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…		…
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	=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM	9	=head2 EXAMPLE PROGRAM
10		10
		11	// a single header file is required
11	#include <ev.h>	12	#include <ev.h>
12		13
		14	#include <stdio.h> // for puts
		15
		16	// every watcher type has its own typedef'd struct
		17	// with the name ev_TYPE
13	ev_io stdin_watcher;	18	ev_io stdin_watcher;
14	ev_timer timeout_watcher;	19	ev_timer timeout_watcher;
15		20
16	/* called when data readable on stdin */	21	// all watcher callbacks have a similar signature
		22	// this callback is called when data is readable on stdin
17	static void	23	static void
18	stdin_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_io *w, int revents)	24	stdin_cb (EV_P_ ev_io *w, int revents)
19	{	25	{
20	/* puts ("stdin ready"); */	26	puts ("stdin ready");
21	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ w); /* just a syntax example */	27	// for one-shot events, one must manually stop the watcher
22	ev_unloop (EV_A_ EVUNLOOP_ALL); /* leave all loop calls */	28	// with its corresponding stop function.
		29	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ w);
		30
		31	// this causes all nested ev_loop's to stop iterating
		32	ev_unloop (EV_A_ EVUNLOOP_ALL);
23	}	33	}
24		34
		35	// another callback, this time for a time-out
25	static void	36	static void
26	timeout_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	37	timeout_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
27	{	38	{
28	/* puts ("timeout"); */	39	puts ("timeout");
29	ev_unloop (EV_A_ EVUNLOOP_ONE); /* leave one loop call */	40	// this causes the innermost ev_loop to stop iterating
		41	ev_unloop (EV_A_ EVUNLOOP_ONE);
30	}	42	}
31		43
32	int	44	int
33	main (void)	45	main (void)
34	{	46	{
		47	// use the default event loop unless you have special needs
35	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_loop (0);	48	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_loop (0);
36		49
37	/* initialise an io watcher, then start it */	50	// initialise an io watcher, then start it
		51	// this one will watch for stdin to become readable
38	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);
39	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_watcher);	53	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_watcher);
40		54
		55	// initialise a timer watcher, then start it
41	/* simple non-repeating 5.5 second timeout */	56	// simple non-repeating 5.5 second timeout
42	ev_timer_init (&timeout_watcher, timeout_cb, 5.5, 0.);	57	ev_timer_init (&timeout_watcher, timeout_cb, 5.5, 0.);
43	ev_timer_start (loop, &timeout_watcher);	58	ev_timer_start (loop, &timeout_watcher);
44		59
45	/* loop till timeout or data ready */	60	// now wait for events to arrive
46	ev_loop (loop, 0);	61	ev_loop (loop, 0);
47		62
		63	// unloop was called, so exit
48	return 0;	64	return 0;
49	}	65	}
50		66
51	=head1 DESCRIPTION	67	=head1 ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT
		68
		69	This document documents the libev software package.
		70
		71	The newest version of this document is also available as an html-formatted
		72	web page you might find easier to navigate when reading it for the first
		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	Familarity with event based programming techniques in general is assumed
		81	throughout this document.
		82
		83	=head1 ABOUT LIBEV
52		84
53	Libev is an event loop: you register interest in certain events (such as a	85	Libev is an event loop: you register interest in certain events (such as a
54	file descriptor being readable or a timeout occuring), and it will manage	86	file descriptor being readable or a timeout occurring), and it will manage
55	these event sources and provide your program with events.	87	these event sources and provide your program with events.
56		88
57	To do this, it must take more or less complete control over your process	89	To do this, it must take more or less complete control over your process
58	(or thread) by executing the I<event loop> handler, and will then	90	(or thread) by executing the I<event loop> handler, and will then
59	communicate events via a callback mechanism.	91	communicate events via a callback mechanism.
…		…
61	You register interest in certain events by registering so-called I<event	93	You register interest in certain events by registering so-called I<event
62	watchers>, which are relatively small C structures you initialise with the	94	watchers>, which are relatively small C structures you initialise with the
63	details of the event, and then hand it over to libev by I<starting> the	95	details of the event, and then hand it over to libev by I<starting> the
64	watcher.	96	watcher.
65		97
66	=head1 FEATURES	98	=head2 FEATURES
67		99
68	Libev supports C<select>, C<poll>, the linux-specific C<epoll>, the	100	Libev supports C<select>, C<poll>, the Linux-specific C<epoll>, the
69	bsd-specific C<kqueue> and the solaris-specific event port mechanisms	101	BSD-specific C<kqueue> and the Solaris-specific event port mechanisms
70	for file descriptor events (C<ev_io>), relative timers (C<ev_timer>),	102	for file descriptor events (C<ev_io>), the Linux C<inotify> interface
71	absolute timers with customised rescheduling (C<ev_periodic>), synchronous	103	(for C<ev_stat>), Linux eventfd/signalfd (for faster and cleaner
72	signals (C<ev_signal>), process status change events (C<ev_child>), and	104	inter-thread wakeup (C<ev_async>)/signal handling (C<ev_signal>)) relative
73	event watchers dealing with the event loop mechanism itself (C<ev_idle>,	105	timers (C<ev_timer>), absolute timers with customised rescheduling
74	C<ev_embed>, C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> watchers) as well as	106	(C<ev_periodic>), synchronous signals (C<ev_signal>), process status
75	file watchers (C<ev_stat>) and even limited support for fork events	107	change events (C<ev_child>), and event watchers dealing with the event
76	(C<ev_fork>).	108	loop mechanism itself (C<ev_idle>, C<ev_embed>, C<ev_prepare> and
		109	C<ev_check> watchers) as well as file watchers (C<ev_stat>) and even
		110	limited support for fork events (C<ev_fork>).
77		111
78	It also is quite fast (see this	112	It also is quite fast (see this
79	L<benchmark|http://libev.schmorp.de/bench.html> comparing it to libevent	113	L<benchmark|http://libev.schmorp.de/bench.html> comparing it to libevent
80	for example).	114	for example).
81		115
82	=head1 CONVENTIONS	116	=head2 CONVENTIONS
83		117
84	Libev is very configurable. In this manual the default configuration will	118	Libev is very configurable. In this manual the default (and most common)
85	be described, which supports multiple event loops. For more info about	119	configuration will be described, which supports multiple event loops. For
86	various configuration options please have a look at B<EMBED> section in	120	more info about various configuration options please have a look at
87	this manual. If libev was configured without support for multiple event	121	B<EMBED> section in this manual. If libev was configured without support
88	loops, then all functions taking an initial argument of name C<loop>	122	for multiple event loops, then all functions taking an initial argument of
89	(which is always of type C<struct ev_loop *>) will not have this argument.	123	name C<loop> (which is always of type C<struct ev_loop *>) will not have
		124	this argument.
90		125
91	=head1 TIME REPRESENTATION	126	=head2 TIME REPRESENTATION
92		127
93	Libev represents time as a single floating point number, representing the	128	Libev represents time as a single floating point number, representing
94	(fractional) number of seconds since the (POSIX) epoch (somewhere near	129	the (fractional) number of seconds since the (POSIX) epoch (somewhere
95	the beginning of 1970, details are complicated, don't ask). This type is	130	near the beginning of 1970, details are complicated, don't ask). This
96	called C<ev_tstamp>, which is what you should use too. It usually aliases	131	type is called C<ev_tstamp>, which is what you should use too. It usually
97	to the C<double> type in C, and when you need to do any calculations on	132	aliases to the C<double> type in C. When you need to do any calculations
98	it, you should treat it as such.	133	on it, you should treat it as some floating point value. Unlike the name
		134	component C<stamp> might indicate, it is also used for time differences
		135	throughout libev.
		136
		137	=head1 ERROR HANDLING
		138
		139	Libev knows three classes of errors: operating system errors, usage errors
		140	and internal errors (bugs).
		141
		142	When libev catches an operating system error it cannot handle (for example
		143	a system call indicating a condition libev cannot fix), it calls the callback
		144	set via C<ev_set_syserr_cb>, which is supposed to fix the problem or
		145	abort. The default is to print a diagnostic message and to call C<abort
		146	()>.
		147
		148	When libev detects a usage error such as a negative timer interval, then
		149	it will print a diagnostic message and abort (via the C<assert> mechanism,
		150	so C<NDEBUG> will disable this checking): these are programming errors in
		151	the libev caller and need to be fixed there.
		152
		153	Libev also has a few internal error-checking C<assert>ions, and also has
		154	extensive consistency checking code. These do not trigger under normal
		155	circumstances, as they indicate either a bug in libev or worse.
		156
99		157
100	=head1 GLOBAL FUNCTIONS	158	=head1 GLOBAL FUNCTIONS
101		159
102	These functions can be called anytime, even before initialising the	160	These functions can be called anytime, even before initialising the
103	library in any way.	161	library in any way.
…		…
108		166
109	Returns the current time as libev would use it. Please note that the	167	Returns the current time as libev would use it. Please note that the
110	C<ev_now> function is usually faster and also often returns the timestamp	168	C<ev_now> function is usually faster and also often returns the timestamp
111	you actually want to know.	169	you actually want to know.
112		170
		171	=item ev_sleep (ev_tstamp interval)
		172
		173	Sleep for the given interval: The current thread will be blocked until
		174	either it is interrupted or the given time interval has passed. Basically
		175	this is a sub-second-resolution C<sleep ()>.
		176
113	=item int ev_version_major ()	177	=item int ev_version_major ()
114		178
115	=item int ev_version_minor ()	179	=item int ev_version_minor ()
116		180
117	You can find out the major and minor version numbers of the library	181	You can find out the major and minor ABI version numbers of the library
118	you linked against by calling the functions C<ev_version_major> and	182	you linked against by calling the functions C<ev_version_major> and
119	C<ev_version_minor>. If you want, you can compare against the global	183	C<ev_version_minor>. If you want, you can compare against the global
120	symbols C<EV_VERSION_MAJOR> and C<EV_VERSION_MINOR>, which specify the	184	symbols C<EV_VERSION_MAJOR> and C<EV_VERSION_MINOR>, which specify the
121	version of the library your program was compiled against.	185	version of the library your program was compiled against.
