[ViewVC] Diff of: cvs/libev/ev.pod

Comparing libev/ev.pod (file contents):
Revision 1.346 by root, Wed Nov 10 14:50:54 2010 UTC vs.
Revision 1.366 by sf-exg, Thu Feb 3 16:21:08 2011 UTC

…		…
58	ev_timer_start (loop, &timeout_watcher);	58	ev_timer_start (loop, &timeout_watcher);
59		59
60	// now wait for events to arrive	60	// now wait for events to arrive
61	ev_run (loop, 0);	61	ev_run (loop, 0);
62		62
63	// unloop was called, so exit	63	// break was called, so exit
64	return 0;	64	return 0;
65	}	65	}
66		66
67	=head1 ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT	67	=head1 ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT
68		68
…		…
299	}	299	}
300		300
301	...	301	...
302	ev_set_syserr_cb (fatal_error);	302	ev_set_syserr_cb (fatal_error);
303		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
304	=back	317	=back
305		318
306	=head1 FUNCTIONS CONTROLLING EVENT LOOPS	319	=head1 FUNCTIONS CONTROLLING EVENT LOOPS
307		320
308	An event loop is described by a C<struct ev_loop *> (the C<struct> is	321	An event loop is described by a C<struct ev_loop *> (the C<struct> is
…		…
418	threads that are not interested in handling them.	431	threads that are not interested in handling them.
419		432
420	Signalfd will not be used by default as this changes your signal mask, and	433	Signalfd will not be used by default as this changes your signal mask, and
421	there are a lot of shoddy libraries and programs (glib's threadpool for	434	there are a lot of shoddy libraries and programs (glib's threadpool for
422	example) that can't properly initialise their signal masks.	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	It's also required by POSIX in a threaded program, as libev calls
		448	C<sigprocmask>, whose behaviour is officially unspecified.
		449
		450	This flag's behaviour will become the default in future versions of libev.
423		451
424	=item C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> (value 1, portable select backend)	452	=item C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> (value 1, portable select backend)
425		453
426	This is your standard select(2) backend. Not I<completely> standard, as	454	This is your standard select(2) backend. Not I<completely> standard, as
427	libev tries to roll its own fd_set with no limits on the number of fds,	455	libev tries to roll its own fd_set with no limits on the number of fds,
…		…
481	employing an additional generation counter and comparing that against the	509	employing an additional generation counter and comparing that against the
482	events to filter out spurious ones, recreating the set when required. Last	510	events to filter out spurious ones, recreating the set when required. Last
483	not least, it also refuses to work with some file descriptors which work	511	not least, it also refuses to work with some file descriptors which work
484	perfectly fine with C<select> (files, many character devices...).	512	perfectly fine with C<select> (files, many character devices...).
485		513
486	Epoll is truly the train wreck analog among event poll mechanisms.	514	Epoll is truly the train wreck analog among event poll mechanisms,
		515	a frankenpoll, cobbled together in a hurry, no thought to design or
		516	interaction with others.
487		517
488	While stopping, setting and starting an I/O watcher in the same iteration	518	While stopping, setting and starting an I/O watcher in the same iteration
489	will result in some caching, there is still a system call per such	519	will result in some caching, there is still a system call per such
490	incident (because the same I<file descriptor> could point to a different	520	incident (because the same I<file descriptor> could point to a different
491	I<file description> now), so its best to avoid that. Also, C<dup ()>'ed	521	I<file description> now), so its best to avoid that. Also, C<dup ()>'ed
…		…
557	=item C<EVBACKEND_PORT> (value 32, Solaris 10)	587	=item C<EVBACKEND_PORT> (value 32, Solaris 10)
558		588
559	This uses the Solaris 10 event port mechanism. As with everything on Solaris,	589	This uses the Solaris 10 event port mechanism. As with everything on Solaris,
560	it's really slow, but it still scales very well (O(active_fds)).	590	it's really slow, but it still scales very well (O(active_fds)).
561		591
562	Please note that Solaris event ports can deliver a lot of spurious
563	notifications, so you need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid
564	blocking when no data (or space) is available.
565
566	While this backend scales well, it requires one system call per active	592	While this backend scales well, it requires one system call per active
567	file descriptor per loop iteration. For small and medium numbers of file	593	file descriptor per loop iteration. For small and medium numbers of file
568	descriptors a "slow" C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL> backend	594	descriptors a "slow" C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL> backend
569	might perform better.	595	might perform better.
570		596
571	On the positive side, with the exception of the spurious readiness	597	On the positive side, this backend actually performed fully to
572	notifications, this backend actually performed fully to specification
573	in all tests and is fully embeddable, which is a rare feat among the	598	specification in all tests and is fully embeddable, which is a rare feat
574	OS-specific backends (I vastly prefer correctness over speed hacks).	599	among the OS-specific backends (I vastly prefer correctness over speed
		600	hacks).
		601
		602	On the negative side, the interface is I<bizarre> - so bizarre that
		603	even sun itself gets it wrong in their code examples: The event polling
		604	function sometimes returning events to the caller even though an error
		605	occurred, but with no indication whether it has done so or not (yes, it's
		606	even documented that way) - deadly for edge-triggered interfaces where
		607	you absolutely have to know whether an event occurred or not because you
		608	have to re-arm the watcher.
		609
		610	Fortunately libev seems to be able to work around these idiocies.
575		611
576	This backend maps C<EV_READ> and C<EV_WRITE> in the same way as	612	This backend maps C<EV_READ> and C<EV_WRITE> in the same way as
577	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.	613	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
578		614
579	=item C<EVBACKEND_ALL>	615	=item C<EVBACKEND_ALL>
580		616
581	Try all backends (even potentially broken ones that wouldn't be tried	617	Try all backends (even potentially broken ones that wouldn't be tried
582	with C<EVFLAG_AUTO>). Since this is a mask, you can do stuff such as	618	with C<EVFLAG_AUTO>). Since this is a mask, you can do stuff such as
583	C<EVBACKEND_ALL & ~EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>.	619	C<EVBACKEND_ALL & ~EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>.
