do this, you would calculate the	2227	triggers on "next midnight, local time". To do this, you would calculate the
1365	next midnight after C<now> and return the timestamp value for this. How	2228	next midnight after C<now> and return the timestamp value for this. How
1366	you do this is, again, up to you (but it is not trivial, which is the main	2229	you do this is, again, up to you (but it is not trivial, which is the main
1367	reason I omitted it as an example).	2230	reason I omitted it as an example).
1368		2231
1369	=back	2232	=back
…		…
1375	a different time than the last time it was called (e.g. in a crond like	2238	a different time than the last time it was called (e.g. in a crond like
1376	program when the crontabs have changed).	2239	program when the crontabs have changed).
1377		2240
1378	=item ev_tstamp ev_periodic_at (ev_periodic *)	2241	=item ev_tstamp ev_periodic_at (ev_periodic *)
1379		2242
1380	When active, returns the absolute time that the watcher is supposed to	2243	When active, returns the absolute time that the watcher is supposed
1381	trigger next.	2244	to trigger next. This is not the same as the C<offset> argument to
		2245	C<ev_periodic_set>, but indeed works even in interval and manual
		2246	rescheduling modes.
1382		2247
1383	=item ev_tstamp offset [read-write]	2248	=item ev_tstamp offset [read-write]
1384		2249
1385	When repeating, this contains the offset value, otherwise this is the	2250	When repeating, this contains the offset value, otherwise this is the
1386	absolute point in time (the C<at> value passed to C<ev_periodic_set>).	2251	absolute point in time (the C<offset> value passed to C<ev_periodic_set>,
		2252	although libev might modify this value for better numerical stability).
1387		2253
1388	Can be modified any time, but changes only take effect when the periodic	2254	Can be modified any time, but changes only take effect when the periodic
1389	timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.	2255	timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.
1390		2256
1391	=item ev_tstamp interval [read-write]	2257	=item ev_tstamp interval [read-write]
1392		2258
1393	The current interval value. Can be modified any time, but changes only	2259	The current interval value. Can be modified any time, but changes only
1394	take effect when the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being	2260	take effect when the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being
1395	called.	2261	called.
1396		2262
1397	=item ev_tstamp (*reschedule_cb)(struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now) [read-write]	2263	=item ev_tstamp (*reschedule_cb)(ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now) [read-write]
1398		2264
1399	The current reschedule callback, or C<0>, if this functionality is	2265	The current reschedule callback, or C<0>, if this functionality is
1400	switched off. Can be changed any time, but changes only take effect when	2266	switched off. Can be changed any time, but changes only take effect when
1401	the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.	2267	the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.
1402		2268
1403	=back	2269	=back
1404		2270
1405	=head3 Examples	2271	=head3 Examples
1406		2272
1407	Example: Call a callback every hour, or, more precisely, whenever the	2273	Example: Call a callback every hour, or, more precisely, whenever the
1408	system clock is divisible by 3600. The callback invocation times have	2274	system time is divisible by 3600. The callback invocation times have
1409	potentially a lot of jittering, but good long-term stability.	2275	potentially a lot of jitter, but good long-term stability.
1410		2276
1411	static void	2277	static void
1412	clock_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w, int revents)	2278	clock_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_periodic *w, int revents)
1413	{	2279	{
1414	... its now a full hour (UTC, or TAI or whatever your clock follows)	2280	... its now a full hour (UTC, or TAI or whatever your clock follows)
1415	}	2281	}
1416		2282
1417	struct ev_periodic hourly_tick;	2283	ev_periodic hourly_tick;
1418	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 3600., 0);	2284	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 3600., 0);
1419	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);	2285	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);
1420		2286
1421	Example: The same as above, but use a reschedule callback to do it:	2287	Example: The same as above, but use a reschedule callback to do it:
1422		2288
1423	#include <math.h>	2289	#include <math.h>
1424		2290
1425	static ev_tstamp	2291	static ev_tstamp
1426	my_scheduler_cb (struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)	2292	my_scheduler_cb (ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)
1427	{	2293	{
1428	return fmod (now, 3600.) + 3600.;	2294	return now + (3600. - fmod (now, 3600.));
1429	}	2295	}
1430		2296
1431	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 0., my_scheduler_cb);	2297	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 0., my_scheduler_cb);
1432		2298
1433	Example: Call a callback every hour, starting now:	2299	Example: Call a callback every hour, starting now:
1434		2300
1435	struct ev_periodic hourly_tick;	2301	ev_periodic hourly_tick;
1436	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb,	2302	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb,
1437	fmod (ev_now (loop), 3600.), 3600., 0);	2303	fmod (ev_now (loop), 3600.), 3600., 0);
1438	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);	2304	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);
1439		2305
1440		2306
1441	=head2 C<ev_signal> - signal me when a signal gets signalled!	2307	=head2 C<ev_signal> - signal me when a signal gets signalled!
1442		2308
1443	Signal watchers will trigger an event when the process receives a specific	2309	Signal watchers will trigger an event when the process receives a specific
1444	signal one or more times. Even though signals are very asynchronous, libev	2310	signal one or more times. Even though signals are very asynchronous, libev
1445	will try it's best to deliver signals synchronously, i.e. as part of the	2311	will try its best to deliver signals synchronously, i.e. as part of the
1446	normal event processing, like any other event.	2312	normal event processing, like any other event.
1447		2313
		2314	If you want signals to be delivered truly asynchronously, just use
		2315	C<sigaction> as you would do without libev and forget about sharing
		2316	the signal. You can even use C<ev_async> from a signal handler to
		2317	synchronously wake up an event loop.
		2318
1448	You can configure as many watchers as you like per signal. Only when the	2319	You can configure as many watchers as you like for the same signal, but
		2320	only within the same loop, i.e. you can watch for C<SIGINT> in your
		2321	default loop and for C<SIGIO> in another loop, but you cannot watch for
		2322	C<SIGINT> in both the default loop and another loop at the same time. At
		2323	the moment, C<SIGCHLD> is permanently tied to the default loop.
		2324
1449	first watcher gets started will libev actually register a signal watcher	2325	When the first watcher gets started will libev actually register something
1450	with the kernel (thus it coexists with your own signal handlers as long	2326	with the kernel (thus it coexists with your own signal handlers as long as
1451	as you don't register any with libev). Similarly, when the last signal	2327	you don't register any with libev for the same signal).
1452	watcher for a signal is stopped libev will reset the signal handler to
1453	SIG_DFL (regardless of what it was set to before).
1454		2328
1455	If possible and supported, libev will install its handlers with	2329	If possible and supported, libev will install its handlers with
1456	C<SA_RESTART> behaviour enabled, so syscalls should not be unduly	2330	C<SA_RESTART> (or equivalent) behaviour enabled, so system calls should
1457	interrupted. If you have a problem with syscalls getting interrupted by	2331	not be unduly interrupted. If you have a problem with system calls getting
1458	signals you can block all signals in an C<ev_check> watcher and unblock	2332	interrupted by signals you can block all signals in an C<ev_check> watcher
1459	them in an C<ev_prepare> watcher.	2333	and unblock them in an C<ev_prepare> watcher.
		2334
		2335	=head3 The special problem of inheritance over fork/execve/pthread_create
		2336
		2337	Both the signal mask (C<sigprocmask>) and the signal disposition
		2338	(C<sigaction>) are unspecified after starting a signal watcher (and after
		2339	stopping it again), that is, libev might or might not block the signal,
		2340	and might or might not set or restore the installed signal handler.
		2341
		2342	While this does not matter for the signal disposition (libev never
		2343	sets signals to C<SIG_IGN>, so handlers will be reset to C<SIG_DFL> on
		2344	C<execve>), this matters for the signal mask: many programs do not expect
		2345	certain signals to be blocked.
		2346
		2347	This means that before calling C<exec> (from the child) you should reset
		2348	the signal mask to whatever "default" you expect (all clear is a good
		2349	choice usually).
		2350
		2351	The simplest way to ensure that the signal mask is reset in the child is
		2352	to install a fork handler with C<pthread_atfork> that resets it. That will
		2353	catch fork calls done by libraries (such as the libc) as well.
		2354
		2355	In current versions of libev, the signal will not be blocked indefinitely
		2356	unless you use the C<signalfd> API (C<EV_SIGNALFD>). While this reduces
		2357	the window of opportunity for problems, it will not go away, as libev
		2358	I<has> to modify the signal mask, at least temporarily.
		2359
		2360	So I can't stress this enough: I<If you do not reset your signal mask when
		2361	you expect it to be empty, you have a race condition in your code>. This
		2362	is not a libev-specific thing, this is true for most event libraries.
		2363
		2364	=head3 The special problem of threads signal handling
		2365
		2366	POSIX threads has problematic signal handling semantics, specifically,
		2367	a lot of functionality (sigfd, sigwait etc.) only really works if all
		2368	threads in a process block signals, which is hard to achieve.
		2369
		2370	When you want to use sigwait (or mix libev signal handling with your own
		2371	for the same signals), you can tackle this problem by globally blocking
		2372	all signals before creating any threads (or creating them with a fully set
		2373	sigprocmask) and also specifying the C<EVFLAG_NOSIGMASK> when creating
		2374	loops. Then designate one thread as "signal receiver thread" which handles
		2375	these signals. You can pass on any signals that libev might be interested
		2376	in by calling C<ev_feed_signal>.
1460		2377
1461	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	2378	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1462		2379
1463	=over 4	2380	=over 4
1464		2381
…		…
1475		2392
1476	=back	2393	=back
1477		2394
1478	=head3 Examples	2395	=head3 Examples
1479		2396
1480	Example: Try to exit cleanly on SIGINT and SIGTERM.	2397	Example: Try to exit cleanly on SIGINT.
1481		2398
1482	static void	2399	static void
1483	sigint_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_signal *w, int revents)	2400	sigint_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_signal *w, int revents)
1484	{	2401	{
1485	ev_unloop (loop, EVUNLOOP_ALL);	2402	ev_break (loop, EVBREAK_ALL);
1486	}	2403	}
1487		2404
1488	struct ev_signal signal_watcher;	2405	ev_signal signal_watcher;
1489	ev_signal_init (&signal_watcher, sigint_cb, SIGINT);	2406	ev_signal_init (&signal_watcher, sigint_cb, SIGINT);
1490	ev_signal_start (loop, &sigint_cb);	2407	ev_signal_start (loop, &signal_watcher);
1491		2408
1492		2409
1493	=head2 C<ev_child> - watch out for process status changes	2410	=head2 C<ev_child> - watch out for process status changes
1494		2411
1495	Child watchers trigger when your process receives a SIGCHLD in response to	2412	Child watchers trigger when your process receives a SIGCHLD in response to
1496	some child status changes (most typically when a child of yours dies). It	2413	some child status changes (most typically when a child of yours dies or
1497	is permissible to install a child watcher I<after> the child has been	2414	exits). It is permissible to install a child watcher I<after> the child
1498	forked (which implies it might have already exited), as long as the event	2415	has been forked (which implies it might have already exited), as long
1499	loop isn't entered (or is continued from a watcher).	2416	as the event loop isn't entered (or is continued from a watcher), i.e.,
		2417	forking and then immediately registering a watcher for the child is fine,
		2418	but forking and registering a watcher a few event loop iterations later or
		2419	in the next callback invocation is not.
1500		2420
1501	Only the default event loop is capable of handling signals, and therefore	2421	Only the default event loop is capable of handling signals, and therefore
1502	you can only rgeister child watchers in the default event loop.	2422	you can only register child watchers in the default event loop.
		2423
		2424	Due to some design glitches inside libev, child watchers will always be
		2425	handled at maximum priority (their priority is set to C<EV_MAXPRI> by
		2426	libev)
1503		2427
1504	=head3 Process Interaction	2428	=head3 Process Interaction
1505		2429
1506	Libev grabs C<SIGCHLD> as soon as the default event loop is	2430	Libev grabs C<SIGCHLD> as soon as the default event loop is
1507	initialised. This is necessary to guarantee proper behaviour even if	2431	initialised. This is necessary to guarantee proper behaviour even if the
1508	the first child watcher is started after the child exits. The occurance	2432	first child watcher is started after the child exits. The occurrence
1509	of C<SIGCHLD> is recorded asynchronously, but child reaping is done	2433	of C<SIGCHLD> is recorded asynchronously, but child reaping is done
1510	synchronously as part of the event loop processing. Libev always reaps all	2434	synchronously as part of the event loop processing. Libev always reaps all
1511	children, even ones not watched.	2435	children, even ones not watched.
1512		2436
1513	=head3 Overriding the Built-In Processing	2437	=head3 Overriding the Built-In Processing
…		…
1517	handler, you can override it easily by installing your own handler for	2441	handler, you can override it easily by installing your own handler for
1518	C<SIGCHLD> after initialising the default loop, and making sure the	2442	C<SIGCHLD> after initialising the default loop, and making sure the
1519	default loop never gets destroyed. You are encouraged, however, to use an	2443	default loop never gets destroyed. You are encouraged, however, to use an
1520	event-based approach to child reaping and thus use libev's support for	2444	event-based approach to child reaping and thus use libev's support for
1521	that, so other libev users can use C<ev_child> watchers freely.	2445	that, so other libev users can use C<ev_child> watchers freely.
		2446
		2447	=head3 Stopping the Child Watcher
		2448
		2449	Currently, the child watcher never gets stopped, even when the
		2450	child terminates, so normally one needs to stop the watcher in the
		2451	callback. Future versions of libev might stop the watcher automatically
		2452	when a child exit is detected (calling C<ev_child_stop> twice is not a
		2453	problem).
1522		2454
1523	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	2455	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1524		2456
1525	=over 4	2457	=over 4
1526		2458
…		…
1555	=head3 Examples	2487	=head3 Examples
1556		2488
1557	Example: C<fork()> a new process and install a child handler to wait for	2489	Example: C<fork()> a new process and install a child handler to wait for
1558	its completion.	2490	its completion.
1559		2491
1560	ev_child cw;	2492	ev_child cw;
1561		2493
1562	static void	2494	static void
1563	child_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_child *w, int revents)	2495	child_cb (EV_P_ ev_child *w, int revents)
1564	{	2496	{
1565	ev_child_stop (EV_A_ w);	2497	ev_child_stop (EV_A_ w);
1566	printf ("process %d exited with status %x\n", w->rpid, w->rstatus);	2498	printf ("process %d exited with status %x\n", w->rpid, w->rstatus);
1567	}	2499	}
1568		2500
1569	pid_t pid = fork ();	2501	pid_t pid = fork ();
1570		2502
1571	if (pid < 0)	2503	if (pid < 0)
1572	// error	2504	// error
1573	else if (pid == 0)	2505	else if (pid == 0)
1574	{	2506	{
1575	// the forked child executes here	2507	// the forked child executes here
1576	exit (1);	2508	exit (1);
1577	}	2509	}
1578	else	2510	else
1579	{	2511	{
1580	ev_child_init (&cw, child_cb, pid, 0);	2512	ev_child_init (&cw, child_cb, pid, 0);
1581	ev_child_start (EV_DEFAULT_ &cw);	2513	ev_child_start (EV_DEFAULT_ &cw);
1582	}	2514	}
1583		2515
1584		2516
1585	=head2 C<ev_stat> - did the file attributes just change?	2517	=head2 C<ev_stat> - did the file attributes just change?
1586		2518
1587	This watches a filesystem path for attribute changes. That is, it calls	2519	This watches a file system path for attribute changes. That is, it calls
1588	C<stat> regularly (or when the OS says it changed) and sees if it changed	2520	C<stat> on that path in regular intervals (or when the OS says it changed)
1589	compared to the last time, invoking the callback if it did.	2521	and sees if it changed compared to the last time, invoking the callback if
		2522	it did.
1590		2523
1591	The path does not need to exist: changing from "path exists" to "path does	2524	The path does not need to exist: changing from "path exists" to "path does
1592	not exist" is a status change like any other. The condition "path does	2525	not exist" is a status change like any other. The condition "path does not
1593	not exist" is signified by the C<st_nlink> field being zero (which is	2526	exist" (or more correctly "path cannot be stat'ed") is signified by the
1594	otherwise always forced to be at least one) and all the other fields of	2527	C<st_nlink> field being zero (which is otherwise always forced to be at
1595	the stat buffer having unspecified contents.	2528	least one) and all the other fields of the stat buffer having unspecified
		2529	contents.
1596		2530
1597	The path I<should> be absolute and I<must not> end in a slash. If it is	2531	The path I<must not> end in a slash or contain special components such as
		2532	C<.> or C<..>. The path I<should> be absolute: If it is relative and
1598	relative and your working directory changes, the behaviour is undefined.	2533	your working directory changes, then the behaviour is undefined.
1599		2534
1600	Since there is no standard to do this, the portable implementation simply	2535	Since there is no portable change notification interface available, the
1601	calls C<stat (2)> regularly on the path to see if it changed somehow. You	2536	portable implementation simply calls C<stat(2)> regularly on the path
1602	can specify a recommended polling interval for this case. If you specify	2537	to see if it changed somehow. You can specify a recommended polling
1603	a polling interval of C<0> (highly recommended!) then a I<suitable,	2538	interval for this case. If you specify a polling interval of C<0> (highly
1604	unspecified default> value will be used (which you can expect to be around	2539	recommended!) then a I<suitable, unspecified default> value will be used
1605	five seconds, although this might change dynamically). Libev will also	2540	(which you can expect to be around five seconds, although this might
1606	impose a minimum interval which is currently around C<0.1>, but thats	2541	change dynamically). Libev will also impose a minimum interval which is
1607	usually overkill.	2542	currently around C<0.1>, but that's usually overkill.
1608		2543
1609	This watcher type is not meant for massive numbers of stat watchers,	2544	This watcher type is not meant for massive numbers of stat watchers,
1610	as even with OS-supported change notifications, this can be	2545	as even with OS-supported change notifications, this can be
1611	resource-intensive.	2546	resource-intensive.
1612		2547
1613	At the time of this writing, only the Linux inotify interface is	2548	At the time of this writing, the only OS-specific interface implemented
1614	implemented (implementing kqueue support is left as an exercise for the	2549	is the Linux inotify interface (implementing kqueue support is left as an
1615	reader, note, however, that the author sees no way of implementing ev_stat	2550	exercise for the reader. Note, however, that the author sees no way of
1616	semantics with kqueue). Inotify will be used to give hints only and should	2551	implementing C<ev_stat> semantics with kqueue, except as a hint).
1617	not change the semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers, which means that libev
1618	sometimes needs to fall back to regular polling again even with inotify,
1619	but changes are usually detected immediately, and if the file exists there
1620	will be no polling.
1621		2552
1622	=head3 ABI Issues (Largefile Support)	2553	=head3 ABI Issues (Largefile Support)
1623		2554
1624	Libev by default (unless the user overrides this) uses the default	2555	Libev by default (unless the user overrides this) uses the default
1625	compilation environment, which means that on systems with optionally	2556	compilation environment, which means that on systems with large file
1626	disabled large file support, you get the 32 bit version of the stat	2557	support disabled by default, you get the 32 bit version of the stat
1627	structure. When using the library from programs that change the ABI to	2558	structure. When using the library from programs that change the ABI to
1628	use 64 bit file offsets the programs will fail. In that case you have to	2559	use 64 bit file offsets the programs will fail. In that case you have to
1629	compile libev with the same flags to get binary compatibility. This is	2560	compile libev with the same flags to get binary compatibility. This is
1630	obviously the case with any flags that change the ABI, but the problem is	2561	obviously the case with any flags that change the ABI, but the problem is
1631	most noticably with ev_stat and largefile support.	2562	most noticeably displayed with ev_stat and large file support.
1632		2563
1633	=head3 Inotify	2564	The solution for this is to lobby your distribution maker to make large
		2565	file interfaces available by default (as e.g. FreeBSD does) and not
		2566	optional. Libev cannot simply switch on large file support because it has
		2567	to exchange stat structures with application programs compiled using the
		2568	default compilation environment.
1634		2569
		2570	=head3 Inotify and Kqueue
		2571
1635	When C<inotify (7)> support has been compiled into libev (generally only	2572	When C<inotify (7)> support has been compiled into libev and present at
1636	available on Linux) and present at runtime, it will be used to speed up	2573	runtime, it will be used to speed up change detection where possible. The
1637	change detection where possible. The inotify descriptor will be created lazily	2574	inotify descriptor will be created lazily when the first C<ev_stat>
1638	when the first C<ev_stat> watcher is being started.	2575	watcher is being started.
