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

Comparing libev/ev.pod (file contents):
Revision 1.352 by root, Mon Jan 10 14:30:15 2011 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
…		…
442		442
443	This behaviour is useful when you want to do your own signal handling, or	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	444	want to handle signals only in specific threads and want to avoid libev
445	unblocking the signals.	445	unblocking the signals.
446		446
		447	It's also required by POSIX in a threaded program, as libev calls
		448	C<sigprocmask>, whose behaviour is officially unspecified.
		449
447	This flag's behaviour will become the default in future versions of libev.	450	This flag's behaviour will become the default in future versions of libev.
448		451
449	=item C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> (value 1, portable select backend)	452	=item C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> (value 1, portable select backend)
450		453
451	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
…		…
506	employing an additional generation counter and comparing that against the	509	employing an additional generation counter and comparing that against the
507	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
508	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
509	perfectly fine with C<select> (files, many character devices...).	512	perfectly fine with C<select> (files, many character devices...).
510		513
511	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.
512		517
513	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
514	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
515	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
516	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
…		…
595	hacks).	600	hacks).
596		601
597	On the negative side, the interface is I<bizarre> - so bizarre that	602	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	603	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	604	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	605	occurred, 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	606	even documented that way) - deadly for edge-triggered interfaces where
602	you absolutely have to know whether an event occured or not because you	607	you absolutely have to know whether an event occurred or not because you
603	have to re-arm the watcher.	608	have to re-arm the watcher.
604		609
605	Fortunately libev seems to be able to work around these idiocies.	610	Fortunately libev seems to be able to work around these idiocies.
606		611
607	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
…		…
863	anymore.	868	anymore.
864		869
865	... queue jobs here, make sure they register event watchers as long	870	... queue jobs here, make sure they register event watchers as long
866	... 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..)
867	ev_run (my_loop, 0);	872	ev_run (my_loop, 0);
868	... jobs done or somebody called unloop. yeah!	873	... jobs done or somebody called break. yeah!
869		874
870	=item ev_break (loop, how)	875	=item ev_break (loop, how)
871		876
872	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
873	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
…		…
1355	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
1356	functions that do not need a watcher.	1361	functions that do not need a watcher.
1357		1362
1358	=back	1363	=back
1359		1364
1360	=head2 ASSOCIATING CUSTOM DATA WITH A WATCHER	1365	See also the L<ASSOCIATING CUSTOM DATA WITH A WATCHER> and L<BUILDING YOUR
1361		1366	OWN COMPOSITE WATCHERS> idioms.
1362	Each watcher has, by default, a member C<void *data> that you can change
1363	and read at any time: libev will completely ignore it. This can be used
1364	to associate arbitrary data with your watcher. If you need more data and
1365	don't want to allocate memory and store a pointer to it in that data
1366	member, you can also "subclass" the watcher type and provide your own
1367	data:
1368
1369	struct my_io
1370	{
1371	ev_io io;
1372	int otherfd;
1373	void *somedata;
1374	struct whatever *mostinteresting;
1375	};
1376
1377	...
1378	struct my_io w;
1379	ev_io_init (&w.io, my_cb, fd, EV_READ);
1380
1381	And since your callback will be called with a pointer to the watcher, you
1382	can cast it back to your own type:
1383
1384	static void my_cb (struct ev_loop loop, ev_io w_, int revents)
1385	{
1386	struct my_io w = (struct my_io )w_;
1387	...
1388	}
1389
1390	More interesting and less C-conformant ways of casting your callback type
1391	instead have been omitted.
1392
1393	Another common scenario is to use some data structure with multiple
1394	embedded watchers:
1395
1396	struct my_biggy
1397	{
1398	int some_data;
1399	ev_timer t1;
1400	ev_timer t2;
1401	}
1402
1403	In this case getting the pointer to C<my_biggy> is a bit more
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):
1408
1409	#include <stddef.h>
1410
1411	static void
1412	t1_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
1413	{
1414	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *)
1415	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t1));
1416	}
1417
1418	static void
1419	t2_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
1420	{
1421	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *)
1422	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t2));
1423	}
1424		1367
1425	=head2 WATCHER STATES	1368	=head2 WATCHER STATES
1426		1369
1427	There are various watcher states mentioned throughout this manual -	1370	There are various watcher states mentioned throughout this manual -
1428	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
…		…
1435		1378
1436	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
1437	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
1438	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.