584		620
585	It is definitely not recommended to use this flag.	621	It is definitely not recommended to use this flag, use whatever
		622	C<ev_recommended_backends ()> returns, or simply do not specify a backend
		623	at all.
		624
		625	=item C<EVBACKEND_MASK>
		626
		627	Not a backend at all, but a mask to select all backend bits from a
		628	C<flags> value, in case you want to mask out any backends from a flags
		629	value (e.g. when modifying the C<LIBEV_FLAGS> environment variable).
586		630
587	=back	631	=back
588		632
589	If one or more of the backend flags are or'ed into the flags value,	633	If one or more of the backend flags are or'ed into the flags value,
590	then only these backends will be tried (in the reverse order as listed	634	then only these backends will be tried (in the reverse order as listed
…		…
824	anymore.	868	anymore.
825		869
826	... queue jobs here, make sure they register event watchers as long	870	... queue jobs here, make sure they register event watchers as long
827	... as they still have work to do (even an idle watcher will do..)	871	... as they still have work to do (even an idle watcher will do..)
828	ev_run (my_loop, 0);	872	ev_run (my_loop, 0);
829	... jobs done or somebody called unloop. yeah!	873	... jobs done or somebody called break. yeah!
830		874
831	=item ev_break (loop, how)	875	=item ev_break (loop, how)
832		876
833	Can be used to make a call to C<ev_run> return early (but only after it	877	Can be used to make a call to C<ev_run> return early (but only after it
834	has processed all outstanding events). The C<how> argument must be either	878	has processed all outstanding events). The C<how> argument must be either
…		…
867	running when nothing else is active.	911	running when nothing else is active.
868		912
869	ev_signal exitsig;	913	ev_signal exitsig;
870	ev_signal_init (&exitsig, sig_cb, SIGINT);	914	ev_signal_init (&exitsig, sig_cb, SIGINT);
871	ev_signal_start (loop, &exitsig);	915	ev_signal_start (loop, &exitsig);
872	evf_unref (loop);	916	ev_unref (loop);
873		917
874	Example: For some weird reason, unregister the above signal handler again.	918	Example: For some weird reason, unregister the above signal handler again.
875		919
876	ev_ref (loop);	920	ev_ref (loop);
877	ev_signal_stop (loop, &exitsig);	921	ev_signal_stop (loop, &exitsig);
…		…
1316	See also C<ev_feed_fd_event> and C<ev_feed_signal_event> for related	1360	See also C<ev_feed_fd_event> and C<ev_feed_signal_event> for related
1317	functions that do not need a watcher.	1361	functions that do not need a watcher.
1318		1362
1319	=back	1363	=back
1320		1364
1321	=head2 ASSOCIATING CUSTOM DATA WITH A WATCHER	1365	See also the L<ASSOCIATING CUSTOM DATA WITH A WATCHER> and L<BUILDING YOUR
1322		1366	OWN COMPOSITE WATCHERS> idioms.
1323	Each watcher has, by default, a member C<void *data> that you can change
1324	and read at any time: libev will completely ignore it. This can be used
1325	to associate arbitrary data with your watcher. If you need more data and
1326	don't want to allocate memory and store a pointer to it in that data
1327	member, you can also "subclass" the watcher type and provide your own
1328	data:
1329
1330	struct my_io
1331	{
1332	ev_io io;
1333	int otherfd;
1334	void *somedata;
1335	struct whatever *mostinteresting;
1336	};
1337
1338	...
1339	struct my_io w;
1340	ev_io_init (&w.io, my_cb, fd, EV_READ);
1341
1342	And since your callback will be called with a pointer to the watcher, you
1343	can cast it back to your own type:
1344
1345	static void my_cb (struct ev_loop loop, ev_io w_, int revents)
1346	{
1347	struct my_io w = (struct my_io )w_;
1348	...
1349	}
1350
1351	More interesting and less C-conformant ways of casting your callback type
1352	instead have been omitted.
1353
1354	Another common scenario is to use some data structure with multiple
1355	embedded watchers:
1356
1357	struct my_biggy
1358	{
1359	int some_data;
1360	ev_timer t1;
1361	ev_timer t2;
1362	}
1363
1364	In this case getting the pointer to C<my_biggy> is a bit more
1365	complicated: Either you store the address of your C<my_biggy> struct
1366	in the C<data> member of the watcher (for woozies), or you need to use
1367	some pointer arithmetic using C<offsetof> inside your watchers (for real
1368	programmers):
1369
1370	#include <stddef.h>
1371
1372	static void
1373	t1_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
1374	{
1375	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *)
1376	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t1));
1377	}
1378
1379	static void
1380	t2_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
1381	{
1382	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *)
1383	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t2));
1384	}
1385		1367
1386	=head2 WATCHER STATES	1368	=head2 WATCHER STATES
1387		1369
1388	There are various watcher states mentioned throughout this manual -	1370	There are various watcher states mentioned throughout this manual -
1389	active, pending and so on. In this section these states and the rules to	1371	active, pending and so on. In this section these states and the rules to
…		…
1396		1378
1397	Before a watcher can be registered with the event looop it has to be	1379	Before a watcher can be registered with the event looop it has to be
1398	initialised. This can be done with a call to C<ev_TYPE_init>, or calls to	1380	initialised. This can be done with a call to C<ev_TYPE_init>, or calls to
1399	C<ev_init> followed by the watcher-specific C<ev_TYPE_set> function.	1381	C<ev_init> followed by the watcher-specific C<ev_TYPE_set> function.