1639		2576
1640	Inotify presence does not change the semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers	2577	Inotify presence does not change the semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers
1641	except that changes might be detected earlier, and in some cases, to avoid	2578	except that changes might be detected earlier, and in some cases, to avoid
1642	making regular C<stat> calls. Even in the presence of inotify support	2579	making regular C<stat> calls. Even in the presence of inotify support
1643	there are many cases where libev has to resort to regular C<stat> polling.	2580	there are many cases where libev has to resort to regular C<stat> polling,
		2581	but as long as kernel 2.6.25 or newer is used (2.6.24 and older have too
		2582	many bugs), the path exists (i.e. stat succeeds), and the path resides on
		2583	a local filesystem (libev currently assumes only ext2/3, jfs, reiserfs and
		2584	xfs are fully working) libev usually gets away without polling.
1644		2585
1645	(There is no support for kqueue, as apparently it cannot be used to	2586	There is no support for kqueue, as apparently it cannot be used to
1646	implement this functionality, due to the requirement of having a file	2587	implement this functionality, due to the requirement of having a file
1647	descriptor open on the object at all times).	2588	descriptor open on the object at all times, and detecting renames, unlinks
		2589	etc. is difficult.
		2590
		2591	=head3 C<stat ()> is a synchronous operation
		2592
		2593	Libev doesn't normally do any kind of I/O itself, and so is not blocking
		2594	the process. The exception are C<ev_stat> watchers - those call C<stat
		2595	()>, which is a synchronous operation.
		2596
		2597	For local paths, this usually doesn't matter: unless the system is very
		2598	busy or the intervals between stat's are large, a stat call will be fast,
		2599	as the path data is usually in memory already (except when starting the
		2600	watcher).
		2601
		2602	For networked file systems, calling C<stat ()> can block an indefinite
		2603	time due to network issues, and even under good conditions, a stat call
		2604	often takes multiple milliseconds.
		2605
		2606	Therefore, it is best to avoid using C<ev_stat> watchers on networked
		2607	paths, although this is fully supported by libev.
1648		2608
1649	=head3 The special problem of stat time resolution	2609	=head3 The special problem of stat time resolution
1650		2610
1651	The C<stat ()> syscall only supports full-second resolution portably, and	2611	The C<stat ()> system call only supports full-second resolution portably,
1652	even on systems where the resolution is higher, many filesystems still	2612	and even on systems where the resolution is higher, most file systems
1653	only support whole seconds.	2613	still only support whole seconds.
1654		2614
1655	That means that, if the time is the only thing that changes, you can	2615	That means that, if the time is the only thing that changes, you can
1656	easily miss updates: on the first update, C<ev_stat> detects a change and	2616	easily miss updates: on the first update, C<ev_stat> detects a change and
1657	calls your callback, which does something. When there is another update	2617	calls your callback, which does something. When there is another update
1658	within the same second, C<ev_stat> will be unable to detect it as the stat	2618	within the same second, C<ev_stat> will be unable to detect unless the
1659	data does not change.	2619	stat data does change in other ways (e.g. file size).
1660		2620
1661	The solution to this is to delay acting on a change for slightly more	2621	The solution to this is to delay acting on a change for slightly more
1662	than a second (or till slightly after the next full second boundary), using	2622	than a second (or till slightly after the next full second boundary), using
1663	a roughly one-second-delay C<ev_timer> (e.g. C<ev_timer_set (w, 0., 1.02);	2623	a roughly one-second-delay C<ev_timer> (e.g. C<ev_timer_set (w, 0., 1.02);
1664	ev_timer_again (loop, w)>).	2624	ev_timer_again (loop, w)>).
…		…
1684	C<path>. The C<interval> is a hint on how quickly a change is expected to	2644	C<path>. The C<interval> is a hint on how quickly a change is expected to
1685	be detected and should normally be specified as C<0> to let libev choose	2645	be detected and should normally be specified as C<0> to let libev choose
1686	a suitable value. The memory pointed to by C<path> must point to the same	2646	a suitable value. The memory pointed to by C<path> must point to the same
1687	path for as long as the watcher is active.	2647	path for as long as the watcher is active.
1688		2648
1689	The callback will receive C<EV_STAT> when a change was detected, relative	2649	The callback will receive an C<EV_STAT> event when a change was detected,
1690	to the attributes at the time the watcher was started (or the last change	2650	relative to the attributes at the time the watcher was started (or the
1691	was detected).	2651	last change was detected).
1692		2652
1693	=item ev_stat_stat (loop, ev_stat *)	2653	=item ev_stat_stat (loop, ev_stat *)
1694		2654
1695	Updates the stat buffer immediately with new values. If you change the	2655	Updates the stat buffer immediately with new values. If you change the
1696	watched path in your callback, you could call this function to avoid	2656	watched path in your callback, you could call this function to avoid
…		…
1717		2677
1718	The specified interval.	2678	The specified interval.
1719		2679
1720	=item const char *path [read-only]	2680	=item const char *path [read-only]
1721		2681
1722	The filesystem path that is being watched.	2682	The file system path that is being watched.
1723		2683
1724	=back	2684	=back
1725		2685
1726	=head3 Examples	2686	=head3 Examples
1727		2687
1728	Example: Watch C</etc/passwd> for attribute changes.	2688	Example: Watch C</etc/passwd> for attribute changes.
1729		2689
1730	static void	2690	static void
1731	passwd_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_stat *w, int revents)	2691	passwd_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_stat *w, int revents)
1732	{	2692	{
1733	/* /etc/passwd changed in some way */	2693	/* /etc/passwd changed in some way */
1734	if (w->attr.st_nlink)	2694	if (w->attr.st_nlink)
1735	{	2695	{
1736	printf ("passwd current size %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_size);	2696	printf ("passwd current size %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_size);
1737	printf ("passwd current atime %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_mtime);	2697	printf ("passwd current atime %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_mtime);
1738	printf ("passwd current mtime %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_mtime);	2698	printf ("passwd current mtime %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_mtime);
1739	}	2699	}
1740	else	2700	else
1741	/* you shalt not abuse printf for puts */	2701	/* you shalt not abuse printf for puts */
1742	puts ("wow, /etc/passwd is not there, expect problems. "	2702	puts ("wow, /etc/passwd is not there, expect problems. "
1743	"if this is windows, they already arrived\n");	2703	"if this is windows, they already arrived\n");
1744	}	2704	}
1745		2705
1746	...	2706	...
1747	ev_stat passwd;	2707	ev_stat passwd;
1748		2708
1749	ev_stat_init (&passwd, passwd_cb, "/etc/passwd", 0.);	2709	ev_stat_init (&passwd, passwd_cb, "/etc/passwd", 0.);
1750	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);	2710	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);
1751		2711
1752	Example: Like above, but additionally use a one-second delay so we do not	2712	Example: Like above, but additionally use a one-second delay so we do not
1753	miss updates (however, frequent updates will delay processing, too, so	2713	miss updates (however, frequent updates will delay processing, too, so
1754	one might do the work both on C<ev_stat> callback invocation I<and> on	2714	one might do the work both on C<ev_stat> callback invocation I<and> on
1755	C<ev_timer> callback invocation).	2715	C<ev_timer> callback invocation).
1756		2716
1757	static ev_stat passwd;	2717	static ev_stat passwd;
1758	static ev_timer timer;	2718	static ev_timer timer;
1759		2719
1760	static void	2720	static void
1761	timer_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)	2721	timer_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
1762	{	2722	{
1763	ev_timer_stop (EV_A_ w);	2723	ev_timer_stop (EV_A_ w);
1764		2724
1765	/* now it's one second after the most recent passwd change */	2725	/* now it's one second after the most recent passwd change */
1766	}	2726	}
1767		2727
1768	static void	2728	static void
1769	stat_cb (EV_P_ ev_stat *w, int revents)	2729	stat_cb (EV_P_ ev_stat *w, int revents)
1770	{	2730	{
1771	/* reset the one-second timer */	2731	/* reset the one-second timer */
1772	ev_timer_again (EV_A_ &timer);	2732	ev_timer_again (EV_A_ &timer);
1773	}	2733	}
1774		2734
1775	...	2735	...
1776	ev_stat_init (&passwd, stat_cb, "/etc/passwd", 0.);	2736	ev_stat_init (&passwd, stat_cb, "/etc/passwd", 0.);
1777	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);	2737	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);
1778	ev_timer_init (&timer, timer_cb, 0., 1.02);	2738	ev_timer_init (&timer, timer_cb, 0., 1.02);
1779		2739
1780		2740
1781	=head2 C<ev_idle> - when you've got nothing better to do...	2741	=head2 C<ev_idle> - when you've got nothing better to do...
1782		2742
1783	Idle watchers trigger events when no other events of the same or higher	2743	Idle watchers trigger events when no other events of the same or higher
1784	priority are pending (prepare, check and other idle watchers do not	2744	priority are pending (prepare, check and other idle watchers do not count
1785	count).	2745	as receiving "events").
1786		2746
1787	That is, as long as your process is busy handling sockets or timeouts	2747	That is, as long as your process is busy handling sockets or timeouts
1788	(or even signals, imagine) of the same or higher priority it will not be	2748	(or even signals, imagine) of the same or higher priority it will not be
1789	triggered. But when your process is idle (or only lower-priority watchers	2749	triggered. But when your process is idle (or only lower-priority watchers
1790	are pending), the idle watchers are being called once per event loop	2750	are pending), the idle watchers are being called once per event loop
…		…
1801		2761
1802	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	2762	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1803		2763
1804	=over 4	2764	=over 4
1805		2765
1806	=item ev_idle_init (ev_signal *, callback)	2766	=item ev_idle_init (ev_idle *, callback)
1807		2767
1808	Initialises and configures the idle watcher - it has no parameters of any	2768	Initialises and configures the idle watcher - it has no parameters of any
1809	kind. There is a C<ev_idle_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,	2769	kind. There is a C<ev_idle_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
1810	believe me.	2770	believe me.
1811		2771
…		…
1814	=head3 Examples	2774	=head3 Examples
1815		2775
1816	Example: Dynamically allocate an C<ev_idle> watcher, start it, and in the	2776	Example: Dynamically allocate an C<ev_idle> watcher, start it, and in the
1817	callback, free it. Also, use no error checking, as usual.	2777	callback, free it. Also, use no error checking, as usual.
1818		2778
1819	static void	2779	static void
1820	idle_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_idle *w, int revents)	2780	idle_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_idle *w, int revents)
1821	{	2781	{
1822	free (w);	2782	free (w);
1823	// now do something you wanted to do when the program has	2783	// now do something you wanted to do when the program has
1824	// no longer anything immediate to do.	2784	// no longer anything immediate to do.
1825	}	2785	}
1826		2786
1827	struct ev_idle *idle_watcher = malloc (sizeof (struct ev_idle));	2787	ev_idle *idle_watcher = malloc (sizeof (ev_idle));
1828	ev_idle_init (idle_watcher, idle_cb);	2788	ev_idle_init (idle_watcher, idle_cb);
1829	ev_idle_start (loop, idle_cb);	2789	ev_idle_start (loop, idle_watcher);
1830		2790
1831		2791
1832	=head2 C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> - customise your event loop!	2792	=head2 C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> - customise your event loop!
1833		2793
1834	Prepare and check watchers are usually (but not always) used in tandem:	2794	Prepare and check watchers are usually (but not always) used in pairs:
1835	prepare watchers get invoked before the process blocks and check watchers	2795	prepare watchers get invoked before the process blocks and check watchers
1836	afterwards.	2796	afterwards.
1837		2797
1838	You I<must not> call C<ev_loop> or similar functions that enter	2798	You I<must not> call C<ev_run> or similar functions that enter
1839	the current event loop from either C<ev_prepare> or C<ev_check>	2799	the current event loop from either C<ev_prepare> or C<ev_check>
1840	watchers. Other loops than the current one are fine, however. The	2800	watchers. Other loops than the current one are fine, however. The
1841	rationale behind this is that you do not need to check for recursion in	2801	rationale behind this is that you do not need to check for recursion in
1842	those watchers, i.e. the sequence will always be C<ev_prepare>, blocking,	2802	those watchers, i.e. the sequence will always be C<ev_prepare>, blocking,
1843	C<ev_check> so if you have one watcher of each kind they will always be	2803	C<ev_check> so if you have one watcher of each kind they will always be
1844	called in pairs bracketing the blocking call.	2804	called in pairs bracketing the blocking call.
1845		2805
1846	Their main purpose is to integrate other event mechanisms into libev and	2806	Their main purpose is to integrate other event mechanisms into libev and
1847	their use is somewhat advanced. This could be used, for example, to track	2807	their use is somewhat advanced. They could be used, for example, to track
1848	variable changes, implement your own watchers, integrate net-snmp or a	2808	variable changes, implement your own watchers, integrate net-snmp or a
1849	coroutine library and lots more. They are also occasionally useful if	2809	coroutine library and lots more. They are also occasionally useful if
1850	you cache some data and want to flush it before blocking (for example,	2810	you cache some data and want to flush it before blocking (for example,
1851	in X programs you might want to do an C<XFlush ()> in an C<ev_prepare>	2811	in X programs you might want to do an C<XFlush ()> in an C<ev_prepare>
1852	watcher).	2812	watcher).
1853		2813
1854	This is done by examining in each prepare call which file descriptors need	2814	This is done by examining in each prepare call which file descriptors
1855	to be watched by the other library, registering C<ev_io> watchers for	2815	need to be watched by the other library, registering C<ev_io> watchers
1856	them and starting an C<ev_timer> watcher for any timeouts (many libraries	2816	for them and starting an C<ev_timer> watcher for any timeouts (many
1857	provide just this functionality). Then, in the check watcher you check for	2817	libraries provide exactly this functionality). Then, in the check watcher,
1858	any events that occured (by checking the pending status of all watchers	2818	you check for any events that occurred (by checking the pending status
1859	and stopping them) and call back into the library. The I/O and timer	2819	of all watchers and stopping them) and call back into the library. The
1860	callbacks will never actually be called (but must be valid nevertheless,	2820	I/O and timer callbacks will never actually be called (but must be valid
1861	because you never know, you know?).	2821	nevertheless, because you never know, you know?).
1862		2822
1863	As another example, the Perl Coro module uses these hooks to integrate	2823	As another example, the Perl Coro module uses these hooks to integrate
1864	coroutines into libev programs, by yielding to other active coroutines	2824	coroutines into libev programs, by yielding to other active coroutines
1865	during each prepare and only letting the process block if no coroutines	2825	during each prepare and only letting the process block if no coroutines
1866	are ready to run (it's actually more complicated: it only runs coroutines	2826	are ready to run (it's actually more complicated: it only runs coroutines
…		…
1869	loop from blocking if lower-priority coroutines are active, thus mapping	2829	loop from blocking if lower-priority coroutines are active, thus mapping
1870	low-priority coroutines to idle/background tasks).	2830	low-priority coroutines to idle/background tasks).
1871		2831
1872	It is recommended to give C<ev_check> watchers highest (C<EV_MAXPRI>)	2832	It is recommended to give C<ev_check> watchers highest (C<EV_MAXPRI>)
1873	priority, to ensure that they are being run before any other watchers	2833	priority, to ensure that they are being run before any other watchers
		2834	after the poll (this doesn't matter for C<ev_prepare> watchers).
		2835
1874	after the poll. Also, C<ev_check> watchers (and C<ev_prepare> watchers,	2836	Also, C<ev_check> watchers (and C<ev_prepare> watchers, too) should not
1875	too) should not activate ("feed") events into libev. While libev fully	2837	activate ("feed") events into libev. While libev fully supports this, they
1876	supports this, they might get executed before other C<ev_check> watchers	2838	might get executed before other C<ev_check> watchers did their job. As
1877	did their job. As C<ev_check> watchers are often used to embed other	2839	C<ev_check> watchers are often used to embed other (non-libev) event
1878	(non-libev) event loops those other event loops might be in an unusable	2840	loops those other event loops might be in an unusable state until their
1879	state until their C<ev_check> watcher ran (always remind yourself to	2841	C<ev_check> watcher ran (always remind yourself to coexist peacefully with
1880	coexist peacefully with others).	2842	others).
1881		2843
1882	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	2844	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1883		2845
1884	=over 4	2846	=over 4
1885		2847
…		…
1887		2849
1888	=item ev_check_init (ev_check *, callback)	2850	=item ev_check_init (ev_check *, callback)
1889		2851
1890	Initialises and configures the prepare or check watcher - they have no	2852	Initialises and configures the prepare or check watcher - they have no
1891	parameters of any kind. There are C<ev_prepare_set> and C<ev_check_set>	2853	parameters of any kind. There are C<ev_prepare_set> and C<ev_check_set>
1892	macros, but using them is utterly, utterly and completely pointless.	2854	macros, but using them is utterly, utterly, utterly and completely
		2855	pointless.
1893		2856
1894	=back	2857	=back
1895		2858
1896	=head3 Examples	2859	=head3 Examples
1897		2860
…		…
1906	and in a check watcher, destroy them and call into libadns. What follows	2869	and in a check watcher, destroy them and call into libadns. What follows
1907	is pseudo-code only of course. This requires you to either use a low	2870	is pseudo-code only of course. This requires you to either use a low
1908	priority for the check watcher or use C<ev_clear_pending> explicitly, as	2871	priority for the check watcher or use C<ev_clear_pending> explicitly, as
1909	the callbacks for the IO/timeout watchers might not have been called yet.	2872	the callbacks for the IO/timeout watchers might not have been called yet.
1910		2873
1911	static ev_io iow [nfd];	2874	static ev_io iow [nfd];
1912	static ev_timer tw;	2875	static ev_timer tw;
1913		2876
1914	static void	2877	static void
1915	io_cb (ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w, int revents)	2878	io_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w, int revents)
1916	{	2879	{
1917	}	2880	}
1918		2881
1919	// create io watchers for each fd and a timer before blocking	2882	// create io watchers for each fd and a timer before blocking
1920	static void	2883	static void
1921	adns_prepare_cb (ev_loop *loop, ev_prepare *w, int revents)	2884	adns_prepare_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_prepare *w, int revents)
1922	{	2885	{
1923	int timeout = 3600000;	2886	int timeout = 3600000;
1924	struct pollfd fds [nfd];	2887	struct pollfd fds [nfd];
1925	// actual code will need to loop here and realloc etc.	2888	// actual code will need to loop here and realloc etc.
1926	adns_beforepoll (ads, fds, &nfd, &timeout, timeval_from (ev_time ()));	2889	adns_beforepoll (ads, fds, &nfd, &timeout, timeval_from (ev_time ()));
1927		2890
1928	/* the callback is illegal, but won't be called as we stop during check */	2891	/* the callback is illegal, but won't be called as we stop during check */
1929	ev_timer_init (&tw, 0, timeout * 1e-3);	2892	ev_timer_init (&tw, 0, timeout * 1e-3, 0.);
1930	ev_timer_start (loop, &tw);	2893	ev_timer_start (loop, &tw);
1931		2894
1932	// create one ev_io per pollfd	2895	// create one ev_io per pollfd
1933	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)	2896	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)
1934	{	2897	{
1935	ev_io_init (iow + i, io_cb, fds [i].fd,	2898	ev_io_init (iow + i, io_cb, fds [i].fd,
1936	((fds [i].events & POLLIN ? EV_READ : 0)	2899	((fds [i].events & POLLIN ? EV_READ : 0)
1937	| (fds [i].events & POLLOUT ? EV_WRITE : 0)));	2900	| (fds [i].events & POLLOUT ? EV_WRITE : 0)));
1938		2901
1939	fds [i].revents = 0;	2902	fds [i].revents = 0;
1940	ev_io_start (loop, iow + i);	2903	ev_io_start (loop, iow + i);
1941	}	2904	}
1942	}	2905	}
1943		2906
1944	// stop all watchers after blocking	2907	// stop all watchers after blocking
1945	static void	2908	static void
1946	adns_check_cb (ev_loop *loop, ev_check *w, int revents)	2909	adns_check_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_check *w, int revents)
1947	{	2910	{
1948	ev_timer_stop (loop, &tw);	2911	ev_timer_stop (loop, &tw);
1949		2912
1950	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)	2913	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)
1951	{	2914	{
1952	// set the relevant poll flags	2915	// set the relevant poll flags
1953	// could also call adns_processreadable etc. here	2916	// could also call adns_processreadable etc. here
1954	struct pollfd *fd = fds + i;	2917	struct pollfd *fd = fds + i;
1955	int revents = ev_clear_pending (iow + i);	2918	int revents = ev_clear_pending (iow + i);
1956	if (revents & EV_READ ) fd->revents |= fd->events & POLLIN;	2919	if (revents & EV_READ ) fd->revents |= fd->events & POLLIN;
1957	if (revents & EV_WRITE) fd->revents |= fd->events & POLLOUT;	2920	if (revents & EV_WRITE) fd->revents |= fd->events & POLLOUT;
1958		2921
1959	// now stop the watcher	2922	// now stop the watcher
1960	ev_io_stop (loop, iow + i);	2923	ev_io_stop (loop, iow + i);
1961	}	2924	}
1962		2925
1963	adns_afterpoll (adns, fds, nfd, timeval_from (ev_now (loop));	2926	adns_afterpoll (adns, fds, nfd, timeval_from (ev_now (loop));
1964	}	2927	}
1965		2928
1966	Method 2: This would be just like method 1, but you run C<adns_afterpoll>	2929	Method 2: This would be just like method 1, but you run C<adns_afterpoll>
1967	in the prepare watcher and would dispose of the check watcher.	2930	in the prepare watcher and would dispose of the check watcher.