122		186
		187	These version numbers refer to the ABI version of the library, not the
		188	release version.
		189
123	Usually, it's a good idea to terminate if the major versions mismatch,	190	Usually, it's a good idea to terminate if the major versions mismatch,
124	as this indicates an incompatible change. Minor versions are usually	191	as this indicates an incompatible change. Minor versions are usually
125	compatible to older versions, so a larger minor version alone is usually	192	compatible to older versions, so a larger minor version alone is usually
126	not a problem.	193	not a problem.
127		194
128	Example: Make sure we haven't accidentally been linked against the wrong	195	Example: Make sure we haven't accidentally been linked against the wrong
129	version.	196	version.
130		197
131	assert (("libev version mismatch",	198	assert (("libev version mismatch",
132	ev_version_major () == EV_VERSION_MAJOR	199	ev_version_major () == EV_VERSION_MAJOR
133	&& ev_version_minor () >= EV_VERSION_MINOR));	200	&& ev_version_minor () >= EV_VERSION_MINOR));
134		201
135	=item unsigned int ev_supported_backends ()	202	=item unsigned int ev_supported_backends ()
136		203
137	Return the set of all backends (i.e. their corresponding C<EV_BACKEND_*>	204	Return the set of all backends (i.e. their corresponding C<EV_BACKEND_*>
138	value) compiled into this binary of libev (independent of their	205	value) compiled into this binary of libev (independent of their
…		…
140	a description of the set values.	207	a description of the set values.
141		208
142	Example: make sure we have the epoll method, because yeah this is cool and	209	Example: make sure we have the epoll method, because yeah this is cool and
143	a must have and can we have a torrent of it please!!!11	210	a must have and can we have a torrent of it please!!!11
144		211
145	assert (("sorry, no epoll, no sex",	212	assert (("sorry, no epoll, no sex",
146	ev_supported_backends () & EVBACKEND_EPOLL));	213	ev_supported_backends () & EVBACKEND_EPOLL));
147		214
148	=item unsigned int ev_recommended_backends ()	215	=item unsigned int ev_recommended_backends ()
149		216
150	Return the set of all backends compiled into this binary of libev and also	217	Return the set of all backends compiled into this binary of libev and also
151	recommended for this platform. This set is often smaller than the one	218	recommended for this platform. This set is often smaller than the one
152	returned by C<ev_supported_backends>, as for example kqueue is broken on	219	returned by C<ev_supported_backends>, as for example kqueue is broken on
153	most BSDs and will not be autodetected unless you explicitly request it	220	most BSDs and will not be auto-detected unless you explicitly request it
154	(assuming you know what you are doing). This is the set of backends that	221	(assuming you know what you are doing). This is the set of backends that
155	libev will probe for if you specify no backends explicitly.	222	libev will probe for if you specify no backends explicitly.
156		223
157	=item unsigned int ev_embeddable_backends ()	224	=item unsigned int ev_embeddable_backends ()
158		225
…		…
162	C<ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_supported_backends ()>, likewise for	229	C<ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_supported_backends ()>, likewise for
163	recommended ones.	230	recommended ones.
164		231
165	See the description of C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.	232	See the description of C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.
166		233
167	=item ev_set_allocator (void *(*cb)(void *ptr, size_t size))	234	=item ev_set_allocator (void *(*cb)(void *ptr, long size)) [NOT REENTRANT]
168		235
169	Sets the allocation function to use (the prototype and semantics are	236	Sets the allocation function to use (the prototype is similar - the
170	identical to the realloc C function). It is used to allocate and free	237	semantics are identical to the C<realloc> C89/SuS/POSIX function). It is
171	memory (no surprises here). If it returns zero when memory needs to be	238	used to allocate and free memory (no surprises here). If it returns zero
172	allocated, the library might abort or take some potentially destructive	239	when memory needs to be allocated (C<size != 0>), the library might abort
173	action. The default is your system realloc function.	240	or take some potentially destructive action.
		241
		242	Since some systems (at least OpenBSD and Darwin) fail to implement
		243	correct C<realloc> semantics, libev will use a wrapper around the system
		244	C<realloc> and C<free> functions by default.
174		245
175	You could override this function in high-availability programs to, say,	246	You could override this function in high-availability programs to, say,
176	free some memory if it cannot allocate memory, to use a special allocator,	247	free some memory if it cannot allocate memory, to use a special allocator,
177	or even to sleep a while and retry until some memory is available.	248	or even to sleep a while and retry until some memory is available.
178		249
179	Example: Replace the libev allocator with one that waits a bit and then	250	Example: Replace the libev allocator with one that waits a bit and then
180	retries).	251	retries (example requires a standards-compliant C<realloc>).
181		252
182	static void *	253	static void *
183	persistent_realloc (void *ptr, size_t size)	254	persistent_realloc (void *ptr, size_t size)
184	{	255	{
185	for (;;)	256	for (;;)
…		…
194	}	265	}
195		266
196	...	267	...
197	ev_set_allocator (persistent_realloc);	268	ev_set_allocator (persistent_realloc);
198		269
199	=item ev_set_syserr_cb (void (*cb)(const char *msg));	270	=item ev_set_syserr_cb (void (*cb)(const char *msg)); [NOT REENTRANT]
200		271
201	Set the callback function to call on a retryable syscall error (such	272	Set the callback function to call on a retryable system call error (such
202	as failed select, poll, epoll_wait). The message is a printable string	273	as failed select, poll, epoll_wait). The message is a printable string
203	indicating the system call or subsystem causing the problem. If this	274	indicating the system call or subsystem causing the problem. If this
204	callback is set, then libev will expect it to remedy the sitution, no	275	callback is set, then libev will expect it to remedy the situation, no
205	matter what, when it returns. That is, libev will generally retry the	276	matter what, when it returns. That is, libev will generally retry the
206	requested operation, or, if the condition doesn't go away, do bad stuff	277	requested operation, or, if the condition doesn't go away, do bad stuff
207	(such as abort).	278	(such as abort).
208		279
209	Example: This is basically the same thing that libev does internally, too.	280	Example: This is basically the same thing that libev does internally, too.
…		…
220		291
221	=back	292	=back
222		293
223	=head1 FUNCTIONS CONTROLLING THE EVENT LOOP	294	=head1 FUNCTIONS CONTROLLING THE EVENT LOOP
224		295
225	An event loop is described by a C<struct ev_loop *>. The library knows two	296	An event loop is described by a C<struct ev_loop *> (the C<struct>
226	types of such loops, the I<default> loop, which supports signals and child	297	is I<not> optional in this case, as there is also an C<ev_loop>
227	events, and dynamically created loops which do not.	298	I<function>).
228		299
229	If you use threads, a common model is to run the default event loop	300	The library knows two types of such loops, the I<default> loop, which
230	in your main thread (or in a separate thread) and for each thread you	301	supports signals and child events, and dynamically created loops which do
231	create, you also create another event loop. Libev itself does no locking	302	not.
232	whatsoever, so if you mix calls to the same event loop in different
233	threads, make sure you lock (this is usually a bad idea, though, even if
234	done correctly, because it's hideous and inefficient).
235		303
236	=over 4	304	=over 4
237		305
238	=item struct ev_loop *ev_default_loop (unsigned int flags)	306	=item struct ev_loop *ev_default_loop (unsigned int flags)
239		307
…		…
243	flags. If that is troubling you, check C<ev_backend ()> afterwards).	311	flags. If that is troubling you, check C<ev_backend ()> afterwards).
244		312
245	If you don't know what event loop to use, use the one returned from this	313	If you don't know what event loop to use, use the one returned from this
246	function.	314	function.
247		315
		316	Note that this function is I<not> thread-safe, so if you want to use it
		317	from multiple threads, you have to lock (note also that this is unlikely,
		318	as loops cannot be shared easily between threads anyway).
		319
		320	The default loop is the only loop that can handle C<ev_signal> and
		321	C<ev_child> watchers, and to do this, it always registers a handler
		322	for C<SIGCHLD>. If this is a problem for your application you can either
		323	create a dynamic loop with C<ev_loop_new> that doesn't do that, or you
		324	can simply overwrite the C<SIGCHLD> signal handler I<after> calling
		325	C<ev_default_init>.
		326
248	The flags argument can be used to specify special behaviour or specific	327	The flags argument can be used to specify special behaviour or specific
249	backends to use, and is usually specified as C<0> (or C<EVFLAG_AUTO>).	328	backends to use, and is usually specified as C<0> (or C<EVFLAG_AUTO>).
250		329
251	The following flags are supported:	330	The following flags are supported:
252		331
…		…
257	The default flags value. Use this if you have no clue (it's the right	336	The default flags value. Use this if you have no clue (it's the right
258	thing, believe me).	337	thing, believe me).
259		338
260	=item C<EVFLAG_NOENV>	339	=item C<EVFLAG_NOENV>
261		340
262	If this flag bit is ored into the flag value (or the program runs setuid	341	If this flag bit is or'ed into the flag value (or the program runs setuid
263	or setgid) then libev will I<not> look at the environment variable	342	or setgid) then libev will I<not> look at the environment variable
264	C<LIBEV_FLAGS>. Otherwise (the default), this environment variable will	343	C<LIBEV_FLAGS>. Otherwise (the default), this environment variable will
265	override the flags completely if it is found in the environment. This is	344	override the flags completely if it is found in the environment. This is
266	useful to try out specific backends to test their performance, or to work	345	useful to try out specific backends to test their performance, or to work
267	around bugs.	346	around bugs.
268		347
		348	=item C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>
		349
		350	Instead of calling C<ev_default_fork> or C<ev_loop_fork> manually after
		351	a fork, you can also make libev check for a fork in each iteration by
		352	enabling this flag.
		353
		354	This works by calling C<getpid ()> on every iteration of the loop,
		355	and thus this might slow down your event loop if you do a lot of loop
		356	iterations and little real work, but is usually not noticeable (on my
		357	GNU/Linux system for example, C<getpid> is actually a simple 5-insn sequence
		358	without a system call and thus I<very> fast, but my GNU/Linux system also has
		359	C<pthread_atfork> which is even faster).
		360
		361	The big advantage of this flag is that you can forget about fork (and
		362	forget about forgetting to tell libev about forking) when you use this
		363	flag.