1400		1382
1401	In this state it is simply some block of memory that is suitable for use	1383	In this state it is simply some block of memory that is suitable for
1402	in an event loop. It can be moved around, freed, reused etc. at will.	1384	use in an event loop. It can be moved around, freed, reused etc. at
		1385	will - as long as you either keep the memory contents intact, or call
		1386	C<ev_TYPE_init> again.
1403		1387
1404	=item started/running/active	1388	=item started/running/active
1405		1389
1406	Once a watcher has been started with a call to C<ev_TYPE_start> it becomes	1390	Once a watcher has been started with a call to C<ev_TYPE_start> it becomes
1407	property of the event loop, and is actively waiting for events. While in	1391	property of the event loop, and is actively waiting for events. While in
…		…
1435	latter will clear any pending state the watcher might be in, regardless	1419	latter will clear any pending state the watcher might be in, regardless
1436	of whether it was active or not, so stopping a watcher explicitly before	1420	of whether it was active or not, so stopping a watcher explicitly before
1437	freeing it is often a good idea.	1421	freeing it is often a good idea.
1438		1422
1439	While stopped (and not pending) the watcher is essentially in the	1423	While stopped (and not pending) the watcher is essentially in the
1440	initialised state, that is it can be reused, moved, modified in any way	1424	initialised state, that is, it can be reused, moved, modified in any way
1441	you wish.	1425	you wish (but when you trash the memory block, you need to C<ev_TYPE_init>
		1426	it again).
1442		1427
1443	=back	1428	=back
1444		1429
1445	=head2 WATCHER PRIORITY MODELS	1430	=head2 WATCHER PRIORITY MODELS
1446		1431
…		…
1575	In general you can register as many read and/or write event watchers per	1560	In general you can register as many read and/or write event watchers per
1576	fd as you want (as long as you don't confuse yourself). Setting all file	1561	fd as you want (as long as you don't confuse yourself). Setting all file
1577	descriptors to non-blocking mode is also usually a good idea (but not	1562	descriptors to non-blocking mode is also usually a good idea (but not
1578	required if you know what you are doing).	1563	required if you know what you are doing).
1579		1564
1580	If you cannot use non-blocking mode, then force the use of a
1581	known-to-be-good backend (at the time of this writing, this includes only
1582	C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> and C<EVBACKEND_POLL>). The same applies to file
1583	descriptors for which non-blocking operation makes no sense (such as
1584	files) - libev doesn't guarantee any specific behaviour in that case.
1585
1586	Another thing you have to watch out for is that it is quite easy to	1565	Another thing you have to watch out for is that it is quite easy to
1587	receive "spurious" readiness notifications, that is your callback might	1566	receive "spurious" readiness notifications, that is, your callback might
1588	be called with C<EV_READ> but a subsequent C<read>(2) will actually block	1567	be called with C<EV_READ> but a subsequent C<read>(2) will actually block
1589	because there is no data. Not only are some backends known to create a	1568	because there is no data. It is very easy to get into this situation even
1590	lot of those (for example Solaris ports), it is very easy to get into	1569	with a relatively standard program structure. Thus it is best to always
1591	this situation even with a relatively standard program structure. Thus	1570	use non-blocking I/O: An extra C<read>(2) returning C<EAGAIN> is far
1592	it is best to always use non-blocking I/O: An extra C<read>(2) returning
1593	C<EAGAIN> is far preferable to a program hanging until some data arrives.	1571	preferable to a program hanging until some data arrives.
1594		1572
1595	If you cannot run the fd in non-blocking mode (for example you should	1573	If you cannot run the fd in non-blocking mode (for example you should
1596	not play around with an Xlib connection), then you have to separately	1574	not play around with an Xlib connection), then you have to separately
1597	re-test whether a file descriptor is really ready with a known-to-be good	1575	re-test whether a file descriptor is really ready with a known-to-be good
1598	interface such as poll (fortunately in our Xlib example, Xlib already	1576	interface such as poll (fortunately in the case of Xlib, it already does
1599	does this on its own, so its quite safe to use). Some people additionally	1577	this on its own, so its quite safe to use). Some people additionally
1600	use C<SIGALRM> and an interval timer, just to be sure you won't block	1578	use C<SIGALRM> and an interval timer, just to be sure you won't block
1601	indefinitely.	1579	indefinitely.
1602		1580
1603	But really, best use non-blocking mode.	1581	But really, best use non-blocking mode.
1604		1582
…		…
1632		1610
1633	There is no workaround possible except not registering events	1611	There is no workaround possible except not registering events
1634	for potentially C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors, or to resort to	1612	for potentially C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors, or to resort to
1635	C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.	1613	C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
1636		1614
		1615	=head3 The special problem of files
		1616
		1617	Many people try to use C<select> (or libev) on file descriptors
		1618	representing files, and expect it to become ready when their program
		1619	doesn't block on disk accesses (which can take a long time on their own).
		1620
		1621	However, this cannot ever work in the "expected" way - you get a readiness
		1622	notification as soon as the kernel knows whether and how much data is
		1623	there, and in the case of open files, that's always the case, so you
		1624	always get a readiness notification instantly, and your read (or possibly
		1625	write) will still block on the disk I/O.
		1626
		1627	Another way to view it is that in the case of sockets, pipes, character
		1628	devices and so on, there is another party (the sender) that delivers data
		1629	on its own, but in the case of files, there is no such thing: the disk
		1630	will not send data on its own, simply because it doesn't know what you
		1631	wish to read - you would first have to request some data.
		1632
		1633	Since files are typically not-so-well supported by advanced notification
		1634	mechanism, libev tries hard to emulate POSIX behaviour with respect
		1635	to files, even though you should not use it. The reason for this is
		1636	convenience: sometimes you want to watch STDIN or STDOUT, which is
		1637	usually a tty, often a pipe, but also sometimes files or special devices
		1638	(for example, C<epoll> on Linux works with F</dev/random> but not with
		1639	F</dev/urandom>), and even though the file might better be served with
		1640	asynchronous I/O instead of with non-blocking I/O, it is still useful when
		1641	it "just works" instead of freezing.