1439		1382
1440	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
1441	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.
1442		1387
1443	=item started/running/active	1388	=item started/running/active
1444		1389
1445	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
1446	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
…		…
1474	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
1475	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
1476	freeing it is often a good idea.	1421	freeing it is often a good idea.
1477		1422
1478	While stopped (and not pending) the watcher is essentially in the	1423	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	1424	initialised state, that is, it can be reused, moved, modified in any way
1480	you wish.	1425	you wish (but when you trash the memory block, you need to C<ev_TYPE_init>
		1426	it again).
1481		1427
1482	=back	1428	=back
1483		1429
1484	=head2 WATCHER PRIORITY MODELS	1430	=head2 WATCHER PRIORITY MODELS
1485		1431
…		…
1614	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
1615	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
1616	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
1617	required if you know what you are doing).	1563	required if you know what you are doing).
1618		1564
1619	If you cannot use non-blocking mode, then force the use of a
1620	known-to-be-good backend (at the time of this writing, this includes only
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.
1624
1625	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
1626	receive "spurious" readiness notifications, that is your callback might	1566	receive "spurious" readiness notifications, that is, your callback might
1627	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
1628	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
1629	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
1630	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
1631	it is best to always use non-blocking I/O: An extra C<read>(2) returning
1632	C<EAGAIN> is far preferable to a program hanging until some data arrives.	1571	preferable to a program hanging until some data arrives.
1633		1572
1634	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
1635	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
1636	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
1637	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
1638	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
1639	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
1640	indefinitely.	1579	indefinitely.
1641		1580
1642	But really, best use non-blocking mode.	1581	But really, best use non-blocking mode.
1643		1582
…		…
1671		1610
1672	There is no workaround possible except not registering events	1611	There is no workaround possible except not registering events
1673	for potentially C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors, or to resort to	1612	for potentially C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors, or to resort to
1674	C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.	1613	C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
1675		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
1676	=head3 The special problem of fork	1648	=head3 The special problem of fork
1677		1649
1678	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
1679	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
1680	it in the child.	1652	it in the child if you want to continue to use it in the child.
1681		1653
1682	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
1683	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
1684	enable C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>, or resort to C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or	1656	C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
1685	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
1686		1657
1687	=head3 The special problem of SIGPIPE	1658	=head3 The special problem of SIGPIPE
1688		1659
1689	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>:
1690	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
…		…
2335	=head3 The special problem of inheritance over fork/execve/pthread_create	2306	=head3 The special problem of inheritance over fork/execve/pthread_create
2336		2307
2337	Both the signal mask (C<sigprocmask>) and the signal disposition	2308	Both the signal mask (C<sigprocmask>) and the signal disposition
2338	(C<sigaction>) are unspecified after starting a signal watcher (and after	2309	(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,	2310	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.	2311	and might or might not set or restore the installed signal handler (but
		2312	see C<EVFLAG_NOSIGMASK>).
2341		2313
2342	While this does not matter for the signal disposition (libev never	2314	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	2315	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	2316	C<execve>), this matters for the signal mask: many programs do not expect
2345	certain signals to be blocked.	2317	certain signals to be blocked.
…		…
3216	atexit (program_exits);	3188	atexit (program_exits);
3217		3189
3218		3190
3219	=head2 C<ev_async> - how to wake up an event loop	3191	=head2 C<ev_async> - how to wake up an event loop
3220		3192
3221	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
3222	asynchronous sources such as signal handlers (as opposed to multiple event	3194	asynchronous sources such as signal handlers (as opposed to multiple event
3223	loops - those are of course safe to use in different threads).	3195	loops - those are of course safe to use in different threads).
3224		3196
3225	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,
3226	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>
…		…
3336	trust me.	3308	trust me.