		364
		365	This flag setting cannot be overridden or specified in the C<LIBEV_FLAGS>
		366	environment variable.
		367
		368	=item C<EVFLAG_NOINOTIFY>
		369
		370	When this flag is specified, then libev will not attempt to use the
		371	I<inotify> API for it's C<ev_stat> watchers. Apart from debugging and
		372	testing, this flag can be useful to conserve inotify file descriptors, as
		373	otherwise each loop using C<ev_stat> watchers consumes one inotify handle.
		374
		375	=item C<EVFLAG_NOSIGFD>
		376
		377	When this flag is specified, then libev will not attempt to use the
		378	I<signalfd> API for it's C<ev_signal> (and C<ev_child>) watchers. This is
		379	probably only useful to work around any bugs in libev. Consequently, this
		380	flag might go away once the signalfd functionality is considered stable,
		381	so it's useful mostly in environment variables and not in program code.
		382
269	=item C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> (value 1, portable select backend)	383	=item C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> (value 1, portable select backend)
270		384
271	This is your standard select(2) backend. Not I<completely> standard, as	385	This is your standard select(2) backend. Not I<completely> standard, as
272	libev tries to roll its own fd_set with no limits on the number of fds,	386	libev tries to roll its own fd_set with no limits on the number of fds,
273	but if that fails, expect a fairly low limit on the number of fds when	387	but if that fails, expect a fairly low limit on the number of fds when
274	using this backend. It doesn't scale too well (O(highest_fd)), but its usually	388	using this backend. It doesn't scale too well (O(highest_fd)), but its
275	the fastest backend for a low number of fds.	389	usually the fastest backend for a low number of (low-numbered :) fds.
		390
		391	To get good performance out of this backend you need a high amount of
		392	parallelism (most of the file descriptors should be busy). If you are
		393	writing a server, you should C<accept ()> in a loop to accept as many
		394	connections as possible during one iteration. You might also want to have
		395	a look at C<ev_set_io_collect_interval ()> to increase the amount of
		396	readiness notifications you get per iteration.
		397
		398	This backend maps C<EV_READ> to the C<readfds> set and C<EV_WRITE> to the
		399	C<writefds> set (and to work around Microsoft Windows bugs, also onto the
		400	C<exceptfds> set on that platform).
276		401
277	=item C<EVBACKEND_POLL> (value 2, poll backend, available everywhere except on windows)	402	=item C<EVBACKEND_POLL> (value 2, poll backend, available everywhere except on windows)
278		403
279	And this is your standard poll(2) backend. It's more complicated than	404	And this is your standard poll(2) backend. It's more complicated
280	select, but handles sparse fds better and has no artificial limit on the	405	than select, but handles sparse fds better and has no artificial
281	number of fds you can use (except it will slow down considerably with a	406	limit on the number of fds you can use (except it will slow down
282	lot of inactive fds). It scales similarly to select, i.e. O(total_fds).	407	considerably with a lot of inactive fds). It scales similarly to select,
		408	i.e. O(total_fds). See the entry for C<EVBACKEND_SELECT>, above, for
		409	performance tips.
		410
		411	This backend maps C<EV_READ> to C<POLLIN | POLLERR | POLLHUP>, and
		412	C<EV_WRITE> to C<POLLOUT | POLLERR | POLLHUP>.
283		413
284	=item C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL> (value 4, Linux)	414	=item C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL> (value 4, Linux)
285		415
		416	Use the linux-specific epoll(7) interface (for both pre- and post-2.6.9
		417	kernels).
		418
286	For few fds, this backend is a bit little slower than poll and select,	419	For few fds, this backend is a bit little slower than poll and select,
287	but it scales phenomenally better. While poll and select usually scale like	420	but it scales phenomenally better. While poll and select usually scale
288	O(total_fds) where n is the total number of fds (or the highest fd), epoll scales	421	like O(total_fds) where n is the total number of fds (or the highest fd),
289	either O(1) or O(active_fds).	422	epoll scales either O(1) or O(active_fds).
290		423
		424	The epoll mechanism deserves honorable mention as the most misdesigned
		425	of the more advanced event mechanisms: mere annoyances include silently
		426	dropping file descriptors, requiring a system call per change per file
		427	descriptor (and unnecessary guessing of parameters), problems with dup and
		428	so on. The biggest issue is fork races, however - if a program forks then
		429	I<both> parent and child process have to recreate the epoll set, which can
		430	take considerable time (one syscall per file descriptor) and is of course
		431	hard to detect.
		432
		433	Epoll is also notoriously buggy - embedding epoll fds I<should> work, but
		434	of course I<doesn't>, and epoll just loves to report events for totally
		435	I<different> file descriptors (even already closed ones, so one cannot
		436	even remove them from the set) than registered in the set (especially
		437	on SMP systems). Libev tries to counter these spurious notifications by
		438	employing an additional generation counter and comparing that against the
		439	events to filter out spurious ones, recreating the set when required.
		440
291	While stopping and starting an I/O watcher in the same iteration will	441	While stopping, setting and starting an I/O watcher in the same iteration
292	result in some caching, there is still a syscall per such incident	442	will result in some caching, there is still a system call per such
293	(because the fd could point to a different file description now), so its	443	incident (because the same I<file descriptor> could point to a different
294	best to avoid that. Also, dup()ed file descriptors might not work very	444	I<file description> now), so its best to avoid that. Also, C<dup ()>'ed
295	well if you register events for both fds.	445	file descriptors might not work very well if you register events for both
		446	file descriptors.
296		447
297	Please note that epoll sometimes generates spurious notifications, so you	448	Best performance from this backend is achieved by not unregistering all
298	need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid blocking when no data	449	watchers for a file descriptor until it has been closed, if possible,
299	(or space) is available.	450	i.e. keep at least one watcher active per fd at all times. Stopping and
		451	starting a watcher (without re-setting it) also usually doesn't cause
		452	extra overhead. A fork can both result in spurious notifications as well
		453	as in libev having to destroy and recreate the epoll object, which can
		454	take considerable time and thus should be avoided.
		455
		456	All this means that, in practice, C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> can be as fast or
		457	faster than epoll for maybe up to a hundred file descriptors, depending on
		458	the usage. So sad.
		459
		460	While nominally embeddable in other event loops, this feature is broken in
		461	all kernel versions tested so far.
		462
		463	This backend maps C<EV_READ> and C<EV_WRITE> in the same way as
		464	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
300		465
301	=item C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE> (value 8, most BSD clones)	466	=item C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE> (value 8, most BSD clones)
302		467
303	Kqueue deserves special mention, as at the time of this writing, it	468	Kqueue deserves special mention, as at the time of this writing, it
304	was broken on all BSDs except NetBSD (usually it doesn't work with	469	was broken on all BSDs except NetBSD (usually it doesn't work reliably
305	anything but sockets and pipes, except on Darwin, where of course its	470	with anything but sockets and pipes, except on Darwin, where of course
306	completely useless). For this reason its not being "autodetected"	471	it's completely useless). Unlike epoll, however, whose brokenness
		472	is by design, these kqueue bugs can (and eventually will) be fixed
		473	without API changes to existing programs. For this reason it's not being
307	unless you explicitly specify it explicitly in the flags (i.e. using	474	"auto-detected" unless you explicitly specify it in the flags (i.e. using
308	C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>).	475	C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>) or libev was compiled on a known-to-be-good (-enough)
		476	system like NetBSD.
		477
		478	You still can embed kqueue into a normal poll or select backend and use it
		479	only for sockets (after having made sure that sockets work with kqueue on
		480	the target platform). See C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.
309		481
310	It scales in the same way as the epoll backend, but the interface to the	482	It scales in the same way as the epoll backend, but the interface to the
311	kernel is more efficient (which says nothing about its actual speed, of	483	kernel is more efficient (which says nothing about its actual speed, of
312	course). While starting and stopping an I/O watcher does not cause an	484	course). While stopping, setting and starting an I/O watcher does never
313	extra syscall as with epoll, it still adds up to four event changes per	485	cause an extra system call as with C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL>, it still adds up to
314	incident, so its best to avoid that.	486	two event changes per incident. Support for C<fork ()> is very bad (but
		487	sane, unlike epoll) and it drops fds silently in similarly hard-to-detect
		488	cases
		489
		490	This backend usually performs well under most conditions.
		491
		492	While nominally embeddable in other event loops, this doesn't work
		493	everywhere, so you might need to test for this. And since it is broken
		494	almost everywhere, you should only use it when you have a lot of sockets
		495	(for which it usually works), by embedding it into another event loop
		496	(e.g. C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL> (but C<poll> is of course
		497	also broken on OS X)) and, did I mention it, using it only for sockets.
		498
		499	This backend maps C<EV_READ> into an C<EVFILT_READ> kevent with
		500	C<NOTE_EOF>, and C<EV_WRITE> into an C<EVFILT_WRITE> kevent with
		501	C<NOTE_EOF>.
315		502
316	=item C<EVBACKEND_DEVPOLL> (value 16, Solaris 8)	503	=item C<EVBACKEND_DEVPOLL> (value 16, Solaris 8)
317		504
318	This is not implemented yet (and might never be).	505	This is not implemented yet (and might never be, unless you send me an
		506	implementation). According to reports, C</dev/poll> only supports sockets
		507	and is not embeddable, which would limit the usefulness of this backend
		508	immensely.
319		509
320	=item C<EVBACKEND_PORT> (value 32, Solaris 10)	510	=item C<EVBACKEND_PORT> (value 32, Solaris 10)
321		511
322	This uses the Solaris 10 port mechanism. As with everything on Solaris,	512	This uses the Solaris 10 event port mechanism. As with everything on Solaris,
323	it's really slow, but it still scales very well (O(active_fds)).	513	it's really slow, but it still scales very well (O(active_fds)).
324		514
325	Please note that solaris ports can result in a lot of spurious	515	Please note that Solaris event ports can deliver a lot of spurious
326	notifications, so you need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid	516	notifications, so you need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid
327	blocking when no data (or space) is available.	517	blocking when no data (or space) is available.