		1642
		1643	So avoid file descriptors pointing to files when you know it (e.g. use
		1644	libeio), but use them when it is convenient, e.g. for STDIN/STDOUT, or
		1645	when you rarely read from a file instead of from a socket, and want to
		1646	reuse the same code path.
		1647
1637	=head3 The special problem of fork	1648	=head3 The special problem of fork
1638		1649
1639	Some backends (epoll, kqueue) do not support C<fork ()> at all or exhibit	1650	Some backends (epoll, kqueue) do not support C<fork ()> at all or exhibit
1640	useless behaviour. Libev fully supports fork, but needs to be told about	1651	useless behaviour. Libev fully supports fork, but needs to be told about
1641	it in the child.	1652	it in the child if you want to continue to use it in the child.
1642		1653
1643	To support fork in your programs, you either have to call	1654	To support fork in your child processes, you have to call C<ev_loop_fork
1644	C<ev_default_fork ()> or C<ev_loop_fork ()> after a fork in the child,	1655	()> after a fork in the child, enable C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>, or resort to
1645	enable C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>, or resort to C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or	1656	C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
1646	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
1647		1657
1648	=head3 The special problem of SIGPIPE	1658	=head3 The special problem of SIGPIPE
1649		1659
1650	While not really specific to libev, it is easy to forget about C<SIGPIPE>:	1660	While not really specific to libev, it is easy to forget about C<SIGPIPE>:
1651	when writing to a pipe whose other end has been closed, your program gets	1661	when writing to a pipe whose other end has been closed, your program gets
…		…
2296	=head3 The special problem of inheritance over fork/execve/pthread_create	2306	=head3 The special problem of inheritance over fork/execve/pthread_create
2297		2307
2298	Both the signal mask (C<sigprocmask>) and the signal disposition	2308	Both the signal mask (C<sigprocmask>) and the signal disposition
2299	(C<sigaction>) are unspecified after starting a signal watcher (and after	2309	(C<sigaction>) are unspecified after starting a signal watcher (and after
2300	stopping it again), that is, libev might or might not block the signal,	2310	stopping it again), that is, libev might or might not block the signal,
2301	and might or might not set or restore the installed signal handler.	2311	and might or might not set or restore the installed signal handler (but
		2312	see C<EVFLAG_NOSIGMASK>).
2302		2313
2303	While this does not matter for the signal disposition (libev never	2314	While this does not matter for the signal disposition (libev never
2304	sets signals to C<SIG_IGN>, so handlers will be reset to C<SIG_DFL> on	2315	sets signals to C<SIG_IGN>, so handlers will be reset to C<SIG_DFL> on
2305	C<execve>), this matters for the signal mask: many programs do not expect	2316	C<execve>), this matters for the signal mask: many programs do not expect
2306	certain signals to be blocked.	2317	certain signals to be blocked.
…		…
2319	I<has> to modify the signal mask, at least temporarily.	2330	I<has> to modify the signal mask, at least temporarily.
2320		2331
2321	So I can't stress this enough: I<If you do not reset your signal mask when	2332	So I can't stress this enough: I<If you do not reset your signal mask when
2322	you expect it to be empty, you have a race condition in your code>. This	2333	you expect it to be empty, you have a race condition in your code>. This
2323	is not a libev-specific thing, this is true for most event libraries.	2334	is not a libev-specific thing, this is true for most event libraries.
		2335
		2336	=head3 The special problem of threads signal handling
		2337
		2338	POSIX threads has problematic signal handling semantics, specifically,
		2339	a lot of functionality (sigfd, sigwait etc.) only really works if all
		2340	threads in a process block signals, which is hard to achieve.
		2341
		2342	When you want to use sigwait (or mix libev signal handling with your own
		2343	for the same signals), you can tackle this problem by globally blocking
		2344	all signals before creating any threads (or creating them with a fully set
		2345	sigprocmask) and also specifying the C<EVFLAG_NOSIGMASK> when creating
		2346	loops. Then designate one thread as "signal receiver thread" which handles
		2347	these signals. You can pass on any signals that libev might be interested
		2348	in by calling C<ev_feed_signal>.
2324		2349
2325	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	2350	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
2326		2351
2327	=over 4	2352	=over 4
2328		2353
…		…
3163	atexit (program_exits);	3188	atexit (program_exits);
3164		3189
3165		3190
3166	=head2 C<ev_async> - how to wake up an event loop	3191	=head2 C<ev_async> - how to wake up an event loop
3167		3192
3168	In general, you cannot use an C<ev_run> from multiple threads or other	3193	In general, you cannot use an C<ev_loop> from multiple threads or other
3169	asynchronous sources such as signal handlers (as opposed to multiple event	3194	asynchronous sources such as signal handlers (as opposed to multiple event
3170	loops - those are of course safe to use in different threads).	3195	loops - those are of course safe to use in different threads).
3171		3196
3172	Sometimes, however, you need to wake up an event loop you do not control,	3197	Sometimes, however, you need to wake up an event loop you do not control,
3173	for example because it belongs to another thread. This is what C<ev_async>	3198	for example because it belongs to another thread. This is what C<ev_async>
…		…
3175	it by calling C<ev_async_send>, which is thread- and signal safe.	3200	it by calling C<ev_async_send>, which is thread- and signal safe.
3176		3201
3177	This functionality is very similar to C<ev_signal> watchers, as signals,	3202	This functionality is very similar to C<ev_signal> watchers, as signals,
3178	too, are asynchronous in nature, and signals, too, will be compressed	3203	too, are asynchronous in nature, and signals, too, will be compressed
3179	(i.e. the number of callback invocations may be less than the number of	3204	(i.e. the number of callback invocations may be less than the number of
3180	C<ev_async_sent> calls).	3205	C<ev_async_sent> calls). In fact, you could use signal watchers as a kind
		3206	of "global async watchers" by using a watcher on an otherwise unused
		3207	signal, and C<ev_feed_signal> to signal this watcher from another thread,
		3208	even without knowing which loop owns the signal.