3337		3309
3338	=item ev_async_send (loop, ev_async *)	3310	=item ev_async_send (loop, ev_async *)
3339		3311
3340	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
3341	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
3342	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,
3343	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
3344	section below on what exactly this means).	3318	embedding section below on what exactly this means).
3345		3319
3346	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
3347	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
3348	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>,
3349	reset when the event loop detects that).	3323	reset when the event loop detects that).
…		…
3429		3403
3430	This section explains some common idioms that are not immediately	3404	This section explains some common idioms that are not immediately
3431	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
3432	section only contains stuff that wouldn't fit anywhere else.	3406	section only contains stuff that wouldn't fit anywhere else.
3433		3407
3434	=over 4	3408	=head2 ASSOCIATING CUSTOM DATA WITH A WATCHER
3435		3409
3436	=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
3437		3477
3438	Often (especially in GUI toolkits) there are places where you have	3478	Often (especially in GUI toolkits) there are places where you have
3439	I<modal> interaction, which is most easily implemented by recursively	3479	I<modal> interaction, which is most easily implemented by recursively
3440	invoking C<ev_run>.	3480	invoking C<ev_run>.
3441		3481
…		…
3470	exit_main_loop = 1;	3510	exit_main_loop = 1;
3471		3511
3472	// exit both	3512	// exit both
3473	exit_main_loop = exit_nested_loop = 1;	3513	exit_main_loop = exit_nested_loop = 1;
3474		3514
3475	=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.
3476		3710
3477		3711
3478	=head1 LIBEVENT EMULATION	3712	=head1 LIBEVENT EMULATION
3479		3713
3480	Libev offers a compatibility emulation layer for libevent. It cannot	3714	Libev offers a compatibility emulation layer for libevent. It cannot
…		…
4410	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:
4411		4645
4412	#include "ev_cpp.h"	4646	#include "ev_cpp.h"
4413	#include "ev.c"	4647	#include "ev.c"
4414		4648
4415	=head1 INTERACTION WITH OTHER PROGRAMS OR LIBRARIES	4649	=head1 INTERACTION WITH OTHER PROGRAMS, LIBRARIES OR THE ENVIRONMENT
4416		4650
4417	=head2 THREADS AND COROUTINES	4651	=head2 THREADS AND COROUTINES
4418		4652
4419	=head3 THREADS	4653	=head3 THREADS
4420		4654
…		…
4471	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
4472	watcher callback into the event loop interested in the signal.	4706	watcher callback into the event loop interested in the signal.
4473		4707
4474	=back	4708	=back
4475		4709
4476	=head4 THREAD LOCKING EXAMPLE	4710	See also L<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		4711
4614	=head3 COROUTINES	4712	=head3 COROUTINES
4615		4713
4616	Libev is very accommodating to coroutines ("cooperative threads"):	4714	Libev is very accommodating to coroutines ("cooperative threads"):
4617	libev fully supports nesting calls to its functions from different	4715	libev fully supports nesting calls to its functions from different
…		…
5126	The physical time that is observed. It is apparently strictly monotonic :)	5224	The physical time that is observed. It is apparently strictly monotonic :)
5127		5225
5128	=item wall-clock time	5226	=item wall-clock time
5129		5227
5130	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
5131	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
5132	clock.	5230	clock.
5133		5231
5134	=item watcher	5232	=item watcher
5135		5233
5136	A data structure that describes interest in certain events. Watchers need	5234	A data structure that describes interest in certain events. Watchers need
…		…
5139	=back	5237	=back
5140		5238
5141	=head1 AUTHOR	5239	=head1 AUTHOR
5142		5240
5143	Marc Lehmann <libev@schmorp.de>, with repeated corrections by Mikael	5241	Marc Lehmann <libev@schmorp.de>, with repeated corrections by Mikael
5144	Magnusson and Emanuele Giaquinta.	5242	Magnusson and Emanuele Giaquinta, and minor corrections by many others.
5145		5243

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Comparing libev/ev.pod (file contents): Revision 1.352 by root, Mon Jan 10 14:30:15 2011 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 1.352 by root, Mon Jan 10 14:30:15 2011 UTC vs.
Revision 1.366 by sf-exg, Thu Feb 3 16:21:08 2011 UTC