		518
		519	While this backend scales well, it requires one system call per active
		520	file descriptor per loop iteration. For small and medium numbers of file
		521	descriptors a "slow" C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL> backend
		522	might perform better.
		523
		524	On the positive side, with the exception of the spurious readiness
		525	notifications, this backend actually performed fully to specification
		526	in all tests and is fully embeddable, which is a rare feat among the
		527	OS-specific backends (I vastly prefer correctness over speed hacks).
		528
		529	This backend maps C<EV_READ> and C<EV_WRITE> in the same way as
		530	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
328		531
329	=item C<EVBACKEND_ALL>	532	=item C<EVBACKEND_ALL>
330		533
331	Try all backends (even potentially broken ones that wouldn't be tried	534	Try all backends (even potentially broken ones that wouldn't be tried
332	with C<EVFLAG_AUTO>). Since this is a mask, you can do stuff such as	535	with C<EVFLAG_AUTO>). Since this is a mask, you can do stuff such as
333	C<EVBACKEND_ALL & ~EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>.	536	C<EVBACKEND_ALL & ~EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>.
334		537
		538	It is definitely not recommended to use this flag.
		539
335	=back	540	=back
336		541
337	If one or more of these are ored into the flags value, then only these	542	If one or more of the backend flags are or'ed into the flags value,
338	backends will be tried (in the reverse order as given here). If none are	543	then only these backends will be tried (in the reverse order as listed
339	specified, most compiled-in backend will be tried, usually in reverse	544	here). If none are specified, all backends in C<ev_recommended_backends
340	order of their flag values :)	545	()> will be tried.
341		546
342	The most typical usage is like this:	547	Example: This is the most typical usage.
343		548
344	if (!ev_default_loop (0))	549	if (!ev_default_loop (0))
345	fatal ("could not initialise libev, bad $LIBEV_FLAGS in environment?");	550	fatal ("could not initialise libev, bad $LIBEV_FLAGS in environment?");
346		551
347	Restrict libev to the select and poll backends, and do not allow	552	Example: Restrict libev to the select and poll backends, and do not allow
348	environment settings to be taken into account:	553	environment settings to be taken into account:
349		554
350	ev_default_loop (EVBACKEND_POLL | EVBACKEND_SELECT | EVFLAG_NOENV);	555	ev_default_loop (EVBACKEND_POLL | EVBACKEND_SELECT | EVFLAG_NOENV);
351		556
352	Use whatever libev has to offer, but make sure that kqueue is used if	557	Example: Use whatever libev has to offer, but make sure that kqueue is
353	available (warning, breaks stuff, best use only with your own private	558	used if available (warning, breaks stuff, best use only with your own
354	event loop and only if you know the OS supports your types of fds):	559	private event loop and only if you know the OS supports your types of
		560	fds):
355		561
356	ev_default_loop (ev_recommended_backends () | EVBACKEND_KQUEUE);	562	ev_default_loop (ev_recommended_backends () | EVBACKEND_KQUEUE);
357		563
358	=item struct ev_loop *ev_loop_new (unsigned int flags)	564	=item struct ev_loop *ev_loop_new (unsigned int flags)
359		565
360	Similar to C<ev_default_loop>, but always creates a new event loop that is	566	Similar to C<ev_default_loop>, but always creates a new event loop that is
361	always distinct from the default loop. Unlike the default loop, it cannot	567	always distinct from the default loop. Unlike the default loop, it cannot
362	handle signal and child watchers, and attempts to do so will be greeted by	568	handle signal and child watchers, and attempts to do so will be greeted by
363	undefined behaviour (or a failed assertion if assertions are enabled).	569	undefined behaviour (or a failed assertion if assertions are enabled).
364		570
		571	Note that this function I<is> thread-safe, and the recommended way to use
		572	libev with threads is indeed to create one loop per thread, and using the
		573	default loop in the "main" or "initial" thread.
		574
365	Example: Try to create a event loop that uses epoll and nothing else.	575	Example: Try to create a event loop that uses epoll and nothing else.
366		576
367	struct ev_loop *epoller = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_EPOLL | EVFLAG_NOENV);	577	struct ev_loop *epoller = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_EPOLL | EVFLAG_NOENV);
368	if (!epoller)	578	if (!epoller)
369	fatal ("no epoll found here, maybe it hides under your chair");	579	fatal ("no epoll found here, maybe it hides under your chair");
370		580
371	=item ev_default_destroy ()	581	=item ev_default_destroy ()
372		582
373	Destroys the default loop again (frees all memory and kernel state	583	Destroys the default loop again (frees all memory and kernel state
374	etc.). None of the active event watchers will be stopped in the normal	584	etc.). None of the active event watchers will be stopped in the normal
375	sense, so e.g. C<ev_is_active> might still return true. It is your	585	sense, so e.g. C<ev_is_active> might still return true. It is your
376	responsibility to either stop all watchers cleanly yoursef I<before>	586	responsibility to either stop all watchers cleanly yourself I<before>
377	calling this function, or cope with the fact afterwards (which is usually	587	calling this function, or cope with the fact afterwards (which is usually
378	the easiest thing, youc na just ignore the watchers and/or C<free ()> them	588	the easiest thing, you can just ignore the watchers and/or C<free ()> them
379	for example).	589	for example).
		590
		591	Note that certain global state, such as signal state (and installed signal
		592	handlers), will not be freed by this function, and related watchers (such
		593	as signal and child watchers) would need to be stopped manually.
		594
		595	In general it is not advisable to call this function except in the
		596	rare occasion where you really need to free e.g. the signal handling
		597	pipe fds. If you need dynamically allocated loops it is better to use
		598	C<ev_loop_new> and C<ev_loop_destroy>.
380		599
381	=item ev_loop_destroy (loop)	600	=item ev_loop_destroy (loop)
382		601
383	Like C<ev_default_destroy>, but destroys an event loop created by an	602	Like C<ev_default_destroy>, but destroys an event loop created by an
384	earlier call to C<ev_loop_new>.	603	earlier call to C<ev_loop_new>.
385		604
386	=item ev_default_fork ()	605	=item ev_default_fork ()
387		606
		607	This function sets a flag that causes subsequent C<ev_loop> iterations
388	This function reinitialises the kernel state for backends that have	608	to reinitialise the kernel state for backends that have one. Despite the
389	one. Despite the name, you can call it anytime, but it makes most sense	609	name, you can call it anytime, but it makes most sense after forking, in
390	after forking, in either the parent or child process (or both, but that	610	the child process (or both child and parent, but that again makes little
391	again makes little sense).	611	sense). You I<must> call it in the child before using any of the libev
		612	functions, and it will only take effect at the next C<ev_loop> iteration.
392		613
393	You I<must> call this function in the child process after forking if and	614	On the other hand, you only need to call this function in the child
394	only if you want to use the event library in both processes. If you just	615	process if and only if you want to use the event library in the child. If
395	fork+exec, you don't have to call it.	616	you just fork+exec, you don't have to call it at all.
396		617
397	The function itself is quite fast and it's usually not a problem to call	618	The function itself is quite fast and it's usually not a problem to call
398	it just in case after a fork. To make this easy, the function will fit in	619	it just in case after a fork. To make this easy, the function will fit in
399	quite nicely into a call to C<pthread_atfork>:	620	quite nicely into a call to C<pthread_atfork>:
400		621
401	pthread_atfork (0, 0, ev_default_fork);	622	pthread_atfork (0, 0, ev_default_fork);
402		623
403	At the moment, C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> and C<EVBACKEND_POLL> are safe to use
404	without calling this function, so if you force one of those backends you
405	do not need to care.
406
407	=item ev_loop_fork (loop)	624	=item ev_loop_fork (loop)
408		625
409	Like C<ev_default_fork>, but acts on an event loop created by	626	Like C<ev_default_fork>, but acts on an event loop created by
410	C<ev_loop_new>. Yes, you have to call this on every allocated event loop	627	C<ev_loop_new>. Yes, you have to call this on every allocated event loop
411	after fork, and how you do this is entirely your own problem.	628	after fork that you want to re-use in the child, and how you do this is
		629	entirely your own problem.
		630
		631	=item int ev_is_default_loop (loop)
		632
		633	Returns true when the given loop is, in fact, the default loop, and false
		634	otherwise.
		635
		636	=item unsigned int ev_loop_count (loop)
		637
		638	Returns the count of loop iterations for the loop, which is identical to
		639	the number of times libev did poll for new events. It starts at C<0> and
		640	happily wraps around with enough iterations.
		641
		642	This value can sometimes be useful as a generation counter of sorts (it
		643	"ticks" the number of loop iterations), as it roughly corresponds with
		644	C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> calls.
		645
		646	=item unsigned int ev_loop_depth (loop)
		647
		648	Returns the number of times C<ev_loop> was entered minus the number of
		649	times C<ev_loop> was exited, in other words, the recursion depth.
		650
		651	Outside C<ev_loop>, this number is zero. In a callback, this number is
		652	C<1>, unless C<ev_loop> was invoked recursively (or from another thread),
		653	in which case it is higher.
		654
		655	Leaving C<ev_loop> abnormally (setjmp/longjmp, cancelling the thread
		656	etc.), doesn't count as exit.
412		657
413	=item unsigned int ev_backend (loop)	658	=item unsigned int ev_backend (loop)
414		659
415	Returns one of the C<EVBACKEND_*> flags indicating the event backend in	660	Returns one of the C<EVBACKEND_*> flags indicating the event backend in
416	use.	661	use.
…		…
419		664
420	Returns the current "event loop time", which is the time the event loop	665	Returns the current "event loop time", which is the time the event loop
421	received events and started processing them. This timestamp does not	666	received events and started processing them. This timestamp does not
422	change as long as callbacks are being processed, and this is also the base	667	change as long as callbacks are being processed, and this is also the base
423	time used for relative timers. You can treat it as the timestamp of the	668	time used for relative timers. You can treat it as the timestamp of the
424	event occuring (or more correctly, libev finding out about it).	669	event occurring (or more correctly, libev finding out about it).