3181		3209
3182	Unlike C<ev_signal> watchers, C<ev_async> works with any event loop, not	3210	Unlike C<ev_signal> watchers, C<ev_async> works with any event loop, not
3183	just the default loop.	3211	just the default loop.
3184		3212
3185	=head3 Queueing	3213	=head3 Queueing
…		…
3280	trust me.	3308	trust me.
3281		3309
3282	=item ev_async_send (loop, ev_async *)	3310	=item ev_async_send (loop, ev_async *)
3283		3311
3284	Sends/signals/activates the given C<ev_async> watcher, that is, feeds	3312	Sends/signals/activates the given C<ev_async> watcher, that is, feeds
3285	an C<EV_ASYNC> event on the watcher into the event loop. Unlike	3313	an C<EV_ASYNC> event on the watcher into the event loop, and instantly
		3314	returns.
		3315
3286	C<ev_feed_event>, this call is safe to do from other threads, signal or	3316	Unlike C<ev_feed_event>, this call is safe to do from other threads,
3287	similar contexts (see the discussion of C<EV_ATOMIC_T> in the embedding	3317	signal or similar contexts (see the discussion of C<EV_ATOMIC_T> in the
3288	section below on what exactly this means).	3318	embedding section below on what exactly this means).
3289		3319
3290	Note that, as with other watchers in libev, multiple events might get	3320	Note that, as with other watchers in libev, multiple events might get
3291	compressed into a single callback invocation (another way to look at this	3321	compressed into a single callback invocation (another way to look at this
3292	is that C<ev_async> watchers are level-triggered, set on C<ev_async_send>,	3322	is that C<ev_async> watchers are level-triggered, set on C<ev_async_send>,
3293	reset when the event loop detects that).	3323	reset when the event loop detects that).
…		…
3361	Feed an event on the given fd, as if a file descriptor backend detected	3391	Feed an event on the given fd, as if a file descriptor backend detected
3362	the given events it.	3392	the given events it.
3363		3393
3364	=item ev_feed_signal_event (loop, int signum)	3394	=item ev_feed_signal_event (loop, int signum)
3365		3395
3366	Feed an event as if the given signal occurred (C<loop> must be the default	3396	Feed an event as if the given signal occurred. See also C<ev_feed_signal>,
3367	loop!).	3397	which is async-safe.
3368		3398
3369	=back	3399	=back
3370		3400
3371		3401
3372	=head1 COMMON OR USEFUL IDIOMS (OR BOTH)	3402	=head1 COMMON OR USEFUL IDIOMS (OR BOTH)
3373		3403
3374	This section explains some common idioms that are not immediately	3404	This section explains some common idioms that are not immediately
3375	obvious. Note that examples are sprinkled over the whole manual, and this	3405	obvious. Note that examples are sprinkled over the whole manual, and this
3376	section only contains stuff that wouldn't fit anywhere else.	3406	section only contains stuff that wouldn't fit anywhere else.
3377		3407
3378	=over 4	3408	=head2 ASSOCIATING CUSTOM DATA WITH A WATCHER
3379		3409
3380	=item Model/nested event loop invocations and exit conditions.	3410	Each watcher has, by default, a C<void *data> member that you can read
		3411	or modify at any time: libev will completely ignore it. This can be used
		3412	to associate arbitrary data with your watcher. If you need more data and
		3413	don't want to allocate memory separately and store a pointer to it in that
		3414	data member, you can also "subclass" the watcher type and provide your own
		3415	data:
		3416
		3417	struct my_io
		3418	{
		3419	ev_io io;
		3420	int otherfd;
		3421	void *somedata;
		3422	struct whatever *mostinteresting;
		3423	};
		3424
		3425	...
		3426	struct my_io w;
		3427	ev_io_init (&w.io, my_cb, fd, EV_READ);
		3428
		3429	And since your callback will be called with a pointer to the watcher, you
		3430	can cast it back to your own type:
		3431
		3432	static void my_cb (struct ev_loop loop, ev_io w_, int revents)
		3433	{
		3434	struct my_io w = (struct my_io )w_;
		3435	...
		3436	}
		3437
		3438	More interesting and less C-conformant ways of casting your callback
		3439	function type instead have been omitted.
		3440
		3441	=head2 BUILDING YOUR OWN COMPOSITE WATCHERS
		3442
		3443	Another common scenario is to use some data structure with multiple
		3444	embedded watchers, in effect creating your own watcher that combines
		3445	multiple libev event sources into one "super-watcher":
		3446
		3447	struct my_biggy
		3448	{
		3449	int some_data;
		3450	ev_timer t1;
		3451	ev_timer t2;
		3452	}
		3453
		3454	In this case getting the pointer to C<my_biggy> is a bit more
		3455	complicated: Either you store the address of your C<my_biggy> struct in
		3456	the C<data> member of the watcher (for woozies or C++ coders), or you need
		3457	to use some pointer arithmetic using C<offsetof> inside your watchers (for
		3458	real programmers):
		3459
		3460	#include <stddef.h>
		3461
		3462	static void
		3463	t1_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
		3464	{
		3465	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *)
		3466	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t1));
		3467	}
		3468
		3469	static void
		3470	t2_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
		3471	{
		3472	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *)
		3473	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t2));
		3474	}
		3475
		3476	=head2 MODEL/NESTED EVENT LOOP INVOCATIONS AND EXIT CONDITIONS
3381		3477
3382	Often (especially in GUI toolkits) there are places where you have	3478	Often (especially in GUI toolkits) there are places where you have
3383	I<modal> interaction, which is most easily implemented by recursively	3479	I<modal> interaction, which is most easily implemented by recursively
3384	invoking C<ev_run>.	3480	invoking C<ev_run>.