1968		2931
1969	Method 3: If the module to be embedded supports explicit event	2932	Method 3: If the module to be embedded supports explicit event
1970	notification (adns does), you can also make use of the actual watcher	2933	notification (libadns does), you can also make use of the actual watcher
1971	callbacks, and only destroy/create the watchers in the prepare watcher.	2934	callbacks, and only destroy/create the watchers in the prepare watcher.
1972		2935
1973	static void	2936	static void
1974	timer_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)	2937	timer_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
1975	{	2938	{
1976	adns_state ads = (adns_state)w->data;	2939	adns_state ads = (adns_state)w->data;
1977	update_now (EV_A);	2940	update_now (EV_A);
1978		2941
1979	adns_processtimeouts (ads, &tv_now);	2942	adns_processtimeouts (ads, &tv_now);
1980	}	2943	}
1981		2944
1982	static void	2945	static void
1983	io_cb (EV_P_ ev_io *w, int revents)	2946	io_cb (EV_P_ ev_io *w, int revents)
1984	{	2947	{
1985	adns_state ads = (adns_state)w->data;	2948	adns_state ads = (adns_state)w->data;
1986	update_now (EV_A);	2949	update_now (EV_A);
1987		2950
1988	if (revents & EV_READ ) adns_processreadable (ads, w->fd, &tv_now);	2951	if (revents & EV_READ ) adns_processreadable (ads, w->fd, &tv_now);
1989	if (revents & EV_WRITE) adns_processwriteable (ads, w->fd, &tv_now);	2952	if (revents & EV_WRITE) adns_processwriteable (ads, w->fd, &tv_now);
1990	}	2953	}
1991		2954
1992	// do not ever call adns_afterpoll	2955	// do not ever call adns_afterpoll
1993		2956
1994	Method 4: Do not use a prepare or check watcher because the module you	2957	Method 4: Do not use a prepare or check watcher because the module you
1995	want to embed is too inflexible to support it. Instead, youc na override	2958	want to embed is not flexible enough to support it. Instead, you can
1996	their poll function. The drawback with this solution is that the main	2959	override their poll function. The drawback with this solution is that the
1997	loop is now no longer controllable by EV. The C<Glib::EV> module does	2960	main loop is now no longer controllable by EV. The C<Glib::EV> module uses
1998	this.	2961	this approach, effectively embedding EV as a client into the horrible
		2962	libglib event loop.
1999		2963
2000	static gint	2964	static gint
2001	event_poll_func (GPollFD *fds, guint nfds, gint timeout)	2965	event_poll_func (GPollFD *fds, guint nfds, gint timeout)
2002	{	2966	{
2003	int got_events = 0;	2967	int got_events = 0;
2004		2968
2005	for (n = 0; n < nfds; ++n)	2969	for (n = 0; n < nfds; ++n)
2006	// create/start io watcher that sets the relevant bits in fds[n] and increment got_events	2970	// create/start io watcher that sets the relevant bits in fds[n] and increment got_events
2007		2971
2008	if (timeout >= 0)	2972	if (timeout >= 0)
2009	// create/start timer	2973	// create/start timer
2010		2974
2011	// poll	2975	// poll
2012	ev_loop (EV_A_ 0);	2976	ev_run (EV_A_ 0);
2013		2977
2014	// stop timer again	2978	// stop timer again
2015	if (timeout >= 0)	2979	if (timeout >= 0)
2016	ev_timer_stop (EV_A_ &to);	2980	ev_timer_stop (EV_A_ &to);
2017		2981
2018	// stop io watchers again - their callbacks should have set	2982	// stop io watchers again - their callbacks should have set
2019	for (n = 0; n < nfds; ++n)	2983	for (n = 0; n < nfds; ++n)
2020	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ iow [n]);	2984	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ iow [n]);
2021		2985
2022	return got_events;	2986	return got_events;
2023	}	2987	}
2024		2988
2025		2989
2026	=head2 C<ev_embed> - when one backend isn't enough...	2990	=head2 C<ev_embed> - when one backend isn't enough...
2027		2991
2028	This is a rather advanced watcher type that lets you embed one event loop	2992	This is a rather advanced watcher type that lets you embed one event loop
…		…
2034	prioritise I/O.	2998	prioritise I/O.
2035		2999
2036	As an example for a bug workaround, the kqueue backend might only support	3000	As an example for a bug workaround, the kqueue backend might only support
2037	sockets on some platform, so it is unusable as generic backend, but you	3001	sockets on some platform, so it is unusable as generic backend, but you
2038	still want to make use of it because you have many sockets and it scales	3002	still want to make use of it because you have many sockets and it scales
2039	so nicely. In this case, you would create a kqueue-based loop and embed it	3003	so nicely. In this case, you would create a kqueue-based loop and embed
2040	into your default loop (which might use e.g. poll). Overall operation will	3004	it into your default loop (which might use e.g. poll). Overall operation
2041	be a bit slower because first libev has to poll and then call kevent, but	3005	will be a bit slower because first libev has to call C<poll> and then
2042	at least you can use both at what they are best.	3006	C<kevent>, but at least you can use both mechanisms for what they are
		3007	best: C<kqueue> for scalable sockets and C<poll> if you want it to work :)
2043		3008
2044	As for prioritising I/O: rarely you have the case where some fds have	3009	As for prioritising I/O: under rare circumstances you have the case where
2045	to be watched and handled very quickly (with low latency), and even	3010	some fds have to be watched and handled very quickly (with low latency),
2046	priorities and idle watchers might have too much overhead. In this case	3011	and even priorities and idle watchers might have too much overhead. In
2047	you would put all the high priority stuff in one loop and all the rest in	3012	this case you would put all the high priority stuff in one loop and all
2048	a second one, and embed the second one in the first.	3013	the rest in a second one, and embed the second one in the first.
2049		3014
2050	As long as the watcher is active, the callback will be invoked every time	3015	As long as the watcher is active, the callback will be invoked every
2051	there might be events pending in the embedded loop. The callback must then	3016	time there might be events pending in the embedded loop. The callback
2052	call C<ev_embed_sweep (mainloop, watcher)> to make a single sweep and invoke	3017	must then call C<ev_embed_sweep (mainloop, watcher)> to make a single
2053	their callbacks (you could also start an idle watcher to give the embedded	3018	sweep and invoke their callbacks (the callback doesn't need to invoke the
2054	loop strictly lower priority for example). You can also set the callback	3019	C<ev_embed_sweep> function directly, it could also start an idle watcher
2055	to C<0>, in which case the embed watcher will automatically execute the	3020	to give the embedded loop strictly lower priority for example).
2056	embedded loop sweep.
2057		3021
2058	As long as the watcher is started it will automatically handle events. The	3022	You can also set the callback to C<0>, in which case the embed watcher
2059	callback will be invoked whenever some events have been handled. You can	3023	will automatically execute the embedded loop sweep whenever necessary.
2060	set the callback to C<0> to avoid having to specify one if you are not
2061	interested in that.
2062		3024
2063	Also, there have not currently been made special provisions for forking:	3025	Fork detection will be handled transparently while the C<ev_embed> watcher
2064	when you fork, you not only have to call C<ev_loop_fork> on both loops,	3026	is active, i.e., the embedded loop will automatically be forked when the
2065	but you will also have to stop and restart any C<ev_embed> watchers	3027	embedding loop forks. In other cases, the user is responsible for calling
2066	yourself.	3028	C<ev_loop_fork> on the embedded loop.
2067		3029
2068	Unfortunately, not all backends are embeddable, only the ones returned by	3030	Unfortunately, not all backends are embeddable: only the ones returned by
2069	C<ev_embeddable_backends> are, which, unfortunately, does not include any	3031	C<ev_embeddable_backends> are, which, unfortunately, does not include any
2070	portable one.	3032	portable one.
2071		3033
2072	So when you want to use this feature you will always have to be prepared	3034	So when you want to use this feature you will always have to be prepared
2073	that you cannot get an embeddable loop. The recommended way to get around	3035	that you cannot get an embeddable loop. The recommended way to get around
2074	this is to have a separate variables for your embeddable loop, try to	3036	this is to have a separate variables for your embeddable loop, try to
2075	create it, and if that fails, use the normal loop for everything.	3037	create it, and if that fails, use the normal loop for everything.
2076		3038
		3039	=head3 C<ev_embed> and fork
		3040
		3041	While the C<ev_embed> watcher is running, forks in the embedding loop will
		3042	automatically be applied to the embedded loop as well, so no special
		3043	fork handling is required in that case. When the watcher is not running,
		3044	however, it is still the task of the libev user to call C<ev_loop_fork ()>
		3045	as applicable.
		3046
2077	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	3047	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
2078		3048
2079	=over 4	3049	=over 4
2080		3050
2081	=item ev_embed_init (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)	3051	=item ev_embed_init (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)
…		…
2084		3054
2085	Configures the watcher to embed the given loop, which must be	3055	Configures the watcher to embed the given loop, which must be
2086	embeddable. If the callback is C<0>, then C<ev_embed_sweep> will be	3056	embeddable. If the callback is C<0>, then C<ev_embed_sweep> will be
2087	invoked automatically, otherwise it is the responsibility of the callback	3057	invoked automatically, otherwise it is the responsibility of the callback
2088	to invoke it (it will continue to be called until the sweep has been done,	3058	to invoke it (it will continue to be called until the sweep has been done,
2089	if you do not want thta, you need to temporarily stop the embed watcher).	3059	if you do not want that, you need to temporarily stop the embed watcher).
2090		3060
2091	=item ev_embed_sweep (loop, ev_embed *)	3061	=item ev_embed_sweep (loop, ev_embed *)
2092		3062
2093	Make a single, non-blocking sweep over the embedded loop. This works	3063	Make a single, non-blocking sweep over the embedded loop. This works
2094	similarly to C<ev_loop (embedded_loop, EVLOOP_NONBLOCK)>, but in the most	3064	similarly to C<ev_run (embedded_loop, EVRUN_NOWAIT)>, but in the most
2095	apropriate way for embedded loops.	3065	appropriate way for embedded loops.
2096		3066
2097	=item struct ev_loop *other [read-only]	3067	=item struct ev_loop *other [read-only]
2098		3068
2099	The embedded event loop.	3069	The embedded event loop.
2100		3070
…		…
2102		3072
2103	=head3 Examples	3073	=head3 Examples
2104		3074
2105	Example: Try to get an embeddable event loop and embed it into the default	3075	Example: Try to get an embeddable event loop and embed it into the default
2106	event loop. If that is not possible, use the default loop. The default	3076	event loop. If that is not possible, use the default loop. The default
2107	loop is stored in C<loop_hi>, while the mebeddable loop is stored in	3077	loop is stored in C<loop_hi>, while the embeddable loop is stored in
2108	C<loop_lo> (which is C<loop_hi> in the acse no embeddable loop can be	3078	C<loop_lo> (which is C<loop_hi> in the case no embeddable loop can be
2109	used).	3079	used).
2110		3080
2111	struct ev_loop *loop_hi = ev_default_init (0);	3081	struct ev_loop *loop_hi = ev_default_init (0);
2112	struct ev_loop *loop_lo = 0;	3082	struct ev_loop *loop_lo = 0;
2113	struct ev_embed embed;	3083	ev_embed embed;
2114		3084
2115	// see if there is a chance of getting one that works	3085	// see if there is a chance of getting one that works
2116	// (remember that a flags value of 0 means autodetection)	3086	// (remember that a flags value of 0 means autodetection)
2117	loop_lo = ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_recommended_backends ()	3087	loop_lo = ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_recommended_backends ()
2118	? ev_loop_new (ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_recommended_backends ())	3088	? ev_loop_new (ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_recommended_backends ())
2119	: 0;	3089	: 0;
2120		3090
2121	// if we got one, then embed it, otherwise default to loop_hi	3091	// if we got one, then embed it, otherwise default to loop_hi
2122	if (loop_lo)	3092	if (loop_lo)
2123	{	3093	{
2124	ev_embed_init (&embed, 0, loop_lo);	3094	ev_embed_init (&embed, 0, loop_lo);
2125	ev_embed_start (loop_hi, &embed);	3095	ev_embed_start (loop_hi, &embed);
2126	}	3096	}
2127	else	3097	else
2128	loop_lo = loop_hi;	3098	loop_lo = loop_hi;
2129		3099
2130	Example: Check if kqueue is available but not recommended and create	3100	Example: Check if kqueue is available but not recommended and create
2131	a kqueue backend for use with sockets (which usually work with any	3101	a kqueue backend for use with sockets (which usually work with any
2132	kqueue implementation). Store the kqueue/socket-only event loop in	3102	kqueue implementation). Store the kqueue/socket-only event loop in
2133	C<loop_socket>. (One might optionally use C<EVFLAG_NOENV>, too).	3103	C<loop_socket>. (One might optionally use C<EVFLAG_NOENV>, too).
2134		3104
2135	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_init (0);	3105	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_init (0);
2136	struct ev_loop *loop_socket = 0;	3106	struct ev_loop *loop_socket = 0;
2137	struct ev_embed embed;	3107	ev_embed embed;
2138		3108
2139	if (ev_supported_backends () & ~ev_recommended_backends () & EVBACKEND_KQUEUE)	3109	if (ev_supported_backends () & ~ev_recommended_backends () & EVBACKEND_KQUEUE)
2140	if ((loop_socket = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_KQUEUE))	3110	if ((loop_socket = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_KQUEUE))
2141	{	3111	{
2142	ev_embed_init (&embed, 0, loop_socket);	3112	ev_embed_init (&embed, 0, loop_socket);
2143	ev_embed_start (loop, &embed);	3113	ev_embed_start (loop, &embed);
2144	}	3114	}
2145		3115
2146	if (!loop_socket)	3116	if (!loop_socket)
2147	loop_socket = loop;	3117	loop_socket = loop;
2148		3118
2149	// now use loop_socket for all sockets, and loop for everything else	3119	// now use loop_socket for all sockets, and loop for everything else
2150		3120
2151		3121
2152	=head2 C<ev_fork> - the audacity to resume the event loop after a fork	3122	=head2 C<ev_fork> - the audacity to resume the event loop after a fork
2153		3123
2154	Fork watchers are called when a C<fork ()> was detected (usually because	3124	Fork watchers are called when a C<fork ()> was detected (usually because
…		…
2157	event loop blocks next and before C<ev_check> watchers are being called,	3127	event loop blocks next and before C<ev_check> watchers are being called,
2158	and only in the child after the fork. If whoever good citizen calling	3128	and only in the child after the fork. If whoever good citizen calling
2159	C<ev_default_fork> cheats and calls it in the wrong process, the fork	3129	C<ev_default_fork> cheats and calls it in the wrong process, the fork
2160	handlers will be invoked, too, of course.	3130	handlers will be invoked, too, of course.
2161		3131
		3132	=head3 The special problem of life after fork - how is it possible?
		3133
		3134	Most uses of C<fork()> consist of forking, then some simple calls to set
		3135	up/change the process environment, followed by a call to C<exec()>. This
		3136	sequence should be handled by libev without any problems.
		3137
		3138	This changes when the application actually wants to do event handling
		3139	in the child, or both parent in child, in effect "continuing" after the
		3140	fork.
		3141
		3142	The default mode of operation (for libev, with application help to detect
		3143	forks) is to duplicate all the state in the child, as would be expected
		3144	when I<either> the parent I<or> the child process continues.
		3145
		3146	When both processes want to continue using libev, then this is usually the
		3147	wrong result. In that case, usually one process (typically the parent) is
		3148	supposed to continue with all watchers in place as before, while the other
		3149	process typically wants to start fresh, i.e. without any active watchers.
		3150
		3151	The cleanest and most efficient way to achieve that with libev is to
		3152	simply create a new event loop, which of course will be "empty", and
		3153	use that for new watchers. This has the advantage of not touching more
		3154	memory than necessary, and thus avoiding the copy-on-write, and the
		3155	disadvantage of having to use multiple event loops (which do not support
		3156	signal watchers).
		3157
		3158	When this is not possible, or you want to use the default loop for
		3159	other reasons, then in the process that wants to start "fresh", call
		3160	C<ev_loop_destroy (EV_DEFAULT)> followed by C<ev_default_loop (...)>.
		3161	Destroying the default loop will "orphan" (not stop) all registered
		3162	watchers, so you have to be careful not to execute code that modifies
		3163	those watchers. Note also that in that case, you have to re-register any
		3164	signal watchers.
		3165
2162	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	3166	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
2163		3167
2164	=over 4	3168	=over 4
2165		3169
2166	=item ev_fork_init (ev_signal *, callback)	3170	=item ev_fork_init (ev_fork *, callback)
2167		3171
2168	Initialises and configures the fork watcher - it has no parameters of any	3172	Initialises and configures the fork watcher - it has no parameters of any
2169	kind. There is a C<ev_fork_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,	3173	kind. There is a C<ev_fork_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
2170	believe me.	3174	really.
2171		3175
2172	=back	3176	=back
2173		3177
2174		3178
		3179	=head2 C<ev_cleanup> - even the best things end
		3180
		3181	Cleanup watchers are called just before the event loop is being destroyed
		3182	by a call to C<ev_loop_destroy>.
		3183
		3184	While there is no guarantee that the event loop gets destroyed, cleanup
		3185	watchers provide a convenient method to install cleanup hooks for your
		3186	program, worker threads and so on - you just to make sure to destroy the
		3187	loop when you want them to be invoked.
		3188
		3189	Cleanup watchers are invoked in the same way as any other watcher. Unlike
		3190	all other watchers, they do not keep a reference to the event loop (which
		3191	makes a lot of sense if you think about it). Like all other watchers, you
		3192	can call libev functions in the callback, except C<ev_cleanup_start>.
		3193
		3194	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		3195
		3196	=over 4
		3197
		3198	=item ev_cleanup_init (ev_cleanup *, callback)
		3199
		3200	Initialises and configures the cleanup watcher - it has no parameters of
		3201	any kind. There is a C<ev_cleanup_set> macro, but using it is utterly
		3202	pointless, I assure you.
		3203
		3204	=back
		3205
		3206	Example: Register an atexit handler to destroy the default loop, so any
		3207	cleanup functions are called.
		3208
		3209	static void
		3210	program_exits (void)
		3211	{
		3212	ev_loop_destroy (EV_DEFAULT_UC);
		3213	}
		3214
		3215	...
		3216	atexit (program_exits);
		3217
		3218
2175	=head2 C<ev_async> - how to wake up another event loop	3219	=head2 C<ev_async> - how to wake up an event loop
2176		3220
2177	In general, you cannot use an C<ev_loop> from multiple threads or other	3221	In general, you cannot use an C<ev_run> from multiple threads or other
2178	asynchronous sources such as signal handlers (as opposed to multiple event	3222	asynchronous sources such as signal handlers (as opposed to multiple event
2179	loops - those are of course safe to use in different threads).	3223	loops - those are of course safe to use in different threads).
2180		3224
2181	Sometimes, however, you need to wake up another event loop you do not	3225	Sometimes, however, you need to wake up an event loop you do not control,
2182	control, for example because it belongs to another thread. This is what	3226	for example because it belongs to another thread. This is what C<ev_async>
2183	C<ev_async> watchers do: as long as the C<ev_async> watcher is active, you	3227	watchers do: as long as the C<ev_async> watcher is active, you can signal
2184	can signal it by calling C<ev_async_send>, which is thread- and signal	3228	it by calling C<ev_async_send>, which is thread- and signal safe.
2185	safe.