		670
		671	=item ev_now_update (loop)
		672
		673	Establishes the current time by querying the kernel, updating the time
		674	returned by C<ev_now ()> in the progress. This is a costly operation and
		675	is usually done automatically within C<ev_loop ()>.
		676
		677	This function is rarely useful, but when some event callback runs for a
		678	very long time without entering the event loop, updating libev's idea of
		679	the current time is a good idea.
		680
		681	See also L<The special problem of time updates> in the C<ev_timer> section.
		682
		683	=item ev_suspend (loop)
		684
		685	=item ev_resume (loop)
		686
		687	These two functions suspend and resume a loop, for use when the loop is
		688	not used for a while and timeouts should not be processed.
		689
		690	A typical use case would be an interactive program such as a game: When
		691	the user presses C<^Z> to suspend the game and resumes it an hour later it
		692	would be best to handle timeouts as if no time had actually passed while
		693	the program was suspended. This can be achieved by calling C<ev_suspend>
		694	in your C<SIGTSTP> handler, sending yourself a C<SIGSTOP> and calling
		695	C<ev_resume> directly afterwards to resume timer processing.
		696
		697	Effectively, all C<ev_timer> watchers will be delayed by the time spend
		698	between C<ev_suspend> and C<ev_resume>, and all C<ev_periodic> watchers
		699	will be rescheduled (that is, they will lose any events that would have
		700	occured while suspended).
		701
		702	After calling C<ev_suspend> you B<must not> call I<any> function on the
		703	given loop other than C<ev_resume>, and you B<must not> call C<ev_resume>
		704	without a previous call to C<ev_suspend>.
		705
		706	Calling C<ev_suspend>/C<ev_resume> has the side effect of updating the
		707	event loop time (see C<ev_now_update>).
425		708
426	=item ev_loop (loop, int flags)	709	=item ev_loop (loop, int flags)
427		710
428	Finally, this is it, the event handler. This function usually is called	711	Finally, this is it, the event handler. This function usually is called
429	after you initialised all your watchers and you want to start handling	712	after you have initialised all your watchers and you want to start
430	events.	713	handling events.
431		714
432	If the flags argument is specified as C<0>, it will not return until	715	If the flags argument is specified as C<0>, it will not return until
433	either no event watchers are active anymore or C<ev_unloop> was called.	716	either no event watchers are active anymore or C<ev_unloop> was called.
434		717
435	Please note that an explicit C<ev_unloop> is usually better than	718	Please note that an explicit C<ev_unloop> is usually better than
436	relying on all watchers to be stopped when deciding when a program has	719	relying on all watchers to be stopped when deciding when a program has
437	finished (especially in interactive programs), but having a program that	720	finished (especially in interactive programs), but having a program
438	automatically loops as long as it has to and no longer by virtue of	721	that automatically loops as long as it has to and no longer by virtue
439	relying on its watchers stopping correctly is a thing of beauty.	722	of relying on its watchers stopping correctly, that is truly a thing of
		723	beauty.
440		724
441	A flags value of C<EVLOOP_NONBLOCK> will look for new events, will handle	725	A flags value of C<EVLOOP_NONBLOCK> will look for new events, will handle
442	those events and any outstanding ones, but will not block your process in	726	those events and any already outstanding ones, but will not block your
443	case there are no events and will return after one iteration of the loop.	727	process in case there are no events and will return after one iteration of
		728	the loop.
444		729
445	A flags value of C<EVLOOP_ONESHOT> will look for new events (waiting if	730	A flags value of C<EVLOOP_ONESHOT> will look for new events (waiting if
446	neccessary) and will handle those and any outstanding ones. It will block	731	necessary) and will handle those and any already outstanding ones. It
447	your process until at least one new event arrives, and will return after	732	will block your process until at least one new event arrives (which could
448	one iteration of the loop. This is useful if you are waiting for some	733	be an event internal to libev itself, so there is no guarantee that a
449	external event in conjunction with something not expressible using other	734	user-registered callback will be called), and will return after one
		735	iteration of the loop.
		736
		737	This is useful if you are waiting for some external event in conjunction
		738	with something not expressible using other libev watchers (i.e. "roll your
450	libev watchers. However, a pair of C<ev_prepare>/C<ev_check> watchers is	739	own C<ev_loop>"). However, a pair of C<ev_prepare>/C<ev_check> watchers is
451	usually a better approach for this kind of thing.	740	usually a better approach for this kind of thing.
452		741
453	Here are the gory details of what C<ev_loop> does:	742	Here are the gory details of what C<ev_loop> does:
454		743
455	* If there are no active watchers (reference count is zero), return.	744	- Before the first iteration, call any pending watchers.
456	- Queue prepare watchers and then call all outstanding watchers.	745	* If EVFLAG_FORKCHECK was used, check for a fork.
		746	- If a fork was detected (by any means), queue and call all fork watchers.
		747	- Queue and call all prepare watchers.
457	- If we have been forked, recreate the kernel state.	748	- If we have been forked, detach and recreate the kernel state
		749	as to not disturb the other process.
458	- Update the kernel state with all outstanding changes.	750	- Update the kernel state with all outstanding changes.
459	- Update the "event loop time".	751	- Update the "event loop time" (ev_now ()).
460	- Calculate for how long to block.	752	- Calculate for how long to sleep or block, if at all
		753	(active idle watchers, EVLOOP_NONBLOCK or not having
		754	any active watchers at all will result in not sleeping).
		755	- Sleep if the I/O and timer collect interval say so.
461	- Block the process, waiting for any events.	756	- Block the process, waiting for any events.
462	- Queue all outstanding I/O (fd) events.	757	- Queue all outstanding I/O (fd) events.
463	- Update the "event loop time" and do time jump handling.	758	- Update the "event loop time" (ev_now ()), and do time jump adjustments.
464	- Queue all outstanding timers.	759	- Queue all expired timers.
465	- Queue all outstanding periodics.	760	- Queue all expired periodics.
466	- If no events are pending now, queue all idle watchers.	761	- Unless any events are pending now, queue all idle watchers.
467	- Queue all check watchers.	762	- Queue all check watchers.
468	- Call all queued watchers in reverse order (i.e. check watchers first).	763	- Call all queued watchers in reverse order (i.e. check watchers first).
469	Signals and child watchers are implemented as I/O watchers, and will	764	Signals and child watchers are implemented as I/O watchers, and will
470	be handled here by queueing them when their watcher gets executed.	765	be handled here by queueing them when their watcher gets executed.
471	- If ev_unloop has been called or EVLOOP_ONESHOT or EVLOOP_NONBLOCK	766	- If ev_unloop has been called, or EVLOOP_ONESHOT or EVLOOP_NONBLOCK
472	were used, return, otherwise continue with step *.	767	were used, or there are no active watchers, return, otherwise
		768	continue with step *.
473		769
474	Example: Queue some jobs and then loop until no events are outsanding	770	Example: Queue some jobs and then loop until no events are outstanding
475	anymore.	771	anymore.
476		772
477	... queue jobs here, make sure they register event watchers as long	773	... queue jobs here, make sure they register event watchers as long
478	... as they still have work to do (even an idle watcher will do..)	774	... as they still have work to do (even an idle watcher will do..)
479	ev_loop (my_loop, 0);	775	ev_loop (my_loop, 0);
480	... jobs done. yeah!	776	... jobs done or somebody called unloop. yeah!
481		777
482	=item ev_unloop (loop, how)	778	=item ev_unloop (loop, how)
483		779
484	Can be used to make a call to C<ev_loop> return early (but only after it	780	Can be used to make a call to C<ev_loop> return early (but only after it
485	has processed all outstanding events). The C<how> argument must be either	781	has processed all outstanding events). The C<how> argument must be either
486	C<EVUNLOOP_ONE>, which will make the innermost C<ev_loop> call return, or	782	C<EVUNLOOP_ONE>, which will make the innermost C<ev_loop> call return, or
487	C<EVUNLOOP_ALL>, which will make all nested C<ev_loop> calls return.	783	C<EVUNLOOP_ALL>, which will make all nested C<ev_loop> calls return.
488		784
		785	This "unloop state" will be cleared when entering C<ev_loop> again.
		786
		787	It is safe to call C<ev_unloop> from otuside any C<ev_loop> calls.
		788
489	=item ev_ref (loop)	789	=item ev_ref (loop)
490		790
491	=item ev_unref (loop)	791	=item ev_unref (loop)
492		792
493	Ref/unref can be used to add or remove a reference count on the event	793	Ref/unref can be used to add or remove a reference count on the event
494	loop: Every watcher keeps one reference, and as long as the reference	794	loop: Every watcher keeps one reference, and as long as the reference
495	count is nonzero, C<ev_loop> will not return on its own. If you have	795	count is nonzero, C<ev_loop> will not return on its own.
496	a watcher you never unregister that should not keep C<ev_loop> from	796
497	returning, ev_unref() after starting, and ev_ref() before stopping it. For	797	This is useful when you have a watcher that you never intend to
		798	unregister, but that nevertheless should not keep C<ev_loop> from
		799	returning. In such a case, call C<ev_unref> after starting, and C<ev_ref>
		800	before stopping it.
		801
498	example, libev itself uses this for its internal signal pipe: It is not	802	As an example, libev itself uses this for its internal signal pipe: It
499	visible to the libev user and should not keep C<ev_loop> from exiting if	803	is not visible to the libev user and should not keep C<ev_loop> from
500	no event watchers registered by it are active. It is also an excellent	804	exiting if no event watchers registered by it are active. It is also an
501	way to do this for generic recurring timers or from within third-party	805	excellent way to do this for generic recurring timers or from within
502	libraries. Just remember to I<unref after start> and I<ref before stop>.	806	third-party libraries. Just remember to I<unref after start> and I<ref
		807	before stop> (but only if the watcher wasn't active before, or was active
		808	before, respectively. Note also that libev might stop watchers itself
		809	(e.g. non-repeating timers) in which case you have to C<ev_ref>
		810	in the callback).
503		811
504	Example: Create a signal watcher, but keep it from keeping C<ev_loop>	812	Example: Create a signal watcher, but keep it from keeping C<ev_loop>
505	running when nothing else is active.	813	running when nothing else is active.