3385		3481
…		…
3414	exit_main_loop = 1;	3510	exit_main_loop = 1;
3415		3511
3416	// exit both	3512	// exit both
3417	exit_main_loop = exit_nested_loop = 1;	3513	exit_main_loop = exit_nested_loop = 1;
3418		3514
3419	=back	3515	=head2 THREAD LOCKING EXAMPLE
		3516
		3517	Here is a fictitious example of how to run an event loop in a different
		3518	thread from where callbacks are being invoked and watchers are
		3519	created/added/removed.
		3520
		3521	For a real-world example, see the C<EV::Loop::Async> perl module,
		3522	which uses exactly this technique (which is suited for many high-level
		3523	languages).
		3524
		3525	The example uses a pthread mutex to protect the loop data, a condition
		3526	variable to wait for callback invocations, an async watcher to notify the
		3527	event loop thread and an unspecified mechanism to wake up the main thread.
		3528
		3529	First, you need to associate some data with the event loop:
		3530
		3531	typedef struct {
		3532	mutex_t lock; /* global loop lock */
		3533	ev_async async_w;
		3534	thread_t tid;
		3535	cond_t invoke_cv;
		3536	} userdata;
		3537
		3538	void prepare_loop (EV_P)
		3539	{
		3540	// for simplicity, we use a static userdata struct.
		3541	static userdata u;
		3542
		3543	ev_async_init (&u->async_w, async_cb);
		3544	ev_async_start (EV_A_ &u->async_w);
		3545
		3546	pthread_mutex_init (&u->lock, 0);
		3547	pthread_cond_init (&u->invoke_cv, 0);
		3548
		3549	// now associate this with the loop
		3550	ev_set_userdata (EV_A_ u);
		3551	ev_set_invoke_pending_cb (EV_A_ l_invoke);
		3552	ev_set_loop_release_cb (EV_A_ l_release, l_acquire);
		3553
		3554	// then create the thread running ev_run
		3555	pthread_create (&u->tid, 0, l_run, EV_A);
		3556	}
		3557
		3558	The callback for the C<ev_async> watcher does nothing: the watcher is used
		3559	solely to wake up the event loop so it takes notice of any new watchers
		3560	that might have been added:
		3561
		3562	static void
		3563	async_cb (EV_P_ ev_async *w, int revents)
		3564	{
		3565	// just used for the side effects
		3566	}
		3567
		3568	The C<l_release> and C<l_acquire> callbacks simply unlock/lock the mutex
		3569	protecting the loop data, respectively.
		3570
		3571	static void
		3572	l_release (EV_P)
		3573	{
		3574	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		3575	pthread_mutex_unlock (&u->lock);
		3576	}
		3577
		3578	static void
		3579	l_acquire (EV_P)
		3580	{
		3581	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		3582	pthread_mutex_lock (&u->lock);
		3583	}
		3584
		3585	The event loop thread first acquires the mutex, and then jumps straight
		3586	into C<ev_run>:
		3587
		3588	void *
		3589	l_run (void *thr_arg)
		3590	{
		3591	struct ev_loop loop = (struct ev_loop )thr_arg;
		3592
		3593	l_acquire (EV_A);
		3594	pthread_setcanceltype (PTHREAD_CANCEL_ASYNCHRONOUS, 0);
		3595	ev_run (EV_A_ 0);
		3596	l_release (EV_A);
		3597
		3598	return 0;
		3599	}
		3600
		3601	Instead of invoking all pending watchers, the C<l_invoke> callback will
		3602	signal the main thread via some unspecified mechanism (signals? pipe
		3603	writes? C<Async::Interrupt>?) and then waits until all pending watchers
		3604	have been called (in a while loop because a) spurious wakeups are possible
		3605	and b) skipping inter-thread-communication when there are no pending
		3606	watchers is very beneficial):
		3607
		3608	static void
		3609	l_invoke (EV_P)
		3610	{
		3611	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		3612
		3613	while (ev_pending_count (EV_A))
		3614	{
		3615	wake_up_other_thread_in_some_magic_or_not_so_magic_way ();
		3616	pthread_cond_wait (&u->invoke_cv, &u->lock);
		3617	}
		3618	}
		3619
		3620	Now, whenever the main thread gets told to invoke pending watchers, it
		3621	will grab the lock, call C<ev_invoke_pending> and then signal the loop
		3622	thread to continue:
		3623
		3624	static void
		3625	real_invoke_pending (EV_P)
		3626	{
		3627	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		3628
		3629	pthread_mutex_lock (&u->lock);
		3630	ev_invoke_pending (EV_A);
		3631	pthread_cond_signal (&u->invoke_cv);
		3632	pthread_mutex_unlock (&u->lock);
		3633	}
		3634
		3635	Whenever you want to start/stop a watcher or do other modifications to an
		3636	event loop, you will now have to lock:
		3637
		3638	ev_timer timeout_watcher;
		3639	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		3640
		3641	ev_timer_init (&timeout_watcher, timeout_cb, 5.5, 0.);
		3642
		3643	pthread_mutex_lock (&u->lock);
		3644	ev_timer_start (EV_A_ &timeout_watcher);
		3645	ev_async_send (EV_A_ &u->async_w);
		3646	pthread_mutex_unlock (&u->lock);
		3647
		3648	Note that sending the C<ev_async> watcher is required because otherwise
		3649	an event loop currently blocking in the kernel will have no knowledge
		3650	about the newly added timer. By waking up the loop it will pick up any new
		3651	watchers in the next event loop iteration.
		3652
		3653	=head2 THREADS, COROUTINES, CONTINUATIONS, QUEUES... INSTEAD OF CALLBACKS
		3654
		3655	While the overhead of a callback that e.g. schedules a thread is small, it
		3656	is still an overhead. If you embed libev, and your main usage is with some
		3657	kind of threads or coroutines, you might want to customise libev so that
		3658	doesn't need callbacks anymore.