2186		3229
2187	This functionality is very similar to C<ev_signal> watchers, as signals,	3230	This functionality is very similar to C<ev_signal> watchers, as signals,
2188	too, are asynchronous in nature, and signals, too, will be compressed	3231	too, are asynchronous in nature, and signals, too, will be compressed
2189	(i.e. the number of callback invocations may be less than the number of	3232	(i.e. the number of callback invocations may be less than the number of
2190	C<ev_async_sent> calls).	3233	C<ev_async_sent> calls). In fact, you could use signal watchers as a kind
		3234	of "global async watchers" by using a watcher on an otherwise unused
		3235	signal, and C<ev_feed_signal> to signal this watcher from another thread,
		3236	even without knowing which loop owns the signal.
2191		3237
2192	Unlike C<ev_signal> watchers, C<ev_async> works with any event loop, not	3238	Unlike C<ev_signal> watchers, C<ev_async> works with any event loop, not
2193	just the default loop.	3239	just the default loop.
2194		3240
2195	=head3 Queueing	3241	=head3 Queueing
2196		3242
2197	C<ev_async> does not support queueing of data in any way. The reason	3243	C<ev_async> does not support queueing of data in any way. The reason
2198	is that the author does not know of a simple (or any) algorithm for a	3244	is that the author does not know of a simple (or any) algorithm for a
2199	multiple-writer-single-reader queue that works in all cases and doesn't	3245	multiple-writer-single-reader queue that works in all cases and doesn't
2200	need elaborate support such as pthreads.	3246	need elaborate support such as pthreads or unportable memory access
		3247	semantics.
2201		3248
2202	That means that if you want to queue data, you have to provide your own	3249	That means that if you want to queue data, you have to provide your own
2203	queue. But at least I can tell you would implement locking around your	3250	queue. But at least I can tell you how to implement locking around your
2204	queue:	3251	queue:
2205		3252
2206	=over 4	3253	=over 4
2207		3254
2208	=item queueing from a signal handler context	3255	=item queueing from a signal handler context
2209		3256
2210	To implement race-free queueing, you simply add to the queue in the signal	3257	To implement race-free queueing, you simply add to the queue in the signal
2211	handler but you block the signal handler in the watcher callback. Here is an example that does that for	3258	handler but you block the signal handler in the watcher callback. Here is
2212	some fictitiuous SIGUSR1 handler:	3259	an example that does that for some fictitious SIGUSR1 handler:
2213		3260
2214	static ev_async mysig;	3261	static ev_async mysig;
2215		3262
2216	static void	3263	static void
2217	sigusr1_handler (void)	3264	sigusr1_handler (void)
…		…
2283	=over 4	3330	=over 4
2284		3331
2285	=item ev_async_init (ev_async *, callback)	3332	=item ev_async_init (ev_async *, callback)
2286		3333
2287	Initialises and configures the async watcher - it has no parameters of any	3334	Initialises and configures the async watcher - it has no parameters of any
2288	kind. There is a C<ev_asynd_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,	3335	kind. There is a C<ev_async_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
2289	believe me.	3336	trust me.
2290		3337
2291	=item ev_async_send (loop, ev_async *)	3338	=item ev_async_send (loop, ev_async *)
2292		3339
2293	Sends/signals/activates the given C<ev_async> watcher, that is, feeds	3340	Sends/signals/activates the given C<ev_async> watcher, that is, feeds
2294	an C<EV_ASYNC> event on the watcher into the event loop. Unlike	3341	an C<EV_ASYNC> event on the watcher into the event loop. Unlike
2295	C<ev_feed_event>, this call is safe to do in other threads, signal or	3342	C<ev_feed_event>, this call is safe to do from other threads, signal or
2296	similar contexts (see the dicusssion of C<EV_ATOMIC_T> in the embedding	3343	similar contexts (see the discussion of C<EV_ATOMIC_T> in the embedding
2297	section below on what exactly this means).	3344	section below on what exactly this means).
2298		3345
		3346	Note that, as with other watchers in libev, multiple events might get
		3347	compressed into a single callback invocation (another way to look at this
		3348	is that C<ev_async> watchers are level-triggered, set on C<ev_async_send>,
		3349	reset when the event loop detects that).
		3350
2299	This call incurs the overhead of a syscall only once per loop iteration,	3351	This call incurs the overhead of a system call only once per event loop
2300	so while the overhead might be noticable, it doesn't apply to repeated	3352	iteration, so while the overhead might be noticeable, it doesn't apply to
2301	calls to C<ev_async_send>.	3353	repeated calls to C<ev_async_send> for the same event loop.
2302		3354
2303	=item bool = ev_async_pending (ev_async *)	3355	=item bool = ev_async_pending (ev_async *)
2304		3356
2305	Returns a non-zero value when C<ev_async_send> has been called on the	3357	Returns a non-zero value when C<ev_async_send> has been called on the
2306	watcher but the event has not yet been processed (or even noted) by the	3358	watcher but the event has not yet been processed (or even noted) by the
2307	event loop.	3359	event loop.
2308		3360
2309	C<ev_async_send> sets a flag in the watcher and wakes up the loop. When	3361	C<ev_async_send> sets a flag in the watcher and wakes up the loop. When
2310	the loop iterates next and checks for the watcher to have become active,	3362	the loop iterates next and checks for the watcher to have become active,
2311	it will reset the flag again. C<ev_async_pending> can be used to very	3363	it will reset the flag again. C<ev_async_pending> can be used to very
2312	quickly check wether invoking the loop might be a good idea.	3364	quickly check whether invoking the loop might be a good idea.
2313		3365
2314	Not that this does I<not> check wether the watcher itself is pending, only	3366	Not that this does I<not> check whether the watcher itself is pending,
2315	wether it has been requested to make this watcher pending.	3367	only whether it has been requested to make this watcher pending: there
		3368	is a time window between the event loop checking and resetting the async
		3369	notification, and the callback being invoked.
2316		3370
2317	=back	3371	=back
2318		3372
2319		3373
2320	=head1 OTHER FUNCTIONS	3374	=head1 OTHER FUNCTIONS
…		…
2324	=over 4	3378	=over 4
2325		3379
2326	=item ev_once (loop, int fd, int events, ev_tstamp timeout, callback)	3380	=item ev_once (loop, int fd, int events, ev_tstamp timeout, callback)
2327		3381
2328	This function combines a simple timer and an I/O watcher, calls your	3382	This function combines a simple timer and an I/O watcher, calls your
2329	callback on whichever event happens first and automatically stop both	3383	callback on whichever event happens first and automatically stops both
2330	watchers. This is useful if you want to wait for a single event on an fd	3384	watchers. This is useful if you want to wait for a single event on an fd
2331	or timeout without having to allocate/configure/start/stop/free one or	3385	or timeout without having to allocate/configure/start/stop/free one or
2332	more watchers yourself.	3386	more watchers yourself.
2333		3387
2334	If C<fd> is less than 0, then no I/O watcher will be started and events	3388	If C<fd> is less than 0, then no I/O watcher will be started and the
2335	is being ignored. Otherwise, an C<ev_io> watcher for the given C<fd> and	3389	C<events> argument is being ignored. Otherwise, an C<ev_io> watcher for
2336	C<events> set will be craeted and started.	3390	the given C<fd> and C<events> set will be created and started.
2337		3391
2338	If C<timeout> is less than 0, then no timeout watcher will be	3392	If C<timeout> is less than 0, then no timeout watcher will be
2339	started. Otherwise an C<ev_timer> watcher with after = C<timeout> (and	3393	started. Otherwise an C<ev_timer> watcher with after = C<timeout> (and
2340	repeat = 0) will be started. While C<0> is a valid timeout, it is of	3394	repeat = 0) will be started. C<0> is a valid timeout.
2341	dubious value.
2342		3395
2343	The callback has the type C<void (*cb)(int revents, void *arg)> and gets	3396	The callback has the type C<void (*cb)(int revents, void *arg)> and is
2344	passed an C<revents> set like normal event callbacks (a combination of	3397	passed an C<revents> set like normal event callbacks (a combination of
2345	C<EV_ERROR>, C<EV_READ>, C<EV_WRITE> or C<EV_TIMEOUT>) and the C<arg>	3398	C<EV_ERROR>, C<EV_READ>, C<EV_WRITE> or C<EV_TIMER>) and the C<arg>
2346	value passed to C<ev_once>:	3399	value passed to C<ev_once>. Note that it is possible to receive I<both>
		3400	a timeout and an io event at the same time - you probably should give io
		3401	events precedence.
2347		3402
		3403	Example: wait up to ten seconds for data to appear on STDIN_FILENO.
		3404
2348	static void stdin_ready (int revents, void *arg)	3405	static void stdin_ready (int revents, void *arg)
2349	{	3406	{
2350	if (revents & EV_TIMEOUT)
2351	/* doh, nothing entered */;
2352	else if (revents & EV_READ)	3407	if (revents & EV_READ)
2353	/* stdin might have data for us, joy! */;	3408	/* stdin might have data for us, joy! */;
		3409	else if (revents & EV_TIMER)
		3410	/* doh, nothing entered */;
2354	}	3411	}
2355		3412
2356	ev_once (STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ, 10., stdin_ready, 0);	3413	ev_once (STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ, 10., stdin_ready, 0);
2357		3414
2358	=item ev_feed_event (ev_loop *, watcher *, int revents)
2359
2360	Feeds the given event set into the event loop, as if the specified event
2361	had happened for the specified watcher (which must be a pointer to an
2362	initialised but not necessarily started event watcher).
2363
2364	=item ev_feed_fd_event (ev_loop *, int fd, int revents)	3415	=item ev_feed_fd_event (loop, int fd, int revents)
2365		3416
2366	Feed an event on the given fd, as if a file descriptor backend detected	3417	Feed an event on the given fd, as if a file descriptor backend detected
2367	the given events it.	3418	the given events it.
2368		3419
2369	=item ev_feed_signal_event (ev_loop *loop, int signum)	3420	=item ev_feed_signal_event (loop, int signum)
2370		3421
2371	Feed an event as if the given signal occured (C<loop> must be the default	3422	Feed an event as if the given signal occurred. See also C<ev_feed_signal>,
2372	loop!).	3423	which is async-safe.
		3424
		3425	=back
		3426
		3427
		3428	=head1 COMMON OR USEFUL IDIOMS (OR BOTH)
		3429
		3430	This section explains some common idioms that are not immediately
		3431	obvious. Note that examples are sprinkled over the whole manual, and this
		3432	section only contains stuff that wouldn't fit anywhere else.
		3433
		3434	=over 4
		3435
		3436	=item Model/nested event loop invocations and exit conditions.
		3437
		3438	Often (especially in GUI toolkits) there are places where you have
		3439	I<modal> interaction, which is most easily implemented by recursively
		3440	invoking C<ev_run>.
		3441
		3442	This brings the problem of exiting - a callback might want to finish the
		3443	main C<ev_run> call, but not the nested one (e.g. user clicked "Quit", but
		3444	a modal "Are you sure?" dialog is still waiting), or just the nested one
		3445	and not the main one (e.g. user clocked "Ok" in a modal dialog), or some
		3446	other combination: In these cases, C<ev_break> will not work alone.
		3447
		3448	The solution is to maintain "break this loop" variable for each C<ev_run>
		3449	invocation, and use a loop around C<ev_run> until the condition is
		3450	triggered, using C<EVRUN_ONCE>:
		3451
		3452	// main loop
		3453	int exit_main_loop = 0;
		3454
		3455	while (!exit_main_loop)
		3456	ev_run (EV_DEFAULT_ EVRUN_ONCE);
		3457
		3458	// in a model watcher
		3459	int exit_nested_loop = 0;
		3460
		3461	while (!exit_nested_loop)
		3462	ev_run (EV_A_ EVRUN_ONCE);
		3463
		3464	To exit from any of these loops, just set the corresponding exit variable:
		3465
		3466	// exit modal loop
		3467	exit_nested_loop = 1;
		3468
		3469	// exit main program, after modal loop is finished
		3470	exit_main_loop = 1;
		3471
		3472	// exit both
		3473	exit_main_loop = exit_nested_loop = 1;
2373		3474
2374	=back	3475	=back
2375		3476
2376		3477
2377	=head1 LIBEVENT EMULATION	3478	=head1 LIBEVENT EMULATION
2378		3479
2379	Libev offers a compatibility emulation layer for libevent. It cannot	3480	Libev offers a compatibility emulation layer for libevent. It cannot
2380	emulate the internals of libevent, so here are some usage hints:	3481	emulate the internals of libevent, so here are some usage hints:
2381		3482
2382	=over 4	3483	=over 4
		3484
		3485	=item * Only the libevent-1.4.1-beta API is being emulated.
		3486
		3487	This was the newest libevent version available when libev was implemented,
		3488	and is still mostly unchanged in 2010.
2383		3489
2384	=item * Use it by including <event.h>, as usual.	3490	=item * Use it by including <event.h>, as usual.
2385		3491
2386	=item * The following members are fully supported: ev_base, ev_callback,	3492	=item * The following members are fully supported: ev_base, ev_callback,
2387	ev_arg, ev_fd, ev_res, ev_events.	3493	ev_arg, ev_fd, ev_res, ev_events.
…		…
2393	=item * Priorities are not currently supported. Initialising priorities	3499	=item * Priorities are not currently supported. Initialising priorities
2394	will fail and all watchers will have the same priority, even though there	3500	will fail and all watchers will have the same priority, even though there
2395	is an ev_pri field.	3501	is an ev_pri field.
2396		3502
2397	=item * In libevent, the last base created gets the signals, in libev, the	3503	=item * In libevent, the last base created gets the signals, in libev, the
2398	first base created (== the default loop) gets the signals.	3504	base that registered the signal gets the signals.
2399		3505
2400	=item * Other members are not supported.	3506	=item * Other members are not supported.
2401		3507
2402	=item * The libev emulation is I<not> ABI compatible to libevent, you need	3508	=item * The libev emulation is I<not> ABI compatible to libevent, you need
2403	to use the libev header file and library.	3509	to use the libev header file and library.
…		…
2405	=back	3511	=back
2406		3512
2407	=head1 C++ SUPPORT	3513	=head1 C++ SUPPORT
2408		3514
2409	Libev comes with some simplistic wrapper classes for C++ that mainly allow	3515	Libev comes with some simplistic wrapper classes for C++ that mainly allow
2410	you to use some convinience methods to start/stop watchers and also change	3516	you to use some convenience methods to start/stop watchers and also change
2411	the callback model to a model using method callbacks on objects.	3517	the callback model to a model using method callbacks on objects.
2412		3518
2413	To use it,	3519	To use it,
2414		3520
2415	#include <ev++.h>	3521	#include <ev++.h>
2416		3522
2417	This automatically includes F<ev.h> and puts all of its definitions (many	3523	This automatically includes F<ev.h> and puts all of its definitions (many
2418	of them macros) into the global namespace. All C++ specific things are	3524	of them macros) into the global namespace. All C++ specific things are
2419	put into the C<ev> namespace. It should support all the same embedding	3525	put into the C<ev> namespace. It should support all the same embedding
2420	options as F<ev.h>, most notably C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>.	3526	options as F<ev.h>, most notably C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>.
…		…
2422	Care has been taken to keep the overhead low. The only data member the C++	3528	Care has been taken to keep the overhead low. The only data member the C++
2423	classes add (compared to plain C-style watchers) is the event loop pointer	3529	classes add (compared to plain C-style watchers) is the event loop pointer
2424	that the watcher is associated with (or no additional members at all if	3530	that the watcher is associated with (or no additional members at all if
2425	you disable C<EV_MULTIPLICITY> when embedding libev).	3531	you disable C<EV_MULTIPLICITY> when embedding libev).
2426		3532
2427	Currently, functions, and static and non-static member functions can be	3533	Currently, functions, static and non-static member functions and classes
2428	used as callbacks. Other types should be easy to add as long as they only	3534	with C<operator ()> can be used as callbacks. Other types should be easy
2429	need one additional pointer for context. If you need support for other	3535	to add as long as they only need one additional pointer for context. If
2430	types of functors please contact the author (preferably after implementing	3536	you need support for other types of functors please contact the author
2431	it).	3537	(preferably after implementing it).
2432		3538
2433	Here is a list of things available in the C<ev> namespace:	3539	Here is a list of things available in the C<ev> namespace:
2434		3540
2435	=over 4	3541	=over 4
2436		3542
…		…
2454		3560
2455	=over 4	3561	=over 4
2456		3562
2457	=item ev::TYPE::TYPE ()	3563	=item ev::TYPE::TYPE ()
2458		3564
2459	=item ev::TYPE::TYPE (struct ev_loop *)	3565	=item ev::TYPE::TYPE (loop)
2460		3566
2461	=item ev::TYPE::~TYPE	3567	=item ev::TYPE::~TYPE
2462		3568
2463	The constructor (optionally) takes an event loop to associate the watcher	3569	The constructor (optionally) takes an event loop to associate the watcher
2464	with. If it is omitted, it will use C<EV_DEFAULT>.	3570	with. If it is omitted, it will use C<EV_DEFAULT>.
…		…
2487	your compiler is good :), then the method will be fully inlined into the	3593	your compiler is good :), then the method will be fully inlined into the
2488	thunking function, making it as fast as a direct C callback.	3594	thunking function, making it as fast as a direct C callback.
2489		3595
2490	Example: simple class declaration and watcher initialisation	3596	Example: simple class declaration and watcher initialisation
2491		3597
2492	struct myclass	3598	struct myclass
2493	{	3599	{
2494	void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents) { }	3600	void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents) { }
2495	}	3601	}
2496		3602
2497	myclass obj;	3603	myclass obj;
2498	ev::io iow;	3604	ev::io iow;
2499	iow.set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb> (&obj);	3605	iow.set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb> (&obj);
		3606
		3607	=item w->set (object *)
		3608
		3609	This is a variation of a method callback - leaving out the method to call
		3610	will default the method to C<operator ()>, which makes it possible to use
		3611	functor objects without having to manually specify the C<operator ()> all
		3612	the time. Incidentally, you can then also leave out the template argument
		3613	list.
		3614
		3615	The C<operator ()> method prototype must be C<void operator ()(watcher &w,
		3616	int revents)>.
		3617
		3618	See the method-C<set> above for more details.
		3619
		3620	Example: use a functor object as callback.
		3621
		3622	struct myfunctor
		3623	{
		3624	void operator() (ev::io &w, int revents)
		3625	{
		3626	...
		3627	}
		3628	}
		3629
		3630	myfunctor f;
		3631
		3632	ev::io w;
		3633	w.set (&f);
2500		3634
2501	=item w->set<function> (void *data = 0)	3635	=item w->set<function> (void *data = 0)
2502		3636
2503	Also sets a callback, but uses a static method or plain function as	3637	Also sets a callback, but uses a static method or plain function as
2504	callback. The optional C<data> argument will be stored in the watcher's	3638	callback. The optional C<data> argument will be stored in the watcher's
…		…
2506		3640
2507	The prototype of the C<function> must be C<void (*)(ev::TYPE &w, int)>.	3641	The prototype of the C<function> must be C<void (*)(ev::TYPE &w, int)>.
2508		3642
2509	See the method-C<set> above for more details.	3643	See the method-C<set> above for more details.
2510		3644
2511	Example:	3645	Example: Use a plain function as callback.
2512		3646
2513	static void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents) { }	3647	static void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents) { }
2514	iow.set <io_cb> ();	3648	iow.set <io_cb> ();
2515		3649
2516	=item w->set (struct ev_loop *)	3650	=item w->set (loop)
2517		3651
2518	Associates a different C<struct ev_loop> with this watcher. You can only	3652	Associates a different C<struct ev_loop> with this watcher. You can only
2519	do this when the watcher is inactive (and not pending either).	3653	do this when the watcher is inactive (and not pending either).
2520		3654
2521	=item w->set ([args])	3655	=item w->set ([arguments])
2522		3656
2523	Basically the same as C<ev_TYPE_set>, with the same args. Must be	3657	Basically the same as C<ev_TYPE_set>, with the same arguments. Either this
2524	called at least once. Unlike the C counterpart, an active watcher gets	3658	method or a suitable start method must be called at least once. Unlike the
2525	automatically stopped and restarted when reconfiguring it with this	3659	C counterpart, an active watcher gets automatically stopped and restarted
2526	method.	3660	when reconfiguring it with this method.
2527		3661
2528	=item w->start ()	3662	=item w->start ()
2529		3663
2530	Starts the watcher. Note that there is no C<loop> argument, as the	3664	Starts the watcher. Note that there is no C<loop> argument, as the
2531	constructor already stores the event loop.	3665	constructor already stores the event loop.
2532		3666
		3667	=item w->start ([arguments])
		3668
		3669	Instead of calling C<set> and C<start> methods separately, it is often
		3670	convenient to wrap them in one call. Uses the same type of arguments as
		3671	the configure C<set> method of the watcher.