506		814
507	struct ev_signal exitsig;	815	ev_signal exitsig;
508	ev_signal_init (&exitsig, sig_cb, SIGINT);	816	ev_signal_init (&exitsig, sig_cb, SIGINT);
509	ev_signal_start (loop, &exitsig);	817	ev_signal_start (loop, &exitsig);
510	evf_unref (loop);	818	evf_unref (loop);
511		819
512	Example: For some weird reason, unregister the above signal handler again.	820	Example: For some weird reason, unregister the above signal handler again.
513		821
514	ev_ref (loop);	822	ev_ref (loop);
515	ev_signal_stop (loop, &exitsig);	823	ev_signal_stop (loop, &exitsig);
		824
		825	=item ev_set_io_collect_interval (loop, ev_tstamp interval)
		826
		827	=item ev_set_timeout_collect_interval (loop, ev_tstamp interval)
		828
		829	These advanced functions influence the time that libev will spend waiting
		830	for events. Both time intervals are by default C<0>, meaning that libev
		831	will try to invoke timer/periodic callbacks and I/O callbacks with minimum
		832	latency.
		833
		834	Setting these to a higher value (the C<interval> I<must> be >= C<0>)
		835	allows libev to delay invocation of I/O and timer/periodic callbacks
		836	to increase efficiency of loop iterations (or to increase power-saving
		837	opportunities).
		838
		839	The idea is that sometimes your program runs just fast enough to handle
		840	one (or very few) event(s) per loop iteration. While this makes the
		841	program responsive, it also wastes a lot of CPU time to poll for new
		842	events, especially with backends like C<select ()> which have a high
		843	overhead for the actual polling but can deliver many events at once.
		844
		845	By setting a higher I<io collect interval> you allow libev to spend more
		846	time collecting I/O events, so you can handle more events per iteration,
		847	at the cost of increasing latency. Timeouts (both C<ev_periodic> and
		848	C<ev_timer>) will be not affected. Setting this to a non-null value will
		849	introduce an additional C<ev_sleep ()> call into most loop iterations. The
		850	sleep time ensures that libev will not poll for I/O events more often then
		851	once per this interval, on average.
		852
		853	Likewise, by setting a higher I<timeout collect interval> you allow libev
		854	to spend more time collecting timeouts, at the expense of increased
		855	latency/jitter/inexactness (the watcher callback will be called
		856	later). C<ev_io> watchers will not be affected. Setting this to a non-null
		857	value will not introduce any overhead in libev.
		858
		859	Many (busy) programs can usually benefit by setting the I/O collect
		860	interval to a value near C<0.1> or so, which is often enough for
		861	interactive servers (of course not for games), likewise for timeouts. It
		862	usually doesn't make much sense to set it to a lower value than C<0.01>,
		863	as this approaches the timing granularity of most systems. Note that if
		864	you do transactions with the outside world and you can't increase the
		865	parallelity, then this setting will limit your transaction rate (if you
		866	need to poll once per transaction and the I/O collect interval is 0.01,
		867	then you can't do more than 100 transations per second).
		868
		869	Setting the I<timeout collect interval> can improve the opportunity for
		870	saving power, as the program will "bundle" timer callback invocations that
		871	are "near" in time together, by delaying some, thus reducing the number of
		872	times the process sleeps and wakes up again. Another useful technique to
		873	reduce iterations/wake-ups is to use C<ev_periodic> watchers and make sure
		874	they fire on, say, one-second boundaries only.
		875
		876	Example: we only need 0.1s timeout granularity, and we wish not to poll
		877	more often than 100 times per second:
		878
		879	ev_set_timeout_collect_interval (EV_DEFAULT_UC_ 0.1);
		880	ev_set_io_collect_interval (EV_DEFAULT_UC_ 0.01);
		881
		882	=item ev_invoke_pending (loop)
		883
		884	This call will simply invoke all pending watchers while resetting their
		885	pending state. Normally, C<ev_loop> does this automatically when required,
		886	but when overriding the invoke callback this call comes handy.
		887
		888	=item int ev_pending_count (loop)
		889
		890	Returns the number of pending watchers - zero indicates that no watchers
		891	are pending.
		892
		893	=item ev_set_invoke_pending_cb (loop, void (*invoke_pending_cb)(EV_P))
		894
		895	This overrides the invoke pending functionality of the loop: Instead of
		896	invoking all pending watchers when there are any, C<ev_loop> will call
		897	this callback instead. This is useful, for example, when you want to
		898	invoke the actual watchers inside another context (another thread etc.).
		899
		900	If you want to reset the callback, use C<ev_invoke_pending> as new
		901	callback.
		902
		903	=item ev_set_loop_release_cb (loop, void (*release)(EV_P), void (*acquire)(EV_P))
		904
		905	Sometimes you want to share the same loop between multiple threads. This
		906	can be done relatively simply by putting mutex_lock/unlock calls around
		907	each call to a libev function.
		908
		909	However, C<ev_loop> can run an indefinite time, so it is not feasible to
		910	wait for it to return. One way around this is to wake up the loop via
		911	C<ev_unloop> and C<av_async_send>, another way is to set these I<release>
		912	and I<acquire> callbacks on the loop.
		913
		914	When set, then C<release> will be called just before the thread is
		915	suspended waiting for new events, and C<acquire> is called just
		916	afterwards.
		917
		918	Ideally, C<release> will just call your mutex_unlock function, and
		919	C<acquire> will just call the mutex_lock function again.
		920
		921	While event loop modifications are allowed between invocations of
		922	C<release> and C<acquire> (that's their only purpose after all), no
		923	modifications done will affect the event loop, i.e. adding watchers will
		924	have no effect on the set of file descriptors being watched, or the time
		925	waited. Use an C<ev_async> watcher to wake up C<ev_loop> when you want it
		926	to take note of any changes you made.
		927
		928	In theory, threads executing C<ev_loop> will be async-cancel safe between
		929	invocations of C<release> and C<acquire>.
		930
		931	See also the locking example in the C<THREADS> section later in this
		932	document.
		933
		934	=item ev_set_userdata (loop, void *data)
		935
		936	=item ev_userdata (loop)
		937
		938	Set and retrieve a single C<void *> associated with a loop. When
		939	C<ev_set_userdata> has never been called, then C<ev_userdata> returns
		940	C<0.>
		941
		942	These two functions can be used to associate arbitrary data with a loop,
		943	and are intended solely for the C<invoke_pending_cb>, C<release> and
		944	C<acquire> callbacks described above, but of course can be (ab-)used for
		945	any other purpose as well.
		946
		947	=item ev_loop_verify (loop)
		948
		949	This function only does something when C<EV_VERIFY> support has been
		950	compiled in, which is the default for non-minimal builds. It tries to go
		951	through all internal structures and checks them for validity. If anything
		952	is found to be inconsistent, it will print an error message to standard
		953	error and call C<abort ()>.
		954
		955	This can be used to catch bugs inside libev itself: under normal
		956	circumstances, this function will never abort as of course libev keeps its
		957	data structures consistent.
516		958
517	=back	959	=back
518		960
519		961
520	=head1 ANATOMY OF A WATCHER	962	=head1 ANATOMY OF A WATCHER
		963
		964	In the following description, uppercase C<TYPE> in names stands for the
		965	watcher type, e.g. C<ev_TYPE_start> can mean C<ev_timer_start> for timer
		966	watchers and C<ev_io_start> for I/O watchers.
521		967
522	A watcher is a structure that you create and register to record your	968	A watcher is a structure that you create and register to record your
523	interest in some event. For instance, if you want to wait for STDIN to	969	interest in some event. For instance, if you want to wait for STDIN to
524	become readable, you would create an C<ev_io> watcher for that:	970	become readable, you would create an C<ev_io> watcher for that:
525		971
526	static void my_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w, int revents)	972	static void my_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w, int revents)
527	{	973	{
528	ev_io_stop (w);	974	ev_io_stop (w);
529	ev_unloop (loop, EVUNLOOP_ALL);	975	ev_unloop (loop, EVUNLOOP_ALL);
530	}	976	}
531		977
532	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_loop (0);	978	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_loop (0);
		979
533	struct ev_io stdin_watcher;	980	ev_io stdin_watcher;
		981
534	ev_init (&stdin_watcher, my_cb);	982	ev_init (&stdin_watcher, my_cb);
535	ev_io_set (&stdin_watcher, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);	983	ev_io_set (&stdin_watcher, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);
536	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_watcher);	984	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_watcher);
		985
537	ev_loop (loop, 0);	986	ev_loop (loop, 0);
538		987
539	As you can see, you are responsible for allocating the memory for your	988	As you can see, you are responsible for allocating the memory for your
540	watcher structures (and it is usually a bad idea to do this on the stack,	989	watcher structures (and it is I<usually> a bad idea to do this on the
541	although this can sometimes be quite valid).	990	stack).
		991
		992	Each watcher has an associated watcher structure (called C<struct ev_TYPE>
		993	or simply C<ev_TYPE>, as typedefs are provided for all watcher structs).
542		994
543	Each watcher structure must be initialised by a call to C<ev_init	995	Each watcher structure must be initialised by a call to C<ev_init
544	(watcher *, callback)>, which expects a callback to be provided. This	996	(watcher *, callback)>, which expects a callback to be provided. This
545	callback gets invoked each time the event occurs (or, in the case of io	997	callback gets invoked each time the event occurs (or, in the case of I/O
546	watchers, each time the event loop detects that the file descriptor given	998	watchers, each time the event loop detects that the file descriptor given
547	is readable and/or writable).	999	is readable and/or writable).
548		1000
549	Each watcher type has its own C<< ev_<type>_set (watcher *, ...) >> macro	1001	Each watcher type further has its own C<< ev_TYPE_set (watcher *, ...) >>
550	with arguments specific to this watcher type. There is also a macro	1002	macro to configure it, with arguments specific to the watcher type. There
551	to combine initialisation and setting in one call: C<< ev_<type>_init	1003	is also a macro to combine initialisation and setting in one call: C<<
552	(watcher *, callback, ...) >>.	1004	ev_TYPE_init (watcher *, callback, ...) >>.