		3659
		3660	Imagine you have coroutines that you can switch to using a function
		3661	C<switch_to (coro)>, that libev runs in a coroutine called C<libev_coro>
		3662	and that due to some magic, the currently active coroutine is stored in a
		3663	global called C<current_coro>. Then you can build your own "wait for libev
		3664	event" primitive by changing C<EV_CB_DECLARE> and C<EV_CB_INVOKE> (note
		3665	the differing C<;> conventions):
		3666
		3667	#define EV_CB_DECLARE(type) struct my_coro *cb;
		3668	#define EV_CB_INVOKE(watcher) switch_to ((watcher)->cb)
		3669
		3670	That means instead of having a C callback function, you store the
		3671	coroutine to switch to in each watcher, and instead of having libev call
		3672	your callback, you instead have it switch to that coroutine.
		3673
		3674	A coroutine might now wait for an event with a function called
		3675	C<wait_for_event>. (the watcher needs to be started, as always, but it doesn't
		3676	matter when, or whether the watcher is active or not when this function is
		3677	called):
		3678
		3679	void
		3680	wait_for_event (ev_watcher *w)
		3681	{
		3682	ev_cb_set (w) = current_coro;
		3683	switch_to (libev_coro);
		3684	}
		3685
		3686	That basically suspends the coroutine inside C<wait_for_event> and
		3687	continues the libev coroutine, which, when appropriate, switches back to
		3688	this or any other coroutine. I am sure if you sue this your own :)
		3689
		3690	You can do similar tricks if you have, say, threads with an event queue -
		3691	instead of storing a coroutine, you store the queue object and instead of
		3692	switching to a coroutine, you push the watcher onto the queue and notify
		3693	any waiters.
		3694
		3695	To embed libev, see L<EMBEDDING>, but in short, it's easiest to create two
		3696	files, F<my_ev.h> and F<my_ev.c> that include the respective libev files:
		3697
		3698	// my_ev.h
		3699	#define EV_CB_DECLARE(type) struct my_coro *cb;
		3700	#define EV_CB_INVOKE(watcher) switch_to ((watcher)->cb);
		3701	#include "../libev/ev.h"
		3702
		3703	// my_ev.c
		3704	#define EV_H "my_ev.h"
		3705	#include "../libev/ev.c"
		3706
		3707	And then use F<my_ev.h> when you would normally use F<ev.h>, and compile
		3708	F<my_ev.c> into your project. When properly specifying include paths, you
		3709	can even use F<ev.h> as header file name directly.
3420		3710
3421		3711
3422	=head1 LIBEVENT EMULATION	3712	=head1 LIBEVENT EMULATION
3423		3713
3424	Libev offers a compatibility emulation layer for libevent. It cannot	3714	Libev offers a compatibility emulation layer for libevent. It cannot
…		…
3427	=over 4	3717	=over 4
3428		3718
3429	=item * Only the libevent-1.4.1-beta API is being emulated.	3719	=item * Only the libevent-1.4.1-beta API is being emulated.
3430		3720
3431	This was the newest libevent version available when libev was implemented,	3721	This was the newest libevent version available when libev was implemented,
3432	and is still mostly uncanged in 2010.	3722	and is still mostly unchanged in 2010.
3433		3723
3434	=item * Use it by including <event.h>, as usual.	3724	=item * Use it by including <event.h>, as usual.
3435		3725
3436	=item * The following members are fully supported: ev_base, ev_callback,	3726	=item * The following members are fully supported: ev_base, ev_callback,
3437	ev_arg, ev_fd, ev_res, ev_events.	3727	ev_arg, ev_fd, ev_res, ev_events.
…		…
4354	And a F<ev_cpp.C> implementation file that contains libev proper and is compiled:	4644	And a F<ev_cpp.C> implementation file that contains libev proper and is compiled:
4355		4645
4356	#include "ev_cpp.h"	4646	#include "ev_cpp.h"
4357	#include "ev.c"	4647	#include "ev.c"
4358		4648
4359	=head1 INTERACTION WITH OTHER PROGRAMS OR LIBRARIES	4649	=head1 INTERACTION WITH OTHER PROGRAMS, LIBRARIES OR THE ENVIRONMENT
4360		4650
4361	=head2 THREADS AND COROUTINES	4651	=head2 THREADS AND COROUTINES
4362		4652
4363	=head3 THREADS	4653	=head3 THREADS
4364		4654
…		…
4415	default loop and triggering an C<ev_async> watcher from the default loop	4705	default loop and triggering an C<ev_async> watcher from the default loop
4416	watcher callback into the event loop interested in the signal.	4706	watcher callback into the event loop interested in the signal.
4417		4707
4418	=back	4708	=back
4419		4709
4420	=head4 THREAD LOCKING EXAMPLE	4710	See also L<THREAD LOCKING EXAMPLE>.
4421
4422	Here is a fictitious example of how to run an event loop in a different
4423	thread than where callbacks are being invoked and watchers are
4424	created/added/removed.
4425
4426	For a real-world example, see the C<EV::Loop::Async> perl module,
4427	which uses exactly this technique (which is suited for many high-level
4428	languages).
4429
4430	The example uses a pthread mutex to protect the loop data, a condition
4431	variable to wait for callback invocations, an async watcher to notify the
4432	event loop thread and an unspecified mechanism to wake up the main thread.
4433
4434	First, you need to associate some data with the event loop:
4435
4436	typedef struct {
4437	mutex_t lock; /* global loop lock */
4438	ev_async async_w;
4439	thread_t tid;
4440	cond_t invoke_cv;
4441	} userdata;
4442
4443	void prepare_loop (EV_P)
4444	{
4445	// for simplicity, we use a static userdata struct.