		3672
2533	=item w->stop ()	3673	=item w->stop ()
2534		3674
2535	Stops the watcher if it is active. Again, no C<loop> argument.	3675	Stops the watcher if it is active. Again, no C<loop> argument.
2536		3676
2537	=item w->again () (C<ev::timer>, C<ev::periodic> only)	3677	=item w->again () (C<ev::timer>, C<ev::periodic> only)
…		…
2549		3689
2550	=back	3690	=back
2551		3691
2552	=back	3692	=back
2553		3693
2554	Example: Define a class with an IO and idle watcher, start one of them in	3694	Example: Define a class with two I/O and idle watchers, start the I/O
2555	the constructor.	3695	watchers in the constructor.
2556		3696
2557	class myclass	3697	class myclass
2558	{	3698	{
2559	ev::io io; void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents);	3699	ev::io io ; void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents);
		3700	ev::io2 io2 ; void io2_cb (ev::io &w, int revents);
2560	ev:idle idle void idle_cb (ev::idle &w, int revents);	3701	ev::idle idle; void idle_cb (ev::idle &w, int revents);
2561		3702
2562	myclass (int fd)	3703	myclass (int fd)
2563	{	3704	{
2564	io .set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb > (this);	3705	io .set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb > (this);
		3706	io2 .set <myclass, &myclass::io2_cb > (this);
2565	idle.set <myclass, &myclass::idle_cb> (this);	3707	idle.set <myclass, &myclass::idle_cb> (this);
2566		3708
2567	io.start (fd, ev::READ);	3709	io.set (fd, ev::WRITE); // configure the watcher
		3710	io.start (); // start it whenever convenient
		3711
		3712	io2.start (fd, ev::READ); // set + start in one call
2568	}	3713	}
2569	};	3714	};
2570		3715
2571		3716
2572	=head1 OTHER LANGUAGE BINDINGS	3717	=head1 OTHER LANGUAGE BINDINGS
2573		3718
2574	Libev does not offer other language bindings itself, but bindings for a	3719	Libev does not offer other language bindings itself, but bindings for a
2575	numbe rof languages exist in the form of third-party packages. If you know	3720	number of languages exist in the form of third-party packages. If you know
2576	any interesting language binding in addition to the ones listed here, drop	3721	any interesting language binding in addition to the ones listed here, drop
2577	me a note.	3722	me a note.
2578		3723
2579	=over 4	3724	=over 4
2580		3725
2581	=item Perl	3726	=item Perl
2582		3727
2583	The EV module implements the full libev API and is actually used to test	3728	The EV module implements the full libev API and is actually used to test
2584	libev. EV is developed together with libev. Apart from the EV core module,	3729	libev. EV is developed together with libev. Apart from the EV core module,
2585	there are additional modules that implement libev-compatible interfaces	3730	there are additional modules that implement libev-compatible interfaces
2586	to C<libadns> (C<EV::ADNS>), C<Net::SNMP> (C<Net::SNMP::EV>) and the	3731	to C<libadns> (C<EV::ADNS>, but C<AnyEvent::DNS> is preferred nowadays),
2587	C<libglib> event core (C<Glib::EV> and C<EV::Glib>).	3732	C<Net::SNMP> (C<Net::SNMP::EV>) and the C<libglib> event core (C<Glib::EV>
		3733	and C<EV::Glib>).
2588		3734
2589	It can be found and installed via CPAN, its homepage is found at	3735	It can be found and installed via CPAN, its homepage is at
2590	L<http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/EV>.	3736	L<http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/EV>.
2591		3737
		3738	=item Python
		3739
		3740	Python bindings can be found at L<http://code.google.com/p/pyev/>. It
		3741	seems to be quite complete and well-documented.
		3742
2592	=item Ruby	3743	=item Ruby
2593		3744
2594	Tony Arcieri has written a ruby extension that offers access to a subset	3745	Tony Arcieri has written a ruby extension that offers access to a subset
2595	of the libev API and adds filehandle abstractions, asynchronous DNS and	3746	of the libev API and adds file handle abstractions, asynchronous DNS and
2596	more on top of it. It can be found via gem servers. Its homepage is at	3747	more on top of it. It can be found via gem servers. Its homepage is at
2597	L<http://rev.rubyforge.org/>.	3748	L<http://rev.rubyforge.org/>.
2598		3749
		3750	Roger Pack reports that using the link order C<-lws2_32 -lmsvcrt-ruby-190>
		3751	makes rev work even on mingw.
		3752
		3753	=item Haskell
		3754
		3755	A haskell binding to libev is available at
		3756	L<http://hackage.haskell.org/cgi-bin/hackage-scripts/package/hlibev>.
		3757
2599	=item D	3758	=item D
2600		3759
2601	Leandro Lucarella has written a D language binding (F<ev.d>) for libev, to	3760	Leandro Lucarella has written a D language binding (F<ev.d>) for libev, to
2602	be found at L<http://git.llucax.com.ar/?p=software/ev.d.git;a=summary>.	3761	be found at L<http://proj.llucax.com.ar/wiki/evd>.
		3762
		3763	=item Ocaml
		3764
		3765	Erkki Seppala has written Ocaml bindings for libev, to be found at
		3766	L<http://modeemi.cs.tut.fi/~flux/software/ocaml-ev/>.
		3767
		3768	=item Lua
		3769
		3770	Brian Maher has written a partial interface to libev for lua (at the
		3771	time of this writing, only C<ev_io> and C<ev_timer>), to be found at
		3772	L<http://github.com/brimworks/lua-ev>.
2603		3773
2604	=back	3774	=back
2605		3775
2606		3776
2607	=head1 MACRO MAGIC	3777	=head1 MACRO MAGIC
2608		3778
2609	Libev can be compiled with a variety of options, the most fundamantal	3779	Libev can be compiled with a variety of options, the most fundamental
2610	of which is C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>. This option determines whether (most)	3780	of which is C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>. This option determines whether (most)
2611	functions and callbacks have an initial C<struct ev_loop *> argument.	3781	functions and callbacks have an initial C<struct ev_loop *> argument.
2612		3782
2613	To make it easier to write programs that cope with either variant, the	3783	To make it easier to write programs that cope with either variant, the
2614	following macros are defined:	3784	following macros are defined:
…		…
2619		3789
2620	This provides the loop I<argument> for functions, if one is required ("ev	3790	This provides the loop I<argument> for functions, if one is required ("ev
2621	loop argument"). The C<EV_A> form is used when this is the sole argument,	3791	loop argument"). The C<EV_A> form is used when this is the sole argument,
2622	C<EV_A_> is used when other arguments are following. Example:	3792	C<EV_A_> is used when other arguments are following. Example:
2623		3793
2624	ev_unref (EV_A);	3794	ev_unref (EV_A);
2625	ev_timer_add (EV_A_ watcher);	3795	ev_timer_add (EV_A_ watcher);
2626	ev_loop (EV_A_ 0);	3796	ev_run (EV_A_ 0);
2627		3797
2628	It assumes the variable C<loop> of type C<struct ev_loop *> is in scope,	3798	It assumes the variable C<loop> of type C<struct ev_loop *> is in scope,
2629	which is often provided by the following macro.	3799	which is often provided by the following macro.
2630		3800
2631	=item C<EV_P>, C<EV_P_>	3801	=item C<EV_P>, C<EV_P_>
2632		3802
2633	This provides the loop I<parameter> for functions, if one is required ("ev	3803	This provides the loop I<parameter> for functions, if one is required ("ev
2634	loop parameter"). The C<EV_P> form is used when this is the sole parameter,	3804	loop parameter"). The C<EV_P> form is used when this is the sole parameter,
2635	C<EV_P_> is used when other parameters are following. Example:	3805	C<EV_P_> is used when other parameters are following. Example:
2636		3806
2637	// this is how ev_unref is being declared	3807	// this is how ev_unref is being declared
2638	static void ev_unref (EV_P);	3808	static void ev_unref (EV_P);
2639		3809
2640	// this is how you can declare your typical callback	3810	// this is how you can declare your typical callback
2641	static void cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)	3811	static void cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
2642		3812
2643	It declares a parameter C<loop> of type C<struct ev_loop *>, quite	3813	It declares a parameter C<loop> of type C<struct ev_loop *>, quite
2644	suitable for use with C<EV_A>.	3814	suitable for use with C<EV_A>.
2645		3815
2646	=item C<EV_DEFAULT>, C<EV_DEFAULT_>	3816	=item C<EV_DEFAULT>, C<EV_DEFAULT_>
…		…
2662		3832
2663	Example: Declare and initialise a check watcher, utilising the above	3833	Example: Declare and initialise a check watcher, utilising the above
2664	macros so it will work regardless of whether multiple loops are supported	3834	macros so it will work regardless of whether multiple loops are supported
2665	or not.	3835	or not.
2666		3836
2667	static void	3837	static void
2668	check_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)	3838	check_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
2669	{	3839	{
2670	ev_check_stop (EV_A_ w);	3840	ev_check_stop (EV_A_ w);
2671	}	3841	}
2672		3842
2673	ev_check check;	3843	ev_check check;
2674	ev_check_init (&check, check_cb);	3844	ev_check_init (&check, check_cb);
2675	ev_check_start (EV_DEFAULT_ &check);	3845	ev_check_start (EV_DEFAULT_ &check);
2676	ev_loop (EV_DEFAULT_ 0);	3846	ev_run (EV_DEFAULT_ 0);
2677		3847
2678	=head1 EMBEDDING	3848	=head1 EMBEDDING
2679		3849
2680	Libev can (and often is) directly embedded into host	3850	Libev can (and often is) directly embedded into host
2681	applications. Examples of applications that embed it include the Deliantra	3851	applications. Examples of applications that embed it include the Deliantra
…		…
2688	libev somewhere in your source tree).	3858	libev somewhere in your source tree).
2689		3859
2690	=head2 FILESETS	3860	=head2 FILESETS
2691		3861
2692	Depending on what features you need you need to include one or more sets of files	3862	Depending on what features you need you need to include one or more sets of files
2693	in your app.	3863	in your application.
2694		3864
2695	=head3 CORE EVENT LOOP	3865	=head3 CORE EVENT LOOP
2696		3866
2697	To include only the libev core (all the C<ev_*> functions), with manual	3867	To include only the libev core (all the C<ev_*> functions), with manual
2698	configuration (no autoconf):	3868	configuration (no autoconf):
2699		3869
2700	#define EV_STANDALONE 1	3870	#define EV_STANDALONE 1
2701	#include "ev.c"	3871	#include "ev.c"
2702		3872
2703	This will automatically include F<ev.h>, too, and should be done in a	3873	This will automatically include F<ev.h>, too, and should be done in a
2704	single C source file only to provide the function implementations. To use	3874	single C source file only to provide the function implementations. To use
2705	it, do the same for F<ev.h> in all files wishing to use this API (best	3875	it, do the same for F<ev.h> in all files wishing to use this API (best
2706	done by writing a wrapper around F<ev.h> that you can include instead and	3876	done by writing a wrapper around F<ev.h> that you can include instead and
2707	where you can put other configuration options):	3877	where you can put other configuration options):
2708		3878
2709	#define EV_STANDALONE 1	3879	#define EV_STANDALONE 1
2710	#include "ev.h"	3880	#include "ev.h"
2711		3881
2712	Both header files and implementation files can be compiled with a C++	3882	Both header files and implementation files can be compiled with a C++
2713	compiler (at least, thats a stated goal, and breakage will be treated	3883	compiler (at least, that's a stated goal, and breakage will be treated
2714	as a bug).	3884	as a bug).
2715		3885
2716	You need the following files in your source tree, or in a directory	3886	You need the following files in your source tree, or in a directory
2717	in your include path (e.g. in libev/ when using -Ilibev):	3887	in your include path (e.g. in libev/ when using -Ilibev):
2718		3888
2719	ev.h	3889	ev.h
2720	ev.c	3890	ev.c
2721	ev_vars.h	3891	ev_vars.h
2722	ev_wrap.h	3892	ev_wrap.h
2723		3893
2724	ev_win32.c required on win32 platforms only	3894	ev_win32.c required on win32 platforms only
2725		3895
2726	ev_select.c only when select backend is enabled (which is enabled by default)	3896	ev_select.c only when select backend is enabled (which is enabled by default)
2727	ev_poll.c only when poll backend is enabled (disabled by default)	3897	ev_poll.c only when poll backend is enabled (disabled by default)
2728	ev_epoll.c only when the epoll backend is enabled (disabled by default)	3898	ev_epoll.c only when the epoll backend is enabled (disabled by default)
2729	ev_kqueue.c only when the kqueue backend is enabled (disabled by default)	3899	ev_kqueue.c only when the kqueue backend is enabled (disabled by default)
2730	ev_port.c only when the solaris port backend is enabled (disabled by default)	3900	ev_port.c only when the solaris port backend is enabled (disabled by default)
2731		3901
2732	F<ev.c> includes the backend files directly when enabled, so you only need	3902	F<ev.c> includes the backend files directly when enabled, so you only need
2733	to compile this single file.	3903	to compile this single file.
2734		3904
2735	=head3 LIBEVENT COMPATIBILITY API	3905	=head3 LIBEVENT COMPATIBILITY API
2736		3906
2737	To include the libevent compatibility API, also include:	3907	To include the libevent compatibility API, also include:
2738		3908
2739	#include "event.c"	3909	#include "event.c"
2740		3910
2741	in the file including F<ev.c>, and:	3911	in the file including F<ev.c>, and:
2742		3912
2743	#include "event.h"	3913	#include "event.h"
2744		3914
2745	in the files that want to use the libevent API. This also includes F<ev.h>.	3915	in the files that want to use the libevent API. This also includes F<ev.h>.
2746		3916
2747	You need the following additional files for this:	3917	You need the following additional files for this:
2748		3918
2749	event.h	3919	event.h
2750	event.c	3920	event.c
2751		3921
2752	=head3 AUTOCONF SUPPORT	3922	=head3 AUTOCONF SUPPORT
2753		3923
2754	Instead of using C<EV_STANDALONE=1> and providing your config in	3924	Instead of using C<EV_STANDALONE=1> and providing your configuration in
2755	whatever way you want, you can also C<m4_include([libev.m4])> in your	3925	whatever way you want, you can also C<m4_include([libev.m4])> in your
2756	F<configure.ac> and leave C<EV_STANDALONE> undefined. F<ev.c> will then	3926	F<configure.ac> and leave C<EV_STANDALONE> undefined. F<ev.c> will then
2757	include F<config.h> and configure itself accordingly.	3927	include F<config.h> and configure itself accordingly.
2758		3928
2759	For this of course you need the m4 file:	3929	For this of course you need the m4 file:
2760		3930
2761	libev.m4	3931	libev.m4
2762		3932
2763	=head2 PREPROCESSOR SYMBOLS/MACROS	3933	=head2 PREPROCESSOR SYMBOLS/MACROS
2764		3934
2765	Libev can be configured via a variety of preprocessor symbols you have to	3935	Libev can be configured via a variety of preprocessor symbols you have to
2766	define before including any of its files. The default in the absense of	3936	define before including (or compiling) any of its files. The default in
2767	autoconf is noted for every option.	3937	the absence of autoconf is documented for every option.
		3938
		3939	Symbols marked with "(h)" do not change the ABI, and can have different
		3940	values when compiling libev vs. including F<ev.h>, so it is permissible
		3941	to redefine them before including F<ev.h> without breaking compatibility
		3942	to a compiled library. All other symbols change the ABI, which means all
		3943	users of libev and the libev code itself must be compiled with compatible
		3944	settings.
2768		3945
2769	=over 4	3946	=over 4
2770		3947
		3948	=item EV_COMPAT3 (h)
		3949
		3950	Backwards compatibility is a major concern for libev. This is why this
		3951	release of libev comes with wrappers for the functions and symbols that
		3952	have been renamed between libev version 3 and 4.
		3953
		3954	You can disable these wrappers (to test compatibility with future
		3955	versions) by defining C<EV_COMPAT3> to C<0> when compiling your
		3956	sources. This has the additional advantage that you can drop the C<struct>
		3957	from C<struct ev_loop> declarations, as libev will provide an C<ev_loop>
		3958	typedef in that case.
		3959
		3960	In some future version, the default for C<EV_COMPAT3> will become C<0>,
		3961	and in some even more future version the compatibility code will be
		3962	removed completely.
		3963
2771	=item EV_STANDALONE	3964	=item EV_STANDALONE (h)
2772		3965
2773	Must always be C<1> if you do not use autoconf configuration, which	3966	Must always be C<1> if you do not use autoconf configuration, which
2774	keeps libev from including F<config.h>, and it also defines dummy	3967	keeps libev from including F<config.h>, and it also defines dummy
2775	implementations for some libevent functions (such as logging, which is not	3968	implementations for some libevent functions (such as logging, which is not
2776	supported). It will also not define any of the structs usually found in	3969	supported). It will also not define any of the structs usually found in
2777	F<event.h> that are not directly supported by the libev core alone.	3970	F<event.h> that are not directly supported by the libev core alone.
2778		3971
		3972	In standalone mode, libev will still try to automatically deduce the
		3973	configuration, but has to be more conservative.
		3974
2779	=item EV_USE_MONOTONIC	3975	=item EV_USE_MONOTONIC
2780		3976
2781	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the	3977	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the
2782	monotonic clock option at both compiletime and runtime. Otherwise no use	3978	monotonic clock option at both compile time and runtime. Otherwise no
2783	of the monotonic clock option will be attempted. If you enable this, you	3979	use of the monotonic clock option will be attempted. If you enable this,
2784	usually have to link against librt or something similar. Enabling it when	3980	you usually have to link against librt or something similar. Enabling it
2785	the functionality isn't available is safe, though, although you have	3981	when the functionality isn't available is safe, though, although you have
2786	to make sure you link against any libraries where the C<clock_gettime>	3982	to make sure you link against any libraries where the C<clock_gettime>
2787	function is hiding in (often F<-lrt>).	3983	function is hiding in (often F<-lrt>). See also C<EV_USE_CLOCK_SYSCALL>.
2788		3984
2789	=item EV_USE_REALTIME	3985	=item EV_USE_REALTIME
2790		3986
2791	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the	3987	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the
2792	realtime clock option at compiletime (and assume its availability at	3988	real-time clock option at compile time (and assume its availability
2793	runtime if successful). Otherwise no use of the realtime clock option will	3989	at runtime if successful). Otherwise no use of the real-time clock
2794	be attempted. This effectively replaces C<gettimeofday> by C<clock_get	3990	option will be attempted. This effectively replaces C<gettimeofday>
2795	(CLOCK_REALTIME, ...)> and will not normally affect correctness. See the	3991	by C<clock_get (CLOCK_REALTIME, ...)> and will not normally affect
2796	note about libraries in the description of C<EV_USE_MONOTONIC>, though.	3992	correctness. See the note about libraries in the description of
		3993	C<EV_USE_MONOTONIC>, though. Defaults to the opposite value of
		3994	C<EV_USE_CLOCK_SYSCALL>.
		3995
		3996	=item EV_USE_CLOCK_SYSCALL
		3997
		3998	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to use a direct syscall instead
		3999	of calling the system-provided C<clock_gettime> function. This option
		4000	exists because on GNU/Linux, C<clock_gettime> is in C<librt>, but C<librt>
		4001	unconditionally pulls in C<libpthread>, slowing down single-threaded
		4002	programs needlessly. Using a direct syscall is slightly slower (in
		4003	theory), because no optimised vdso implementation can be used, but avoids
		4004	the pthread dependency. Defaults to C<1> on GNU/Linux with glibc 2.x or
		4005	higher, as it simplifies linking (no need for C<-lrt>).
2797		4006
2798	=item EV_USE_NANOSLEEP	4007	=item EV_USE_NANOSLEEP
2799		4008
2800	If defined to be C<1>, libev will assume that C<nanosleep ()> is available	4009	If defined to be C<1>, libev will assume that C<nanosleep ()> is available
2801	and will use it for delays. Otherwise it will use C<select ()>.	4010	and will use it for delays. Otherwise it will use C<select ()>.
…		…
2809	2.7 or newer, otherwise disabled.	4018	2.7 or newer, otherwise disabled.
2810		4019
2811	=item EV_USE_SELECT	4020	=item EV_USE_SELECT
2812		4021
2813	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the	4022	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the
2814	C<select>(2) backend. No attempt at autodetection will be done: if no	4023	C<select>(2) backend. No attempt at auto-detection will be done: if no
2815	other method takes over, select will be it. Otherwise the select backend	4024	other method takes over, select will be it. Otherwise the select backend
2816	will not be compiled in.	4025	will not be compiled in.