553		1005
554	To make the watcher actually watch out for events, you have to start it	1006	To make the watcher actually watch out for events, you have to start it
555	with a watcher-specific start function (C<< ev_<type>_start (loop, watcher	1007	with a watcher-specific start function (C<< ev_TYPE_start (loop, watcher
556	*) >>), and you can stop watching for events at any time by calling the	1008	*) >>), and you can stop watching for events at any time by calling the
557	corresponding stop function (C<< ev_<type>_stop (loop, watcher *) >>.	1009	corresponding stop function (C<< ev_TYPE_stop (loop, watcher *) >>.
558		1010
559	As long as your watcher is active (has been started but not stopped) you	1011	As long as your watcher is active (has been started but not stopped) you
560	must not touch the values stored in it. Most specifically you must never	1012	must not touch the values stored in it. Most specifically you must never
561	reinitialise it or call its C<set> macro.	1013	reinitialise it or call its C<ev_TYPE_set> macro.
562		1014
563	Each and every callback receives the event loop pointer as first, the	1015	Each and every callback receives the event loop pointer as first, the
564	registered watcher structure as second, and a bitset of received events as	1016	registered watcher structure as second, and a bitset of received events as
565	third argument.	1017	third argument.
566		1018
…		…
620	=item C<EV_FORK>	1072	=item C<EV_FORK>
621		1073
622	The event loop has been resumed in the child process after fork (see	1074	The event loop has been resumed in the child process after fork (see
623	C<ev_fork>).	1075	C<ev_fork>).
624		1076
		1077	=item C<EV_ASYNC>
		1078
		1079	The given async watcher has been asynchronously notified (see C<ev_async>).
		1080
		1081	=item C<EV_CUSTOM>
		1082
		1083	Not ever sent (or otherwise used) by libev itself, but can be freely used
		1084	by libev users to signal watchers (e.g. via C<ev_feed_event>).
		1085
625	=item C<EV_ERROR>	1086	=item C<EV_ERROR>
626		1087
627	An unspecified error has occured, the watcher has been stopped. This might	1088	An unspecified error has occurred, the watcher has been stopped. This might
628	happen because the watcher could not be properly started because libev	1089	happen because the watcher could not be properly started because libev
629	ran out of memory, a file descriptor was found to be closed or any other	1090	ran out of memory, a file descriptor was found to be closed or any other
		1091	problem. Libev considers these application bugs.
		1092
630	problem. You best act on it by reporting the problem and somehow coping	1093	You best act on it by reporting the problem and somehow coping with the
631	with the watcher being stopped.	1094	watcher being stopped. Note that well-written programs should not receive
		1095	an error ever, so when your watcher receives it, this usually indicates a
		1096	bug in your program.
632		1097
633	Libev will usually signal a few "dummy" events together with an error,	1098	Libev will usually signal a few "dummy" events together with an error, for
634	for example it might indicate that a fd is readable or writable, and if	1099	example it might indicate that a fd is readable or writable, and if your
635	your callbacks is well-written it can just attempt the operation and cope	1100	callbacks is well-written it can just attempt the operation and cope with
636	with the error from read() or write(). This will not work in multithreaded	1101	the error from read() or write(). This will not work in multi-threaded
637	programs, though, so beware.	1102	programs, though, as the fd could already be closed and reused for another
		1103	thing, so beware.
638		1104
639	=back	1105	=back
640		1106
641	=head2 GENERIC WATCHER FUNCTIONS	1107	=head2 GENERIC WATCHER FUNCTIONS
642
643	In the following description, C<TYPE> stands for the watcher type,
644	e.g. C<timer> for C<ev_timer> watchers and C<io> for C<ev_io> watchers.
645		1108
646	=over 4	1109	=over 4
647		1110
648	=item C<ev_init> (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback)	1111	=item C<ev_init> (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback)
649		1112
…		…
655	which rolls both calls into one.	1118	which rolls both calls into one.
656		1119
657	You can reinitialise a watcher at any time as long as it has been stopped	1120	You can reinitialise a watcher at any time as long as it has been stopped
658	(or never started) and there are no pending events outstanding.	1121	(or never started) and there are no pending events outstanding.
659		1122
660	The callback is always of type C<void (*)(ev_loop *loop, ev_TYPE *watcher,	1123	The callback is always of type C<void (*)(struct ev_loop *loop, ev_TYPE *watcher,
661	int revents)>.	1124	int revents)>.
662		1125
		1126	Example: Initialise an C<ev_io> watcher in two steps.
		1127
		1128	ev_io w;
		1129	ev_init (&w, my_cb);
		1130	ev_io_set (&w, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);
		1131
663	=item C<ev_TYPE_set> (ev_TYPE *, [args])	1132	=item C<ev_TYPE_set> (ev_TYPE *watcher, [args])
664		1133
665	This macro initialises the type-specific parts of a watcher. You need to	1134	This macro initialises the type-specific parts of a watcher. You need to
666	call C<ev_init> at least once before you call this macro, but you can	1135	call C<ev_init> at least once before you call this macro, but you can
667	call C<ev_TYPE_set> any number of times. You must not, however, call this	1136	call C<ev_TYPE_set> any number of times. You must not, however, call this
668	macro on a watcher that is active (it can be pending, however, which is a	1137	macro on a watcher that is active (it can be pending, however, which is a
669	difference to the C<ev_init> macro).	1138	difference to the C<ev_init> macro).
670		1139
671	Although some watcher types do not have type-specific arguments	1140	Although some watcher types do not have type-specific arguments
672	(e.g. C<ev_prepare>) you still need to call its C<set> macro.	1141	(e.g. C<ev_prepare>) you still need to call its C<set> macro.
673		1142
		1143	See C<ev_init>, above, for an example.
		1144
674	=item C<ev_TYPE_init> (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback, [args])	1145	=item C<ev_TYPE_init> (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback, [args])
675		1146
676	This convinience macro rolls both C<ev_init> and C<ev_TYPE_set> macro	1147	This convenience macro rolls both C<ev_init> and C<ev_TYPE_set> macro
677	calls into a single call. This is the most convinient method to initialise	1148	calls into a single call. This is the most convenient method to initialise
678	a watcher. The same limitations apply, of course.	1149	a watcher. The same limitations apply, of course.
679		1150
		1151	Example: Initialise and set an C<ev_io> watcher in one step.
		1152
		1153	ev_io_init (&w, my_cb, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);
		1154
680	=item C<ev_TYPE_start> (loop *, ev_TYPE *watcher)	1155	=item C<ev_TYPE_start> (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher)
681		1156
682	Starts (activates) the given watcher. Only active watchers will receive	1157	Starts (activates) the given watcher. Only active watchers will receive
683	events. If the watcher is already active nothing will happen.	1158	events. If the watcher is already active nothing will happen.
684		1159
		1160	Example: Start the C<ev_io> watcher that is being abused as example in this
		1161	whole section.
		1162
		1163	ev_io_start (EV_DEFAULT_UC, &w);
		1164
685	=item C<ev_TYPE_stop> (loop *, ev_TYPE *watcher)	1165	=item C<ev_TYPE_stop> (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher)
686		1166
687	Stops the given watcher again (if active) and clears the pending	1167	Stops the given watcher if active, and clears the pending status (whether
		1168	the watcher was active or not).
		1169
688	status. It is possible that stopped watchers are pending (for example,	1170	It is possible that stopped watchers are pending - for example,
689	non-repeating timers are being stopped when they become pending), but	1171	non-repeating timers are being stopped when they become pending - but
690	C<ev_TYPE_stop> ensures that the watcher is neither active nor pending. If	1172	calling C<ev_TYPE_stop> ensures that the watcher is neither active nor
691	you want to free or reuse the memory used by the watcher it is therefore a	1173	pending. If you want to free or reuse the memory used by the watcher it is
692	good idea to always call its C<ev_TYPE_stop> function.	1174	therefore a good idea to always call its C<ev_TYPE_stop> function.
693		1175
694	=item bool ev_is_active (ev_TYPE *watcher)	1176	=item bool ev_is_active (ev_TYPE *watcher)
695		1177
696	Returns a true value iff the watcher is active (i.e. it has been started	1178	Returns a true value iff the watcher is active (i.e. it has been started
697	and not yet been stopped). As long as a watcher is active you must not modify	1179	and not yet been stopped). As long as a watcher is active you must not modify
…		…
700	=item bool ev_is_pending (ev_TYPE *watcher)	1182	=item bool ev_is_pending (ev_TYPE *watcher)
701		1183
702	Returns a true value iff the watcher is pending, (i.e. it has outstanding	1184	Returns a true value iff the watcher is pending, (i.e. it has outstanding
703	events but its callback has not yet been invoked). As long as a watcher	1185	events but its callback has not yet been invoked). As long as a watcher
704	is pending (but not active) you must not call an init function on it (but	1186	is pending (but not active) you must not call an init function on it (but
705	C<ev_TYPE_set> is safe) and you must make sure the watcher is available to	1187	C<ev_TYPE_set> is safe), you must not change its priority, and you must
706	libev (e.g. you cnanot C<free ()> it).	1188	make sure the watcher is available to libev (e.g. you cannot C<free ()>
		1189	it).
707		1190
708	=item callback ev_cb (ev_TYPE *watcher)	1191	=item callback ev_cb (ev_TYPE *watcher)
709		1192
710	Returns the callback currently set on the watcher.	1193	Returns the callback currently set on the watcher.
711		1194
712	=item ev_cb_set (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback)	1195	=item ev_cb_set (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback)
713		1196
714	Change the callback. You can change the callback at virtually any time	1197	Change the callback. You can change the callback at virtually any time
715	(modulo threads).	1198	(modulo threads).
716		1199
		1200	=item ev_set_priority (ev_TYPE *watcher, int priority)
		1201
		1202	=item int ev_priority (ev_TYPE *watcher)
		1203
		1204	Set and query the priority of the watcher. The priority is a small
		1205	integer between C<EV_MAXPRI> (default: C<2>) and C<EV_MINPRI>
		1206	(default: C<-2>). Pending watchers with higher priority will be invoked
		1207	before watchers with lower priority, but priority will not keep watchers
		1208	from being executed (except for C<ev_idle> watchers).