4446	static userdata u;
4447
4448	ev_async_init (&u->async_w, async_cb);
4449	ev_async_start (EV_A_ &u->async_w);
4450
4451	pthread_mutex_init (&u->lock, 0);
4452	pthread_cond_init (&u->invoke_cv, 0);
4453
4454	// now associate this with the loop
4455	ev_set_userdata (EV_A_ u);
4456	ev_set_invoke_pending_cb (EV_A_ l_invoke);
4457	ev_set_loop_release_cb (EV_A_ l_release, l_acquire);
4458
4459	// then create the thread running ev_loop
4460	pthread_create (&u->tid, 0, l_run, EV_A);
4461	}
4462
4463	The callback for the C<ev_async> watcher does nothing: the watcher is used
4464	solely to wake up the event loop so it takes notice of any new watchers
4465	that might have been added:
4466
4467	static void
4468	async_cb (EV_P_ ev_async *w, int revents)
4469	{
4470	// just used for the side effects
4471	}
4472
4473	The C<l_release> and C<l_acquire> callbacks simply unlock/lock the mutex
4474	protecting the loop data, respectively.
4475
4476	static void
4477	l_release (EV_P)
4478	{
4479	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
4480	pthread_mutex_unlock (&u->lock);
4481	}
4482
4483	static void
4484	l_acquire (EV_P)
4485	{
4486	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
4487	pthread_mutex_lock (&u->lock);
4488	}
4489
4490	The event loop thread first acquires the mutex, and then jumps straight
4491	into C<ev_run>:
4492
4493	void *
4494	l_run (void *thr_arg)
4495	{
4496	struct ev_loop loop = (struct ev_loop )thr_arg;
4497
4498	l_acquire (EV_A);
4499	pthread_setcanceltype (PTHREAD_CANCEL_ASYNCHRONOUS, 0);
4500	ev_run (EV_A_ 0);
4501	l_release (EV_A);
4502
4503	return 0;
4504	}
4505
4506	Instead of invoking all pending watchers, the C<l_invoke> callback will
4507	signal the main thread via some unspecified mechanism (signals? pipe
4508	writes? C<Async::Interrupt>?) and then waits until all pending watchers
4509	have been called (in a while loop because a) spurious wakeups are possible
4510	and b) skipping inter-thread-communication when there are no pending
4511	watchers is very beneficial):
4512
4513	static void
4514	l_invoke (EV_P)
4515	{
4516	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
4517
4518	while (ev_pending_count (EV_A))
4519	{
4520	wake_up_other_thread_in_some_magic_or_not_so_magic_way ();
4521	pthread_cond_wait (&u->invoke_cv, &u->lock);
4522	}
4523	}
4524
4525	Now, whenever the main thread gets told to invoke pending watchers, it
4526	will grab the lock, call C<ev_invoke_pending> and then signal the loop
4527	thread to continue:
4528
4529	static void
4530	real_invoke_pending (EV_P)
4531	{
4532	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
4533
4534	pthread_mutex_lock (&u->lock);
4535	ev_invoke_pending (EV_A);
4536	pthread_cond_signal (&u->invoke_cv);
4537	pthread_mutex_unlock (&u->lock);
4538	}
4539
4540	Whenever you want to start/stop a watcher or do other modifications to an
4541	event loop, you will now have to lock:
4542
4543	ev_timer timeout_watcher;
4544	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
4545
4546	ev_timer_init (&timeout_watcher, timeout_cb, 5.5, 0.);
4547
4548	pthread_mutex_lock (&u->lock);
4549	ev_timer_start (EV_A_ &timeout_watcher);
4550	ev_async_send (EV_A_ &u->async_w);
4551	pthread_mutex_unlock (&u->lock);
4552
4553	Note that sending the C<ev_async> watcher is required because otherwise
4554	an event loop currently blocking in the kernel will have no knowledge
4555	about the newly added timer. By waking up the loop it will pick up any new
4556	watchers in the next event loop iteration.
4557		4711
4558	=head3 COROUTINES	4712	=head3 COROUTINES
4559		4713
4560	Libev is very accommodating to coroutines ("cooperative threads"):	4714	Libev is very accommodating to coroutines ("cooperative threads"):
4561	libev fully supports nesting calls to its functions from different	4715	libev fully supports nesting calls to its functions from different
…		…
5070	The physical time that is observed. It is apparently strictly monotonic :)	5224	The physical time that is observed. It is apparently strictly monotonic :)
5071		5225
5072	=item wall-clock time	5226	=item wall-clock time
5073		5227
5074	The time and date as shown on clocks. Unlike real time, it can actually	5228	The time and date as shown on clocks. Unlike real time, it can actually
5075	be wrong and jump forwards and backwards, e.g. when the you adjust your	5229	be wrong and jump forwards and backwards, e.g. when you adjust your
5076	clock.	5230	clock.
5077		5231
5078	=item watcher	5232	=item watcher
5079		5233
5080	A data structure that describes interest in certain events. Watchers need	5234	A data structure that describes interest in certain events. Watchers need
…		…
5083	=back	5237	=back
5084		5238
5085	=head1 AUTHOR	5239	=head1 AUTHOR
5086		5240
5087	Marc Lehmann <libev@schmorp.de>, with repeated corrections by Mikael	5241	Marc Lehmann <libev@schmorp.de>, with repeated corrections by Mikael
5088	Magnusson and Emanuele Giaquinta.	5242	Magnusson and Emanuele Giaquinta, and minor corrections by many others.
5089		5243

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Comparing libev/ev.pod (file contents): Revision 1.346 by root, Wed Nov 10 14:50:54 2010 UTC vs. Revision 1.366 by sf-exg, Thu Feb 3 16:21:08 2011 UTC

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Comparing libev/ev.pod (file contents):
Revision 1.346 by root, Wed Nov 10 14:50:54 2010 UTC vs.
Revision 1.366 by sf-exg, Thu Feb 3 16:21:08 2011 UTC