2817		4026
2818	=item EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET	4027	=item EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET
2819		4028
2820	If defined to C<1>, then the select backend will use the system C<fd_set>	4029	If defined to C<1>, then the select backend will use the system C<fd_set>
2821	structure. This is useful if libev doesn't compile due to a missing	4030	structure. This is useful if libev doesn't compile due to a missing
2822	C<NFDBITS> or C<fd_mask> definition or it misguesses the bitset layout on	4031	C<NFDBITS> or C<fd_mask> definition or it mis-guesses the bitset layout
2823	exotic systems. This usually limits the range of file descriptors to some	4032	on exotic systems. This usually limits the range of file descriptors to
2824	low limit such as 1024 or might have other limitations (winsocket only	4033	some low limit such as 1024 or might have other limitations (winsocket
2825	allows 64 sockets). The C<FD_SETSIZE> macro, set before compilation, might	4034	only allows 64 sockets). The C<FD_SETSIZE> macro, set before compilation,
2826	influence the size of the C<fd_set> used.	4035	configures the maximum size of the C<fd_set>.
2827		4036
2828	=item EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET	4037	=item EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET
2829		4038
2830	When defined to C<1>, the select backend will assume that	4039	When defined to C<1>, the select backend will assume that
2831	select/socket/connect etc. don't understand file descriptors but	4040	select/socket/connect etc. don't understand file descriptors but
…		…
2833	be used is the winsock select). This means that it will call	4042	be used is the winsock select). This means that it will call
2834	C<_get_osfhandle> on the fd to convert it to an OS handle. Otherwise,	4043	C<_get_osfhandle> on the fd to convert it to an OS handle. Otherwise,
2835	it is assumed that all these functions actually work on fds, even	4044	it is assumed that all these functions actually work on fds, even
2836	on win32. Should not be defined on non-win32 platforms.	4045	on win32. Should not be defined on non-win32 platforms.
2837		4046
2838	=item EV_FD_TO_WIN32_HANDLE	4047	=item EV_FD_TO_WIN32_HANDLE(fd)
2839		4048
2840	If C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> is enabled, then libev needs a way to map	4049	If C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> is enabled, then libev needs a way to map
2841	file descriptors to socket handles. When not defining this symbol (the	4050	file descriptors to socket handles. When not defining this symbol (the
2842	default), then libev will call C<_get_osfhandle>, which is usually	4051	default), then libev will call C<_get_osfhandle>, which is usually
2843	correct. In some cases, programs use their own file descriptor management,	4052	correct. In some cases, programs use their own file descriptor management,
2844	in which case they can provide this function to map fds to socket handles.	4053	in which case they can provide this function to map fds to socket handles.
		4054
		4055	=item EV_WIN32_HANDLE_TO_FD(handle)
		4056
		4057	If C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> then libev maps handles to file descriptors
		4058	using the standard C<_open_osfhandle> function. For programs implementing
		4059	their own fd to handle mapping, overwriting this function makes it easier
		4060	to do so. This can be done by defining this macro to an appropriate value.
		4061
		4062	=item EV_WIN32_CLOSE_FD(fd)
		4063
		4064	If programs implement their own fd to handle mapping on win32, then this
		4065	macro can be used to override the C<close> function, useful to unregister
		4066	file descriptors again. Note that the replacement function has to close
		4067	the underlying OS handle.
2845		4068
2846	=item EV_USE_POLL	4069	=item EV_USE_POLL
2847		4070
2848	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the C<poll>(2)	4071	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the C<poll>(2)
2849	backend. Otherwise it will be enabled on non-win32 platforms. It	4072	backend. Otherwise it will be enabled on non-win32 platforms. It
…		…
2876	otherwise another method will be used as fallback. This is the preferred	4099	otherwise another method will be used as fallback. This is the preferred
2877	backend for Solaris 10 systems.	4100	backend for Solaris 10 systems.
2878		4101
2879	=item EV_USE_DEVPOLL	4102	=item EV_USE_DEVPOLL
2880		4103
2881	reserved for future expansion, works like the USE symbols above.	4104	Reserved for future expansion, works like the USE symbols above.
2882		4105
2883	=item EV_USE_INOTIFY	4106	=item EV_USE_INOTIFY
2884		4107
2885	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux inotify	4108	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux inotify
2886	interface to speed up C<ev_stat> watchers. Its actual availability will	4109	interface to speed up C<ev_stat> watchers. Its actual availability will
…		…
2893	access is atomic with respect to other threads or signal contexts. No such	4116	access is atomic with respect to other threads or signal contexts. No such
2894	type is easily found in the C language, so you can provide your own type	4117	type is easily found in the C language, so you can provide your own type
2895	that you know is safe for your purposes. It is used both for signal handler "locking"	4118	that you know is safe for your purposes. It is used both for signal handler "locking"
2896	as well as for signal and thread safety in C<ev_async> watchers.	4119	as well as for signal and thread safety in C<ev_async> watchers.
2897		4120
2898	In the absense of this define, libev will use C<sig_atomic_t volatile>	4121	In the absence of this define, libev will use C<sig_atomic_t volatile>
2899	(from F<signal.h>), which is usually good enough on most platforms.	4122	(from F<signal.h>), which is usually good enough on most platforms.
2900		4123
2901	=item EV_H	4124	=item EV_H (h)
2902		4125
2903	The name of the F<ev.h> header file used to include it. The default if	4126	The name of the F<ev.h> header file used to include it. The default if
2904	undefined is C<"ev.h"> in F<event.h>, F<ev.c> and F<ev++.h>. This can be	4127	undefined is C<"ev.h"> in F<event.h>, F<ev.c> and F<ev++.h>. This can be
2905	used to virtually rename the F<ev.h> header file in case of conflicts.	4128	used to virtually rename the F<ev.h> header file in case of conflicts.
2906		4129
2907	=item EV_CONFIG_H	4130	=item EV_CONFIG_H (h)
2908		4131
2909	If C<EV_STANDALONE> isn't C<1>, this variable can be used to override	4132	If C<EV_STANDALONE> isn't C<1>, this variable can be used to override
2910	F<ev.c>'s idea of where to find the F<config.h> file, similarly to	4133	F<ev.c>'s idea of where to find the F<config.h> file, similarly to
2911	C<EV_H>, above.	4134	C<EV_H>, above.
2912		4135
2913	=item EV_EVENT_H	4136	=item EV_EVENT_H (h)
2914		4137
2915	Similarly to C<EV_H>, this macro can be used to override F<event.c>'s idea	4138	Similarly to C<EV_H>, this macro can be used to override F<event.c>'s idea
2916	of how the F<event.h> header can be found, the default is C<"event.h">.	4139	of how the F<event.h> header can be found, the default is C<"event.h">.
2917		4140
2918	=item EV_PROTOTYPES	4141	=item EV_PROTOTYPES (h)
2919		4142
2920	If defined to be C<0>, then F<ev.h> will not define any function	4143	If defined to be C<0>, then F<ev.h> will not define any function
2921	prototypes, but still define all the structs and other symbols. This is	4144	prototypes, but still define all the structs and other symbols. This is
2922	occasionally useful if you want to provide your own wrapper functions	4145	occasionally useful if you want to provide your own wrapper functions
2923	around libev functions.	4146	around libev functions.
…		…
2942	When doing priority-based operations, libev usually has to linearly search	4165	When doing priority-based operations, libev usually has to linearly search
2943	all the priorities, so having many of them (hundreds) uses a lot of space	4166	all the priorities, so having many of them (hundreds) uses a lot of space
2944	and time, so using the defaults of five priorities (-2 .. +2) is usually	4167	and time, so using the defaults of five priorities (-2 .. +2) is usually
2945	fine.	4168	fine.
2946		4169
2947	If your embedding app does not need any priorities, defining these both to	4170	If your embedding application does not need any priorities, defining these
2948	C<0> will save some memory and cpu.	4171	both to C<0> will save some memory and CPU.
2949		4172
2950	=item EV_PERIODIC_ENABLE	4173	=item EV_PERIODIC_ENABLE, EV_IDLE_ENABLE, EV_EMBED_ENABLE, EV_STAT_ENABLE,
		4174	EV_PREPARE_ENABLE, EV_CHECK_ENABLE, EV_FORK_ENABLE, EV_SIGNAL_ENABLE,
		4175	EV_ASYNC_ENABLE, EV_CHILD_ENABLE.
2951		4176
2952	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then periodic timers are supported. If	4177	If undefined or defined to be C<1> (and the platform supports it), then
2953	defined to be C<0>, then they are not. Disabling them saves a few kB of	4178	the respective watcher type is supported. If defined to be C<0>, then it
2954	code.	4179	is not. Disabling watcher types mainly saves code size.
2955		4180
2956	=item EV_IDLE_ENABLE	4181	=item EV_FEATURES
2957
2958	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then idle watchers are supported. If
2959	defined to be C<0>, then they are not. Disabling them saves a few kB of
2960	code.
2961
2962	=item EV_EMBED_ENABLE
2963
2964	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then embed watchers are supported. If
2965	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
2966
2967	=item EV_STAT_ENABLE
2968
2969	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then stat watchers are supported. If
2970	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
2971
2972	=item EV_FORK_ENABLE
2973
2974	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then fork watchers are supported. If
2975	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
2976
2977	=item EV_ASYNC_ENABLE
2978
2979	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then async watchers are supported. If
2980	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
2981
2982	=item EV_MINIMAL
2983		4182
2984	If you need to shave off some kilobytes of code at the expense of some	4183	If you need to shave off some kilobytes of code at the expense of some
2985	speed, define this symbol to C<1>. Currently this is used to override some	4184	speed (but with the full API), you can define this symbol to request
2986	inlining decisions, saves roughly 30% codesize of amd64. It also selects a	4185	certain subsets of functionality. The default is to enable all features
2987	much smaller 2-heap for timer management over the default 4-heap.	4186	that can be enabled on the platform.
		4187
		4188	A typical way to use this symbol is to define it to C<0> (or to a bitset
		4189	with some broad features you want) and then selectively re-enable
		4190	additional parts you want, for example if you want everything minimal,
		4191	but multiple event loop support, async and child watchers and the poll
		4192	backend, use this:
		4193
		4194	#define EV_FEATURES 0
		4195	#define EV_MULTIPLICITY 1
		4196	#define EV_USE_POLL 1
		4197	#define EV_CHILD_ENABLE 1
		4198	#define EV_ASYNC_ENABLE 1
		4199
		4200	The actual value is a bitset, it can be a combination of the following
		4201	values:
		4202
		4203	=over 4
		4204
		4205	=item C<1> - faster/larger code
		4206
		4207	Use larger code to speed up some operations.
		4208
		4209	Currently this is used to override some inlining decisions (enlarging the
		4210	code size by roughly 30% on amd64).
		4211
		4212	When optimising for size, use of compiler flags such as C<-Os> with
		4213	gcc is recommended, as well as C<-DNDEBUG>, as libev contains a number of
		4214	assertions.
		4215
		4216	=item C<2> - faster/larger data structures
		4217
		4218	Replaces the small 2-heap for timer management by a faster 4-heap, larger
		4219	hash table sizes and so on. This will usually further increase code size
		4220	and can additionally have an effect on the size of data structures at
		4221	runtime.
		4222
		4223	=item C<4> - full API configuration
		4224
		4225	This enables priorities (sets C<EV_MAXPRI>=2 and C<EV_MINPRI>=-2), and
		4226	enables multiplicity (C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>=1).
		4227
		4228	=item C<8> - full API
		4229
		4230	This enables a lot of the "lesser used" API functions. See C<ev.h> for
		4231	details on which parts of the API are still available without this
		4232	feature, and do not complain if this subset changes over time.
		4233
		4234	=item C<16> - enable all optional watcher types
		4235
		4236	Enables all optional watcher types. If you want to selectively enable
		4237	only some watcher types other than I/O and timers (e.g. prepare,
		4238	embed, async, child...) you can enable them manually by defining
		4239	C<EV_watchertype_ENABLE> to C<1> instead.
		4240
		4241	=item C<32> - enable all backends
		4242
		4243	This enables all backends - without this feature, you need to enable at
		4244	least one backend manually (C<EV_USE_SELECT> is a good choice).
		4245
		4246	=item C<64> - enable OS-specific "helper" APIs
		4247
		4248	Enable inotify, eventfd, signalfd and similar OS-specific helper APIs by
		4249	default.
		4250
		4251	=back
		4252
		4253	Compiling with C<gcc -Os -DEV_STANDALONE -DEV_USE_EPOLL=1 -DEV_FEATURES=0>
		4254	reduces the compiled size of libev from 24.7Kb code/2.8Kb data to 6.5Kb
		4255	code/0.3Kb data on my GNU/Linux amd64 system, while still giving you I/O
		4256	watchers, timers and monotonic clock support.
		4257
		4258	With an intelligent-enough linker (gcc+binutils are intelligent enough
		4259	when you use C<-Wl,--gc-sections -ffunction-sections>) functions unused by
		4260	your program might be left out as well - a binary starting a timer and an
		4261	I/O watcher then might come out at only 5Kb.
		4262
		4263	=item EV_AVOID_STDIO
		4264
		4265	If this is set to C<1> at compiletime, then libev will avoid using stdio
		4266	functions (printf, scanf, perror etc.). This will increase the code size
		4267	somewhat, but if your program doesn't otherwise depend on stdio and your
		4268	libc allows it, this avoids linking in the stdio library which is quite
		4269	big.
		4270
		4271	Note that error messages might become less precise when this option is
		4272	enabled.
		4273
		4274	=item EV_NSIG
		4275
		4276	The highest supported signal number, +1 (or, the number of
		4277	signals): Normally, libev tries to deduce the maximum number of signals
		4278	automatically, but sometimes this fails, in which case it can be
		4279	specified. Also, using a lower number than detected (C<32> should be
		4280	good for about any system in existence) can save some memory, as libev
		4281	statically allocates some 12-24 bytes per signal number.
2988		4282
2989	=item EV_PID_HASHSIZE	4283	=item EV_PID_HASHSIZE
2990		4284
2991	C<ev_child> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by	4285	C<ev_child> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by
2992	pid. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_MINIMAL>), usually more	4286	pid. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_FEATURES> disabled),
2993	than enough. If you need to manage thousands of children you might want to	4287	usually more than enough. If you need to manage thousands of children you
2994	increase this value (I<must> be a power of two).	4288	might want to increase this value (I<must> be a power of two).
2995		4289
2996	=item EV_INOTIFY_HASHSIZE	4290	=item EV_INOTIFY_HASHSIZE
2997		4291
2998	C<ev_stat> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by	4292	C<ev_stat> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by
2999	inotify watch id. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_MINIMAL>),	4293	inotify watch id. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_FEATURES>
3000	usually more than enough. If you need to manage thousands of C<ev_stat>	4294	disabled), usually more than enough. If you need to manage thousands of
3001	watchers you might want to increase this value (I<must> be a power of	4295	C<ev_stat> watchers you might want to increase this value (I<must> be a
3002	two).	4296	power of two).
3003		4297
3004	=item EV_USE_4HEAP	4298	=item EV_USE_4HEAP
3005		4299
3006	Heaps are not very cache-efficient. To improve the cache-efficiency of the	4300	Heaps are not very cache-efficient. To improve the cache-efficiency of the
3007	timer and periodics heap, libev uses a 4-heap when this symbol is defined	4301	timer and periodics heaps, libev uses a 4-heap when this symbol is defined
3008	to C<1>. The 4-heap uses more complicated (longer) code but has	4302	to C<1>. The 4-heap uses more complicated (longer) code but has noticeably
3009	noticably faster performance with many (thousands) of watchers.	4303	faster performance with many (thousands) of watchers.
3010		4304
3011	The default is C<1> unless C<EV_MINIMAL> is set in which case it is C<0>	4305	The default is C<1>, unless C<EV_FEATURES> overrides it, in which case it
3012	(disabled).	4306	will be C<0>.
3013		4307
3014	=item EV_HEAP_CACHE_AT	4308	=item EV_HEAP_CACHE_AT
3015		4309
3016	Heaps are not very cache-efficient. To improve the cache-efficiency of the	4310	Heaps are not very cache-efficient. To improve the cache-efficiency of the
3017	timer and periodics heap, libev can cache the timestamp (I<at>) within	4311	timer and periodics heaps, libev can cache the timestamp (I<at>) within
3018	the heap structure (selected by defining C<EV_HEAP_CACHE_AT> to C<1>),	4312	the heap structure (selected by defining C<EV_HEAP_CACHE_AT> to C<1>),
3019	which uses 8-12 bytes more per watcher and a few hundred bytes more code,	4313	which uses 8-12 bytes more per watcher and a few hundred bytes more code,
3020	but avoids random read accesses on heap changes. This improves performance	4314	but avoids random read accesses on heap changes. This improves performance
3021	noticably with with many (hundreds) of watchers.	4315	noticeably with many (hundreds) of watchers.
3022		4316
3023	The default is C<1> unless C<EV_MINIMAL> is set in which case it is C<0>	4317	The default is C<1>, unless C<EV_FEATURES> overrides it, in which case it
3024	(disabled).	4318	will be C<0>.
		4319
		4320	=item EV_VERIFY
		4321
		4322	Controls how much internal verification (see C<ev_verify ()>) will
		4323	be done: If set to C<0>, no internal verification code will be compiled
		4324	in. If set to C<1>, then verification code will be compiled in, but not
		4325	called. If set to C<2>, then the internal verification code will be
		4326	called once per loop, which can slow down libev. If set to C<3>, then the
		4327	verification code will be called very frequently, which will slow down
		4328	libev considerably.
		4329
		4330	The default is C<1>, unless C<EV_FEATURES> overrides it, in which case it
		4331	will be C<0>.
3025		4332
3026	=item EV_COMMON	4333	=item EV_COMMON
3027		4334
3028	By default, all watchers have a C<void *data> member. By redefining	4335	By default, all watchers have a C<void *data> member. By redefining
3029	this macro to a something else you can include more and other types of	4336	this macro to something else you can include more and other types of
3030	members. You have to define it each time you include one of the files,	4337	members. You have to define it each time you include one of the files,
3031	though, and it must be identical each time.	4338	though, and it must be identical each time.
3032		4339
3033	For example, the perl EV module uses something like this:	4340	For example, the perl EV module uses something like this:
3034		4341
3035	#define EV_COMMON \	4342	#define EV_COMMON \
3036	SV *self; /* contains this struct */ \	4343	SV *self; /* contains this struct */ \
3037	SV *cb_sv, *fh /* note no trailing ";" */	4344	SV *cb_sv, *fh /* note no trailing ";" */
3038		4345
3039	=item EV_CB_DECLARE (type)	4346	=item EV_CB_DECLARE (type)
3040		4347
3041	=item EV_CB_INVOKE (watcher, revents)	4348	=item EV_CB_INVOKE (watcher, revents)
3042		4349
…		…
3047	definition and a statement, respectively. See the F<ev.h> header file for	4354	definition and a statement, respectively. See the F<ev.h> header file for
3048	their default definitions. One possible use for overriding these is to	4355	their default definitions. One possible use for overriding these is to
3049	avoid the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument in all cases, or to use	4356	avoid the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument in all cases, or to use
3050	method calls instead of plain function calls in C++.	4357	method calls instead of plain function calls in C++.
3051		4358
		4359	=back
		4360
3052	=head2 EXPORTED API SYMBOLS	4361	=head2 EXPORTED API SYMBOLS
3053		4362
3054	If you need to re-export the API (e.g. via a dll) and you need a list of	4363	If you need to re-export the API (e.g. via a DLL) and you need a list of
3055	exported symbols, you can use the provided F<Symbol.*> files which list	4364	exported symbols, you can use the provided F<Symbol.*> files which list
3056	all public symbols, one per line:	4365	all public symbols, one per line:
3057		4366
3058	Symbols.ev for libev proper	4367	Symbols.ev for libev proper
3059	Symbols.event for the libevent emulation	4368	Symbols.event for the libevent emulation
3060		4369
3061	This can also be used to rename all public symbols to avoid clashes with	4370	This can also be used to rename all public symbols to avoid clashes with
3062	multiple versions of libev linked together (which is obviously bad in	4371	multiple versions of libev linked together (which is obviously bad in
3063	itself, but sometimes it is inconvinient to avoid this).	4372	itself, but sometimes it is inconvenient to avoid this).
3064		4373
3065	A sed command like this will create wrapper C<#define>'s that you need to	4374	A sed command like this will create wrapper C<#define>'s that you need to
3066	include before including F<ev.h>:	4375	include before including F<ev.h>:
3067		4376
3068	<Symbols.ev sed -e "s/.*/#define & myprefix_&/" >wrap.h	4377	<Symbols.ev sed -e "s/.*/#define & myprefix_&/" >wrap.h
…		…
3085	file.	4394	file.
3086		4395
3087	The usage in rxvt-unicode is simpler. It has a F<ev_cpp.h> header file	4396	The usage in rxvt-unicode is simpler. It has a F<ev_cpp.h> header file
3088	that everybody includes and which overrides some configure choices:	4397	that everybody includes and which overrides some configure choices:
3089		4398
3090	#define EV_MINIMAL 1	4399	#define EV_FEATURES 8
3091	#define EV_USE_POLL 0	4400	#define EV_USE_SELECT 1
3092	#define EV_MULTIPLICITY 0
3093	#define EV_PERIODIC_ENABLE 0	4401	#define EV_PREPARE_ENABLE 1
		4402	#define EV_IDLE_ENABLE 1
3094	#define EV_STAT_ENABLE 0	4403	#define EV_SIGNAL_ENABLE 1
3095	#define EV_FORK_ENABLE 0	4404	#define EV_CHILD_ENABLE 1
		4405	#define EV_USE_STDEXCEPT 0
3096	#define EV_CONFIG_H <config.h>	4406	#define EV_CONFIG_H <config.h>
3097	#define EV_MINPRI 0
3098	#define EV_MAXPRI 0
3099		4407
3100	#include "ev++.h"	4408	#include "ev++.h"
3101		4409
3102	And a F<ev_cpp.C> implementation file that contains libev proper and is compiled:	4410	And a F<ev_cpp.C> implementation file that contains libev proper and is compiled:
3103		4411
3104	#include "ev_cpp.h"	4412	#include "ev_cpp.h"
3105	#include "ev.c"	4413	#include "ev.c"
3106		4414
		4415	=head1 INTERACTION WITH OTHER PROGRAMS OR LIBRARIES
3107		4416
3108	=head1 THREADS AND COROUTINES	4417	=head2 THREADS AND COROUTINES
3109		4418
3110	=head2 THREADS	4419	=head3 THREADS
3111		4420
3112	Libev itself is completely threadsafe, but it uses no locking. This	4421	All libev functions are reentrant and thread-safe unless explicitly
		4422	documented otherwise, but libev implements no locking itself. This means
3113	means that you can use as many loops as you want in parallel, as long as	4423	that you can use as many loops as you want in parallel, as long as there
3114	only one thread ever calls into one libev function with the same loop	4424	are no concurrent calls into any libev function with the same loop
3115	parameter.	4425	parameter (C<ev_default_*> calls have an implicit default loop parameter,
		4426	of course): libev guarantees that different event loops share no data
		4427	structures that need any locking.
3116		4428
3117	Or put differently: calls with different loop parameters can be done in	4429	Or to put it differently: calls with different loop parameters can be done
3118	parallel from multiple threads, calls with the same loop parameter must be	4430	concurrently from multiple threads, calls with the same loop parameter
3119	done serially (but can be done from different threads, as long as only one	4431	must be done serially (but can be done from different threads, as long as
3120	thread ever is inside a call at any point in time, e.g. by using a mutex	4432	only one thread ever is inside a call at any point in time, e.g. by using
3121	per loop).	4433	a mutex per loop).
3122		4434
3123	If you want to know which design is best for your problem, then I cannot	4435	Specifically to support threads (and signal handlers), libev implements
		4436	so-called C<ev_async> watchers, which allow some limited form of
		4437	concurrency on the same event loop, namely waking it up "from the
		4438	outside".
		4439
		4440	If you want to know which design (one loop, locking, or multiple loops
		4441	without or something else still) is best for your problem, then I cannot
3124	help you but by giving some generic advice:	4442	help you, but here is some generic advice:
3125		4443
3126	=over 4	4444	=over 4
3127		4445
3128	=item * most applications have a main thread: use the default libev loop	4446	=item * most applications have a main thread: use the default libev loop
3129	in that thread, or create a seperate thread running only the default loop.	4447	in that thread, or create a separate thread running only the default loop.
3130		4448
3131	This helps integrating other libraries or software modules that use libev	4449	This helps integrating other libraries or software modules that use libev
3132	themselves and don't care/know about threading.	4450	themselves and don't care/know about threading.
3133		4451
3134	=item * one loop per thread is usually a good model.	4452	=item * one loop per thread is usually a good model.
3135		4453
3136	Doing this is almost never wrong, sometimes a better-performance model	4454	Doing this is almost never wrong, sometimes a better-performance model
3137	exists, but it is always a good start.	4455	exists, but it is always a good start.
3138		4456
3139	=item * other models exist, such as the leader/follower pattern, where one	4457	=item * other models exist, such as the leader/follower pattern, where one
3140	loop is handed through multiple threads in a kind of round-robbin fashion.	4458	loop is handed through multiple threads in a kind of round-robin fashion.
3141		4459
3142	Chosing a model is hard - look around, learn, know that usually you cna do	4460	Choosing a model is hard - look around, learn, know that usually you can do
3143	better than you currently do :-)	4461	better than you currently do :-)
3144		4462
3145	=item * often you need to talk to some other thread which blocks in the	4463	=item * often you need to talk to some other thread which blocks in the
		4464	event loop.
		4465
3146	event loop - C<ev_async> watchers can be used to wake them up from other	4466	C<ev_async> watchers can be used to wake them up from other threads safely
3147	threads safely (or from signal contexts...).	4467	(or from signal contexts...).
		4468
		4469	An example use would be to communicate signals or other events that only
		4470	work in the default loop by registering the signal watcher with the
		4471	default loop and triggering an C<ev_async> watcher from the default loop
		4472	watcher callback into the event loop interested in the signal.
3148		4473
3149	=back	4474	=back
3150		4475
		4476	=head4 THREAD LOCKING EXAMPLE
		4477
		4478	Here is a fictitious example of how to run an event loop in a different
		4479	thread than where callbacks are being invoked and watchers are
		4480	created/added/removed.
		4481
		4482	For a real-world example, see the C<EV::Loop::Async> perl module,
		4483	which uses exactly this technique (which is suited for many high-level
		4484	languages).
		4485
		4486	The example uses a pthread mutex to protect the loop data, a condition
		4487	variable to wait for callback invocations, an async watcher to notify the
		4488	event loop thread and an unspecified mechanism to wake up the main thread.
		4489
		4490	First, you need to associate some data with the event loop:
		4491
		4492	typedef struct {
		4493	mutex_t lock; /* global loop lock */
		4494	ev_async async_w;
		4495	thread_t tid;
		4496	cond_t invoke_cv;
		4497	} userdata;
		4498
		4499	void prepare_loop (EV_P)
		4500	{
		4501	// for simplicity, we use a static userdata struct.
		4502	static userdata u;
		4503
		4504	ev_async_init (&u->async_w, async_cb);
		4505	ev_async_start (EV_A_ &u->async_w);
		4506
		4507	pthread_mutex_init (&u->lock, 0);
		4508	pthread_cond_init (&u->invoke_cv, 0);
		4509
		4510	// now associate this with the loop
		4511	ev_set_userdata (EV_A_ u);
		4512	ev_set_invoke_pending_cb (EV_A_ l_invoke);
		4513	ev_set_loop_release_cb (EV_A_ l_release, l_acquire);
		4514
		4515	// then create the thread running ev_loop
		4516	pthread_create (&u->tid, 0, l_run, EV_A);
		4517	}
		4518
		4519	The callback for the C<ev_async> watcher does nothing: the watcher is used
		4520	solely to wake up the event loop so it takes notice of any new watchers
		4521	that might have been added:
		4522
		4523	static void
		4524	async_cb (EV_P_ ev_async *w, int revents)
		4525	{
		4526	// just used for the side effects
		4527	}
		4528
		4529	The C<l_release> and C<l_acquire> callbacks simply unlock/lock the mutex
		4530	protecting the loop data, respectively.
		4531
		4532	static void
		4533	l_release (EV_P)
		4534	{
		4535	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		4536	pthread_mutex_unlock (&u->lock);
		4537	}
		4538
		4539	static void
		4540	l_acquire (EV_P)
		4541	{
		4542	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		4543	pthread_mutex_lock (&u->lock);
		4544	}
		4545
		4546	The event loop thread first acquires the mutex, and then jumps straight
		4547	into C<ev_run>:
		4548
		4549	void *
		4550	l_run (void *thr_arg)
		4551	{
		4552	struct ev_loop *loop = (struct ev_loop *)thr_arg;
		4553
		4554	l_acquire (EV_A);
		4555	pthread_setcanceltype (PTHREAD_CANCEL_ASYNCHRONOUS, 0);
		4556	ev_run (EV_A_ 0);
		4557	l_release (EV_A);
		4558
		4559	return 0;
		4560	}
		4561
		4562	Instead of invoking all pending watchers, the C<l_invoke> callback will
		4563	signal the main thread via some unspecified mechanism (signals? pipe
		4564	writes? C<Async::Interrupt>?) and then waits until all pending watchers
		4565	have been called (in a while loop because a) spurious wakeups are possible
		4566	and b) skipping inter-thread-communication when there are no pending
		4567	watchers is very beneficial):
		4568
		4569	static void
		4570	l_invoke (EV_P)
		4571	{
		4572	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		4573
		4574	while (ev_pending_count (EV_A))
		4575	{
		4576	wake_up_other_thread_in_some_magic_or_not_so_magic_way ();
		4577	pthread_cond_wait (&u->invoke_cv, &u->lock);
		4578	}
		4579	}
		4580
		4581	Now, whenever the main thread gets told to invoke pending watchers, it
		4582	will grab the lock, call C<ev_invoke_pending> and then signal the loop
		4583	thread to continue:
		4584
		4585	static void
		4586	real_invoke_pending (EV_P)
		4587	{
		4588	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		4589
		4590	pthread_mutex_lock (&u->lock);
		4591	ev_invoke_pending (EV_A);
		4592	pthread_cond_signal (&u->invoke_cv);
		4593	pthread_mutex_unlock (&u->lock);
		4594	}
		4595
		4596	Whenever you want to start/stop a watcher or do other modifications to an
		4597	event loop, you will now have to lock:
		4598
		4599	ev_timer timeout_watcher;
		4600	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		4601
		4602	ev_timer_init (&timeout_watcher, timeout_cb, 5.5, 0.);
		4603
		4604	pthread_mutex_lock (&u->lock);
		4605	ev_timer_start (EV_A_ &timeout_watcher);
		4606	ev_async_send (EV_A_ &u->async_w);
		4607	pthread_mutex_unlock (&u->lock);
		4608
		4609	Note that sending the C<ev_async> watcher is required because otherwise
		4610	an event loop currently blocking in the kernel will have no knowledge
		4611	about the newly added timer. By waking up the loop it will pick up any new
		4612	watchers in the next event loop iteration.
		4613
3151	=head2 COROUTINES	4614	=head3 COROUTINES
3152		4615
3153	Libev is much more accomodating to coroutines ("cooperative threads"):	4616	Libev is very accommodating to coroutines ("cooperative threads"):
3154	libev fully supports nesting calls to it's functions from different	4617	libev fully supports nesting calls to its functions from different
3155	coroutines (e.g. you can call C<ev_loop> on the same loop from two	4618	coroutines (e.g. you can call C<ev_run> on the same loop from two
3156	different coroutines and switch freely between both coroutines running the	4619	different coroutines, and switch freely between both coroutines running
3157	loop, as long as you don't confuse yourself). The only exception is that	4620	the loop, as long as you don't confuse yourself). The only exception is
3158	you must not do this from C<ev_periodic> reschedule callbacks.	4621	that you must not do this from C<ev_periodic> reschedule callbacks.
3159		4622
3160	Care has been invested into making sure that libev does not keep local	4623	Care has been taken to ensure that libev does not keep local state inside
3161	state inside C<ev_loop>, and other calls do not usually allow coroutine	4624	C<ev_run>, and other calls do not usually allow for coroutine switches as
3162	switches.	4625	they do not call any callbacks.
3163		4626
		4627	=head2 COMPILER WARNINGS
3164		4628
3165	=head1 COMPLEXITIES	4629	Depending on your compiler and compiler settings, you might get no or a
		4630	lot of warnings when compiling libev code. Some people are apparently
		4631	scared by this.
3166		4632
3167	In this section the complexities of (many of) the algorithms used inside	4633	However, these are unavoidable for many reasons. For one, each compiler
3168	libev will be explained. For complexity discussions about backends see the	4634	has different warnings, and each user has different tastes regarding
3169	documentation for C<ev_default_init>.	4635	warning options. "Warn-free" code therefore cannot be a goal except when
		4636	targeting a specific compiler and compiler-version.
3170		4637
3171	All of the following are about amortised time: If an array needs to be	4638	Another reason is that some compiler warnings require elaborate
3172	extended, libev needs to realloc and move the whole array, but this	4639	workarounds, or other changes to the code that make it less clear and less
3173	happens asymptotically never with higher number of elements, so O(1) might	4640	maintainable.
3174	mean it might do a lengthy realloc operation in rare cases, but on average
3175	it is much faster and asymptotically approaches constant time.
3176		4641
3177	=over 4	4642	And of course, some compiler warnings are just plain stupid, or simply
		4643	wrong (because they don't actually warn about the condition their message
		4644	seems to warn about). For example, certain older gcc versions had some
		4645	warnings that resulted in an extreme number of false positives. These have
		4646	been fixed, but some people still insist on making code warn-free with
		4647	such buggy versions.
3178		4648
3179	=item Starting and stopping timer/periodic watchers: O(log skipped_other_timers)	4649	While libev is written to generate as few warnings as possible,
		4650	"warn-free" code is not a goal, and it is recommended not to build libev
		4651	with any compiler warnings enabled unless you are prepared to cope with
		4652	them (e.g. by ignoring them). Remember that warnings are just that:
		4653	warnings, not errors, or proof of bugs.
3180		4654
3181	This means that, when you have a watcher that triggers in one hour and
3182	there are 100 watchers that would trigger before that then inserting will
3183	have to skip roughly seven (C<ld 100>) of these watchers.
3184		4655
3185	=item Changing timer/periodic watchers (by autorepeat or calling again): O(log skipped_other_timers)	4656	=head2 VALGRIND
3186		4657
3187	That means that changing a timer costs less than removing/adding them	4658	Valgrind has a special section here because it is a popular tool that is
3188	as only the relative motion in the event queue has to be paid for.	4659	highly useful. Unfortunately, valgrind reports are very hard to interpret.
3189		4660
3190	=item Starting io/check/prepare/idle/signal/child/fork/async watchers: O(1)	4661	If you think you found a bug (memory leak, uninitialised data access etc.)
		4662	in libev, then check twice: If valgrind reports something like:
3191		4663
3192	These just add the watcher into an array or at the head of a list.	4664	==2274== definitely lost: 0 bytes in 0 blocks.
		4665	==2274== possibly lost: 0 bytes in 0 blocks.
		4666	==2274== still reachable: 256 bytes in 1 blocks.
3193		4667
3194	=item Stopping check/prepare/idle/fork/async watchers: O(1)	4668	Then there is no memory leak, just as memory accounted to global variables
		4669	is not a memleak - the memory is still being referenced, and didn't leak.
3195		4670
3196	=item Stopping an io/signal/child watcher: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_(fd/signal/pid % EV_PID_HASHSIZE))	4671	Similarly, under some circumstances, valgrind might report kernel bugs
		4672	as if it were a bug in libev (e.g. in realloc or in the poll backend,
		4673	although an acceptable workaround has been found here), or it might be
		4674	confused.
3197		4675
3198	These watchers are stored in lists then need to be walked to find the	4676	Keep in mind that valgrind is a very good tool, but only a tool. Don't
3199	correct watcher to remove. The lists are usually short (you don't usually	4677	make it into some kind of religion.
3200	have many watchers waiting for the same fd or signal).
3201		4678
3202	=item Finding the next timer in each loop iteration: O(1)	4679	If you are unsure about something, feel free to contact the mailing list
		4680	with the full valgrind report and an explanation on why you think this
		4681	is a bug in libev (best check the archives, too :). However, don't be
		4682	annoyed when you get a brisk "this is no bug" answer and take the chance
		4683	of learning how to interpret valgrind properly.
3203		4684
3204	By virtue of using a binary or 4-heap, the next timer is always found at a	4685	If you need, for some reason, empty reports from valgrind for your project
3205	fixed position in the storage array.	4686	I suggest using suppression lists.
3206		4687
3207	=item Each change on a file descriptor per loop iteration: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_fd)
3208		4688
3209	A change means an I/O watcher gets started or stopped, which requires	4689	=head1 PORTABILITY NOTES
3210	libev to recalculate its status (and possibly tell the kernel, depending
3211	on backend and wether C<ev_io_set> was used).
3212		4690
3213	=item Activating one watcher (putting it into the pending state): O(1)	4691	=head2 GNU/LINUX 32 BIT LIMITATIONS
3214		4692
3215	=item Priority handling: O(number_of_priorities)	4693	GNU/Linux is the only common platform that supports 64 bit file/large file
		4694	interfaces but I<disables> them by default.
3216		4695
3217	Priorities are implemented by allocating some space for each	4696	That means that libev compiled in the default environment doesn't support
3218	priority. When doing priority-based operations, libev usually has to	4697	files larger than 2GiB or so, which mainly affects C<ev_stat> watchers.
3219	linearly search all the priorities, but starting/stopping and activating
3220	watchers becomes O(1) w.r.t. priority handling.
3221		4698
3222	=item Sending an ev_async: O(1)	4699	Unfortunately, many programs try to work around this GNU/Linux issue
		4700	by enabling the large file API, which makes them incompatible with the
		4701	standard libev compiled for their system.
3223		4702
3224	=item Processing ev_async_send: O(number_of_async_watchers)	4703	Likewise, libev cannot enable the large file API itself as this would
		4704	suddenly make it incompatible to the default compile time environment,
		4705	i.e. all programs not using special compile switches.
3225		4706
3226	=item Processing signals: O(max_signal_number)	4707	=head2 OS/X AND DARWIN BUGS
3227		4708
3228	Sending involves a syscall I<iff> there were no other C<ev_async_send>	4709	The whole thing is a bug if you ask me - basically any system interface
3229	calls in the current loop iteration. Checking for async and signal events	4710	you touch is broken, whether it is locales, poll, kqueue or even the
3230	involves iterating over all running async watchers or all signal numbers.	4711	OpenGL drivers.
3231		4712
3232	=back	4713	=head3 C<kqueue> is buggy
3233		4714
		4715	The kqueue syscall is broken in all known versions - most versions support
		4716	only sockets, many support pipes.
3234		4717
3235	=head1 Win32 platform limitations and workarounds	4718	Libev tries to work around this by not using C<kqueue> by default on this
		4719	rotten platform, but of course you can still ask for it when creating a
		4720	loop - embedding a socket-only kqueue loop into a select-based one is
		4721	probably going to work well.
		4722
		4723	=head3 C<poll> is buggy
		4724
		4725	Instead of fixing C<kqueue>, Apple replaced their (working) C<poll>
		4726	implementation by something calling C<kqueue> internally around the 10.5.6
		4727	release, so now C<kqueue> I<and> C<poll> are broken.
		4728
		4729	Libev tries to work around this by not using C<poll> by default on
		4730	this rotten platform, but of course you can still ask for it when creating
		4731	a loop.
		4732
		4733	=head3 C<select> is buggy
		4734
		4735	All that's left is C<select>, and of course Apple found a way to fuck this
		4736	one up as well: On OS/X, C<select> actively limits the number of file
		4737	descriptors you can pass in to 1024 - your program suddenly crashes when
		4738	you use more.
		4739
		4740	There is an undocumented "workaround" for this - defining
		4741	C<_DARWIN_UNLIMITED_SELECT>, which libev tries to use, so select I<should>
		4742	work on OS/X.
		4743
		4744	=head2 SOLARIS PROBLEMS AND WORKAROUNDS
		4745
		4746	=head3 C<errno> reentrancy
		4747
		4748	The default compile environment on Solaris is unfortunately so
		4749	thread-unsafe that you can't even use components/libraries compiled
		4750	without C<-D_REENTRANT> in a threaded program, which, of course, isn't
		4751	defined by default. A valid, if stupid, implementation choice.
		4752
		4753	If you want to use libev in threaded environments you have to make sure
		4754	it's compiled with C<_REENTRANT> defined.
		4755
		4756	=head3 Event port backend
		4757
		4758	The scalable event interface for Solaris is called "event
		4759	ports". Unfortunately, this mechanism is very buggy in all major
		4760	releases. If you run into high CPU usage, your program freezes or you get
		4761	a large number of spurious wakeups, make sure you have all the relevant
		4762	and latest kernel patches applied. No, I don't know which ones, but there
		4763	are multiple ones to apply, and afterwards, event ports actually work
		4764	great.
		4765
		4766	If you can't get it to work, you can try running the program by setting
		4767	the environment variable C<LIBEV_FLAGS=3> to only allow C<poll> and
		4768	C<select> backends.
		4769
		4770	=head2 AIX POLL BUG
		4771
		4772	AIX unfortunately has a broken C<poll.h> header. Libev works around
		4773	this by trying to avoid the poll backend altogether (i.e. it's not even
		4774	compiled in), which normally isn't a big problem as C<select> works fine
		4775	with large bitsets on AIX, and AIX is dead anyway.
		4776
		4777	=head2 WIN32 PLATFORM LIMITATIONS AND WORKAROUNDS
		4778
		4779	=head3 General issues
3236		4780
3237	Win32 doesn't support any of the standards (e.g. POSIX) that libev	4781	Win32 doesn't support any of the standards (e.g. POSIX) that libev
3238	requires, and its I/O model is fundamentally incompatible with the POSIX	4782	requires, and its I/O model is fundamentally incompatible with the POSIX
3239	model. Libev still offers limited functionality on this platform in	4783	model. Libev still offers limited functionality on this platform in
3240	the form of the C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> backend, and only supports socket	4784	the form of the C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> backend, and only supports socket
3241	descriptors. This only applies when using Win32 natively, not when using	4785	descriptors. This only applies when using Win32 natively, not when using
3242	e.g. cygwin.	4786	e.g. cygwin. Actually, it only applies to the microsofts own compilers,
		4787	as every compielr comes with a slightly differently broken/incompatible
		4788	environment.
3243		4789
3244	Lifting these limitations would basically require the full	4790	Lifting these limitations would basically require the full
3245	re-implementation of the I/O system. If you are into these kinds of	4791	re-implementation of the I/O system. If you are into this kind of thing,
3246	things, then note that glib does exactly that for you in a very portable	4792	then note that glib does exactly that for you in a very portable way (note
3247	way (note also that glib is the slowest event library known to man).	4793	also that glib is the slowest event library known to man).
3248		4794
3249	There is no supported compilation method available on windows except	4795	There is no supported compilation method available on windows except
3250	embedding it into other applications.	4796	embedding it into other applications.
		4797
		4798	Sensible signal handling is officially unsupported by Microsoft - libev
		4799	tries its best, but under most conditions, signals will simply not work.
		4800
		4801	Not a libev limitation but worth mentioning: windows apparently doesn't
		4802	accept large writes: instead of resulting in a partial write, windows will
		4803	either accept everything or return C<ENOBUFS> if the buffer is too large,
		4804	so make sure you only write small amounts into your sockets (less than a
		4805	megabyte seems safe, but this apparently depends on the amount of memory
		4806	available).
3251		4807
3252	Due to the many, low, and arbitrary limits on the win32 platform and	4808	Due to the many, low, and arbitrary limits on the win32 platform and
3253	the abysmal performance of winsockets, using a large number of sockets	4809	the abysmal performance of winsockets, using a large number of sockets
3254	is not recommended (and not reasonable). If your program needs to use	4810	is not recommended (and not reasonable). If your program needs to use
3255	more than a hundred or so sockets, then likely it needs to use a totally	4811	more than a hundred or so sockets, then likely it needs to use a totally
3256	different implementation for windows, as libev offers the POSIX readiness	4812	different implementation for windows, as libev offers the POSIX readiness
3257	notification model, which cannot be implemented efficiently on windows	4813	notification model, which cannot be implemented efficiently on windows
3258	(microsoft monopoly games).	4814	(due to Microsoft monopoly games).
3259		4815
3260	=over 4	4816	A typical way to use libev under windows is to embed it (see the embedding
		4817	section for details) and use the following F<evwrap.h> header file instead
		4818	of F<ev.h>:
3261		4819
		4820	#define EV_STANDALONE /* keeps ev from requiring config.h */
		4821	#define EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET 1 /* configure libev for windows select */
		4822
		4823	#include "ev.h"
		4824
		4825	And compile the following F<evwrap.c> file into your project (make sure
		4826	you do I<not> compile the F<ev.c> or any other embedded source files!):
		4827
		4828	#include "evwrap.h"
		4829	#include "ev.c"
		4830
3262	=item The winsocket select function	4831	=head3 The winsocket C<select> function
3263		4832
3264	The winsocket C<select> function doesn't follow POSIX in that it requires	4833	The winsocket C<select> function doesn't follow POSIX in that it
3265	socket I<handles> and not socket I<file descriptors>. This makes select	4834	requires socket I<handles> and not socket I<file descriptors> (it is
3266	very inefficient, and also requires a mapping from file descriptors	4835	also extremely buggy). This makes select very inefficient, and also
3267	to socket handles. See the discussion of the C<EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET>,	4836	requires a mapping from file descriptors to socket handles (the Microsoft
3268	C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> and C<EV_FD_TO_WIN32_HANDLE> preprocessor	4837	C runtime provides the function C<_open_osfhandle> for this). See the
3269	symbols for more info.	4838	discussion of the C<EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET>, C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> and
		4839	C<EV_FD_TO_WIN32_HANDLE> preprocessor symbols for more info.
3270		4840
3271	The configuration for a "naked" win32 using the microsoft runtime	4841	The configuration for a "naked" win32 using the Microsoft runtime
3272	libraries and raw winsocket select is:	4842	libraries and raw winsocket select is:
3273		4843
3274	#define EV_USE_SELECT 1	4844	#define EV_USE_SELECT 1
3275	#define EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET 1 /* forces EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET, too */	4845	#define EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET 1 /* forces EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET, too */
3276		4846
3277	Note that winsockets handling of fd sets is O(n), so you can easily get a	4847	Note that winsockets handling of fd sets is O(n), so you can easily get a
3278	complexity in the O(n²) range when using win32.	4848	complexity in the O(n²) range when using win32.
3279		4849
3280	=item Limited number of file descriptors	4850	=head3 Limited number of file descriptors
3281		4851
3282	Windows has numerous arbitrary (and low) limits on things.	4852	Windows has numerous arbitrary (and low) limits on things.
3283		4853
3284	Early versions of winsocket's select only supported waiting for a maximum	4854	Early versions of winsocket's select only supported waiting for a maximum
3285	of C<64> handles (probably owning to the fact that all windows kernels	4855	of C<64> handles (probably owning to the fact that all windows kernels
3286	can only wait for C<64> things at the same time internally; microsoft	4856	can only wait for C<64> things at the same time internally; Microsoft
3287	recommends spawning a chain of threads and wait for 63 handles and the	4857	recommends spawning a chain of threads and wait for 63 handles and the
3288	previous thread in each. Great).	4858	previous thread in each. Sounds great!).
3289		4859
3290	Newer versions support more handles, but you need to define C<FD_SETSIZE>	4860	Newer versions support more handles, but you need to define C<FD_SETSIZE>
3291	to some high number (e.g. C<2048>) before compiling the winsocket select	4861	to some high number (e.g. C<2048>) before compiling the winsocket select
3292	call (which might be in libev or elsewhere, for example, perl does its own	4862	call (which might be in libev or elsewhere, for example, perl and many
3293	select emulation on windows).	4863	other interpreters do their own select emulation on windows).
3294		4864
3295	Another limit is the number of file descriptors in the microsoft runtime	4865	Another limit is the number of file descriptors in the Microsoft runtime
3296	libraries, which by default is C<64> (there must be a hidden I<64> fetish	4866	libraries, which by default is C<64> (there must be a hidden I<64>
3297	or something like this inside microsoft). You can increase this by calling	4867	fetish or something like this inside Microsoft). You can increase this
3298	C<_setmaxstdio>, which can increase this limit to C<2048> (another	4868	by calling C<_setmaxstdio>, which can increase this limit to C<2048>
3299	arbitrary limit), but is broken in many versions of the microsoft runtime	4869	(another arbitrary limit), but is broken in many versions of the Microsoft
3300	libraries.
3301
3302	This might get you to about C<512> or C<2048> sockets (depending on	4870	runtime libraries. This might get you to about C<512> or C<2048> sockets
3303	windows version and/or the phase of the moon). To get more, you need to	4871	(depending on windows version and/or the phase of the moon). To get more,
3304	wrap all I/O functions and provide your own fd management, but the cost of	4872	you need to wrap all I/O functions and provide your own fd management, but
3305	calling select (O(n²)) will likely make this unworkable.	4873	the cost of calling select (O(n²)) will likely make this unworkable.
3306		4874
3307	=back
3308
3309
3310	=head1 PORTABILITY REQUIREMENTS	4875	=head2 PORTABILITY REQUIREMENTS
3311		4876
3312	In addition to a working ISO-C implementation, libev relies on a few	4877	In addition to a working ISO-C implementation and of course the
3313	additional extensions:	4878	backend-specific APIs, libev relies on a few additional extensions:
3314		4879
3315	=over 4	4880	=over 4
3316		4881
		4882	=item C<void (*)(ev_watcher_type *, int revents)> must have compatible
		4883	calling conventions regardless of C<ev_watcher_type *>.
		4884
		4885	Libev assumes not only that all watcher pointers have the same internal
		4886	structure (guaranteed by POSIX but not by ISO C for example), but it also
		4887	assumes that the same (machine) code can be used to call any watcher
		4888	callback: The watcher callbacks have different type signatures, but libev
		4889	calls them using an C<ev_watcher *> internally.
		4890
		4891	=item pointer accesses must be thread-atomic
		4892
		4893	Accessing a pointer value must be atomic, it must both be readable and
		4894	writable in one piece - this is the case on all current architectures.
		4895
3317	=item C<sig_atomic_t volatile> must be thread-atomic as well	4896	=item C<sig_atomic_t volatile> must be thread-atomic as well
3318		4897
3319	The type C<sig_atomic_t volatile> (or whatever is defined as	4898	The type C<sig_atomic_t volatile> (or whatever is defined as
3320	C<EV_ATOMIC_T>) must be atomic w.r.t. accesses from different	4899	C<EV_ATOMIC_T>) must be atomic with respect to accesses from different
3321	threads. This is not part of the specification for C<sig_atomic_t>, but is	4900	threads. This is not part of the specification for C<sig_atomic_t>, but is
3322	believed to be sufficiently portable.	4901	believed to be sufficiently portable.
3323		4902
3324	=item C<sigprocmask> must work in a threaded environment	4903	=item C<sigprocmask> must work in a threaded environment
3325		4904
…		…
3334	except the initial one, and run the default loop in the initial thread as	4913	except the initial one, and run the default loop in the initial thread as
3335	well.	4914	well.
3336		4915
3337	=item C<long> must be large enough for common memory allocation sizes	4916	=item C<long> must be large enough for common memory allocation sizes
3338		4917
3339	To improve portability and simplify using libev, libev uses C<long>	4918	To improve portability and simplify its API, libev uses C<long> internally
3340	internally instead of C<size_t> when allocating its data structures. On	4919	instead of C<size_t> when allocating its data structures. On non-POSIX
3341	non-POSIX systems (Microsoft...) this might be unexpectedly low, but	4920	systems (Microsoft...) this might be unexpectedly low, but is still at
3342	is still at least 31 bits everywhere, which is enough for hundreds of	4921	least 31 bits everywhere, which is enough for hundreds of millions of
3343	millions of watchers.	4922	watchers.
3344		4923
3345	=item C<double> must hold a time value in seconds with enough accuracy	4924	=item C<double> must hold a time value in seconds with enough accuracy
3346		4925
3347	The type C<double> is used to represent timestamps. It is required to	4926	The type C<double> is used to represent timestamps. It is required to
3348	have at least 51 bits of mantissa (and 9 bits of exponent), which is good	4927	have at least 51 bits of mantissa (and 9 bits of exponent), which is
3349	enough for at least into the year 4000. This requirement is fulfilled by	4928	good enough for at least into the year 4000 with millisecond accuracy
		4929	(the design goal for libev). This requirement is overfulfilled by
3350	implementations implementing IEEE 754 (basically all existing ones).	4930	implementations using IEEE 754, which is basically all existing ones. With
		4931	IEEE 754 doubles, you get microsecond accuracy until at least 2200.
3351		4932
3352	=back	4933	=back
3353		4934
3354	If you know of other additional requirements drop me a note.	4935	If you know of other additional requirements drop me a note.
3355		4936
3356		4937
		4938	=head1 ALGORITHMIC COMPLEXITIES
		4939
		4940	In this section the complexities of (many of) the algorithms used inside
		4941	libev will be documented. For complexity discussions about backends see
		4942	the documentation for C<ev_default_init>.
		4943
		4944	All of the following are about amortised time: If an array needs to be
		4945	extended, libev needs to realloc and move the whole array, but this
		4946	happens asymptotically rarer with higher number of elements, so O(1) might
		4947	mean that libev does a lengthy realloc operation in rare cases, but on
		4948	average it is much faster and asymptotically approaches constant time.
		4949
		4950	=over 4
		4951
		4952	=item Starting and stopping timer/periodic watchers: O(log skipped_other_timers)
		4953
		4954	This means that, when you have a watcher that triggers in one hour and
		4955	there are 100 watchers that would trigger before that, then inserting will
		4956	have to skip roughly seven (C<ld 100>) of these watchers.
		4957
		4958	=item Changing timer/periodic watchers (by autorepeat or calling again): O(log skipped_other_timers)
		4959
		4960	That means that changing a timer costs less than removing/adding them,
		4961	as only the relative motion in the event queue has to be paid for.
		4962
		4963	=item Starting io/check/prepare/idle/signal/child/fork/async watchers: O(1)
		4964
		4965	These just add the watcher into an array or at the head of a list.
		4966
		4967	=item Stopping check/prepare/idle/fork/async watchers: O(1)
		4968
		4969	=item Stopping an io/signal/child watcher: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_(fd/signal/pid % EV_PID_HASHSIZE))
		4970
		4971	These watchers are stored in lists, so they need to be walked to find the
		4972	correct watcher to remove. The lists are usually short (you don't usually
		4973	have many watchers waiting for the same fd or signal: one is typical, two
		4974	is rare).
		4975
		4976	=item Finding the next timer in each loop iteration: O(1)
		4977
		4978	By virtue of using a binary or 4-heap, the next timer is always found at a
		4979	fixed position in the storage array.
		4980
		4981	=item Each change on a file descriptor per loop iteration: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_fd)
		4982
		4983	A change means an I/O watcher gets started or stopped, which requires
		4984	libev to recalculate its status (and possibly tell the kernel, depending
		4985	on backend and whether C<ev_io_set> was used).
		4986
		4987	=item Activating one watcher (putting it into the pending state): O(1)
		4988
		4989	=item Priority handling: O(number_of_priorities)
		4990
		4991	Priorities are implemented by allocating some space for each
		4992	priority. When doing priority-based operations, libev usually has to
		4993	linearly search all the priorities, but starting/stopping and activating
		4994	watchers becomes O(1) with respect to priority handling.
		4995
		4996	=item Sending an ev_async: O(1)
		4997
		4998	=item Processing ev_async_send: O(number_of_async_watchers)
		4999
		5000	=item Processing signals: O(max_signal_number)
		5001
		5002	Sending involves a system call I<iff> there were no other C<ev_async_send>
		5003	calls in the current loop iteration. Checking for async and signal events
		5004	involves iterating over all running async watchers or all signal numbers.
		5005
		5006	=back
		5007
		5008
		5009	=head1 PORTING FROM LIBEV 3.X TO 4.X
		5010
		5011	The major version 4 introduced some incompatible changes to the API.
		5012
		5013	At the moment, the C<ev.h> header file provides compatibility definitions
		5014	for all changes, so most programs should still compile. The compatibility
		5015	layer might be removed in later versions of libev, so better update to the
		5016	new API early than late.
		5017
		5018	=over 4
		5019
		5020	=item C<EV_COMPAT3> backwards compatibility mechanism
		5021
		5022	The backward compatibility mechanism can be controlled by
		5023	C<EV_COMPAT3>. See L<PREPROCESSOR SYMBOLS/MACROS> in the L<EMBEDDING>
		5024	section.
		5025
		5026	=item C<ev_default_destroy> and C<ev_default_fork> have been removed
		5027
		5028	These calls can be replaced easily by their C<ev_loop_xxx> counterparts:
		5029
		5030	ev_loop_destroy (EV_DEFAULT_UC);
		5031	ev_loop_fork (EV_DEFAULT);
		5032
		5033	=item function/symbol renames
		5034
		5035	A number of functions and symbols have been renamed:
		5036
		5037	ev_loop => ev_run
		5038	EVLOOP_NONBLOCK => EVRUN_NOWAIT
		5039	EVLOOP_ONESHOT => EVRUN_ONCE
		5040
		5041	ev_unloop => ev_break
		5042	EVUNLOOP_CANCEL => EVBREAK_CANCEL
		5043	EVUNLOOP_ONE => EVBREAK_ONE
		5044	EVUNLOOP_ALL => EVBREAK_ALL
		5045
		5046	EV_TIMEOUT => EV_TIMER
		5047
		5048	ev_loop_count => ev_iteration
		5049	ev_loop_depth => ev_depth
		5050	ev_loop_verify => ev_verify
		5051
		5052	Most functions working on C<struct ev_loop> objects don't have an
		5053	C<ev_loop_> prefix, so it was removed; C<ev_loop>, C<ev_unloop> and
		5054	associated constants have been renamed to not collide with the C<struct
		5055	ev_loop> anymore and C<EV_TIMER> now follows the same naming scheme
		5056	as all other watcher types. Note that C<ev_loop_fork> is still called
		5057	C<ev_loop_fork> because it would otherwise clash with the C<ev_fork>
		5058	typedef.
		5059
		5060	=item C<EV_MINIMAL> mechanism replaced by C<EV_FEATURES>
		5061
		5062	The preprocessor symbol C<EV_MINIMAL> has been replaced by a different
		5063	mechanism, C<EV_FEATURES>. Programs using C<EV_MINIMAL> usually compile
		5064	and work, but the library code will of course be larger.
		5065
		5066	=back
		5067
		5068
		5069	=head1 GLOSSARY
		5070
		5071	=over 4
		5072
		5073	=item active
		5074
		5075	A watcher is active as long as it has been started and not yet stopped.
		5076	See L<WATCHER STATES> for details.
		5077
		5078	=item application
		5079
		5080	In this document, an application is whatever is using libev.
		5081
		5082	=item backend
		5083
		5084	The part of the code dealing with the operating system interfaces.
		5085
		5086	=item callback
		5087
		5088	The address of a function that is called when some event has been
		5089	detected. Callbacks are being passed the event loop, the watcher that
		5090	received the event, and the actual event bitset.
		5091
		5092	=item callback/watcher invocation
		5093
		5094	The act of calling the callback associated with a watcher.
		5095
		5096	=item event
		5097
		5098	A change of state of some external event, such as data now being available
		5099	for reading on a file descriptor, time having passed or simply not having
		5100	any other events happening anymore.
		5101
		5102	In libev, events are represented as single bits (such as C<EV_READ> or
		5103	C<EV_TIMER>).
		5104
		5105	=item event library
		5106
		5107	A software package implementing an event model and loop.
		5108
		5109	=item event loop
		5110
		5111	An entity that handles and processes external events and converts them
		5112	into callback invocations.
		5113
		5114	=item event model
		5115
		5116	The model used to describe how an event loop handles and processes
		5117	watchers and events.
		5118
		5119	=item pending
		5120
		5121	A watcher is pending as soon as the corresponding event has been
		5122	detected. See L<WATCHER STATES> for details.
		5123
		5124	=item real time
		5125
		5126	The physical time that is observed. It is apparently strictly monotonic :)
		5127
		5128	=item wall-clock time
		5129
		5130	The time and date as shown on clocks. Unlike real time, it can actually
		5131	be wrong and jump forwards and backwards, e.g. when the you adjust your
		5132	clock.
		5133
		5134	=item watcher
		5135
		5136	A data structure that describes interest in certain events. Watchers need
		5137	to be started (attached to an event loop) before they can receive events.
		5138
		5139	=back
		5140
3357	=head1 AUTHOR	5141	=head1 AUTHOR
3358		5142
3359	Marc Lehmann <libev@schmorp.de>.	5143	Marc Lehmann <libev@schmorp.de>, with repeated corrections by Mikael
		5144	Magnusson and Emanuele Giaquinta.
3360		5145

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