		1209
		1210	If you need to suppress invocation when higher priority events are pending
		1211	you need to look at C<ev_idle> watchers, which provide this functionality.
		1212
		1213	You I<must not> change the priority of a watcher as long as it is active or
		1214	pending.
		1215
		1216	Setting a priority outside the range of C<EV_MINPRI> to C<EV_MAXPRI> is
		1217	fine, as long as you do not mind that the priority value you query might
		1218	or might not have been clamped to the valid range.
		1219
		1220	The default priority used by watchers when no priority has been set is
		1221	always C<0>, which is supposed to not be too high and not be too low :).
		1222
		1223	See L<WATCHER PRIORITY MODELS>, below, for a more thorough treatment of
		1224	priorities.
		1225
		1226	=item ev_invoke (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher, int revents)
		1227
		1228	Invoke the C<watcher> with the given C<loop> and C<revents>. Neither
		1229	C<loop> nor C<revents> need to be valid as long as the watcher callback
		1230	can deal with that fact, as both are simply passed through to the
		1231	callback.
		1232
		1233	=item int ev_clear_pending (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher)
		1234
		1235	If the watcher is pending, this function clears its pending status and
		1236	returns its C<revents> bitset (as if its callback was invoked). If the
		1237	watcher isn't pending it does nothing and returns C<0>.
		1238
		1239	Sometimes it can be useful to "poll" a watcher instead of waiting for its
		1240	callback to be invoked, which can be accomplished with this function.
		1241
		1242	=item ev_feed_event (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher, int revents)
		1243
		1244	Feeds the given event set into the event loop, as if the specified event
		1245	had happened for the specified watcher (which must be a pointer to an
		1246	initialised but not necessarily started event watcher). Obviously you must
		1247	not free the watcher as long as it has pending events.
		1248
		1249	Stopping the watcher, letting libev invoke it, or calling
		1250	C<ev_clear_pending> will clear the pending event, even if the watcher was
		1251	not started in the first place.
		1252
		1253	See also C<ev_feed_fd_event> and C<ev_feed_signal_event> for related
		1254	functions that do not need a watcher.
		1255
717	=back	1256	=back
718		1257
719		1258
720	=head2 ASSOCIATING CUSTOM DATA WITH A WATCHER	1259	=head2 ASSOCIATING CUSTOM DATA WITH A WATCHER
721		1260
722	Each watcher has, by default, a member C<void *data> that you can change	1261	Each watcher has, by default, a member C<void *data> that you can change
723	and read at any time, libev will completely ignore it. This can be used	1262	and read at any time: libev will completely ignore it. This can be used
724	to associate arbitrary data with your watcher. If you need more data and	1263	to associate arbitrary data with your watcher. If you need more data and
725	don't want to allocate memory and store a pointer to it in that data	1264	don't want to allocate memory and store a pointer to it in that data
726	member, you can also "subclass" the watcher type and provide your own	1265	member, you can also "subclass" the watcher type and provide your own
727	data:	1266	data:
728		1267
729	struct my_io	1268	struct my_io
730	{	1269	{
731	struct ev_io io;	1270	ev_io io;
732	int otherfd;	1271	int otherfd;
733	void *somedata;	1272	void *somedata;
734	struct whatever *mostinteresting;	1273	struct whatever *mostinteresting;
735	}	1274	};
		1275
		1276	...
		1277	struct my_io w;
		1278	ev_io_init (&w.io, my_cb, fd, EV_READ);
736		1279
737	And since your callback will be called with a pointer to the watcher, you	1280	And since your callback will be called with a pointer to the watcher, you
738	can cast it back to your own type:	1281	can cast it back to your own type:
739		1282
740	static void my_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w_, int revents)	1283	static void my_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w_, int revents)
741	{	1284	{
742	struct my_io *w = (struct my_io *)w_;	1285	struct my_io *w = (struct my_io *)w_;
743	...	1286	...
744	}	1287	}
745		1288
746	More interesting and less C-conformant ways of casting your callback type	1289	More interesting and less C-conformant ways of casting your callback type
747	instead have been omitted.	1290	instead have been omitted.
748		1291
749	Another common scenario is having some data structure with multiple	1292	Another common scenario is to use some data structure with multiple
750	watchers:	1293	embedded watchers:
751		1294
752	struct my_biggy	1295	struct my_biggy
753	{	1296	{
754	int some_data;	1297	int some_data;
755	ev_timer t1;	1298	ev_timer t1;
756	ev_timer t2;	1299	ev_timer t2;
757	}	1300	}
758		1301
759	In this case getting the pointer to C<my_biggy> is a bit more complicated,	1302	In this case getting the pointer to C<my_biggy> is a bit more
760	you need to use C<offsetof>:	1303	complicated: Either you store the address of your C<my_biggy> struct
		1304	in the C<data> member of the watcher (for woozies), or you need to use
		1305	some pointer arithmetic using C<offsetof> inside your watchers (for real
		1306	programmers):
761		1307
762	#include <stddef.h>	1308	#include <stddef.h>
763		1309
764	static void	1310	static void
765	t1_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	1311	t1_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
766	{	1312	{
767	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *	1313	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *)
768	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t1));	1314	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t1));
769	}	1315	}
770		1316
771	static void	1317	static void
772	t2_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	1318	t2_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
773	{	1319	{
774	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *	1320	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *)
775	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t2));	1321	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t2));
776	}	1322	}
		1323
		1324	=head2 WATCHER PRIORITY MODELS
		1325
		1326	Many event loops support I<watcher priorities>, which are usually small
		1327	integers that influence the ordering of event callback invocation
		1328	between watchers in some way, all else being equal.
		1329
		1330	In libev, Watcher priorities can be set using C<ev_set_priority>. See its
		1331	description for the more technical details such as the actual priority
		1332	range.
		1333
		1334	There are two common ways how these these priorities are being interpreted
		1335	by event loops:
		1336
		1337	In the more common lock-out model, higher priorities "lock out" invocation
		1338	of lower priority watchers, which means as long as higher priority
		1339	watchers receive events, lower priority watchers are not being invoked.
		1340
		1341	The less common only-for-ordering model uses priorities solely to order
		1342	callback invocation within a single event loop iteration: Higher priority
		1343	watchers are invoked before lower priority ones, but they all get invoked
		1344	before polling for new events.
		1345
		1346	Libev uses the second (only-for-ordering) model for all its watchers
		1347	except for idle watchers (which use the lock-out model).
		1348
		1349	The rationale behind this is that implementing the lock-out model for
		1350	watchers is not well supported by most kernel interfaces, and most event
		1351	libraries will just poll for the same events again and again as long as
		1352	their callbacks have not been executed, which is very inefficient in the
		1353	common case of one high-priority watcher locking out a mass of lower
		1354	priority ones.
		1355
		1356	Static (ordering) priorities are most useful when you have two or more
		1357	watchers handling the same resource: a typical usage example is having an
		1358	C<ev_io> watcher to receive data, and an associated C<ev_timer> to handle
		1359	timeouts. Under load, data might be received while the program handles
		1360	other jobs, but since timers normally get invoked first, the timeout
		1361	handler will be executed before checking for data. In that case, giving
		1362	the timer a lower priority than the I/O watcher ensures that I/O will be
		1363	handled first even under adverse conditions (which is usually, but not
		1364	always, what you want).
		1365
		1366	Since idle watchers use the "lock-out" model, meaning that idle watchers
		1367	will only be executed when no same or higher priority watchers have
		1368	received events, they can be used to implement the "lock-out" model when
		1369	required.
		1370
		1371	For example, to emulate how many other event libraries handle priorities,
		1372	you can associate an C<ev_idle> watcher to each such watcher, and in
		1373	the normal watcher callback, you just start the idle watcher. The real
		1374	processing is done in the idle watcher callback. This causes libev to
		1375	continously poll and process kernel event data for the watcher, but when
		1376	the lock-out case is known to be rare (which in turn is rare :), this is
		1377	workable.
		1378
		1379	Usually, however, the lock-out model implemented that way will perform
		1380	miserably under the type of load it was designed to handle. In that case,
		1381	it might be preferable to stop the real watcher before starting the
		1382	idle watcher, so the kernel will not have to process the event in case
		1383	the actual processing will be delayed for considerable time.
		1384
		1385	Here is an example of an I/O watcher that should run at a strictly lower
		1386	priority than the default, and which should only process data when no
		1387	other events are pending:
		1388
		1389	ev_idle idle; // actual processing watcher
		1390	ev_io io; // actual event watcher
		1391
		1392	static void
		1393	io_cb (EV_P_ ev_io *w, int revents)
		1394	{
		1395	// stop the I/O watcher, we received the event, but
		1396	// are not yet ready to handle it.
		1397	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ w);
		1398
		1399	// start the idle watcher to ahndle the actual event.
		1400	// it will not be executed as long as other watchers
		1401	// with the default priority are receiving events.
		1402	ev_idle_start (EV_A_ &idle);
		1403	}
		1404
		1405	static void
		1406	idle_cb (EV_P_ ev_idle *w, int revents)
		1407	{
		1408	// actual processing
		1409	read (STDIN_FILENO, ...);
		1410
		1411	// have to start the I/O watcher again, as
		1412	// we have handled the event
		1413	ev_io_start (EV_P_ &io);
		1414	}
		1415
		1416	// initialisation
		1417	ev_idle_init (&idle, idle_cb);
		1418	ev_io_init (&io, io_cb, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);
		1419	ev_io_start (EV_DEFAULT_ &io);
		1420
		1421	In the "real" world, it might also be beneficial to start a timer, so that
		1422	low-priority connections can not be locked out forever under load. This
		1423	enables your program to keep a lower latency for important connections
		1424	during short periods of high load, while not completely locking out less
		1425	important ones.
777		1426
778		1427
779	=head1 WATCHER TYPES	1428	=head1 WATCHER TYPES
780		1429
781	This section describes each watcher in detail, but will not repeat	1430	This section describes each watcher in detail, but will not repeat
…		…
805	In general you can register as many read and/or write event watchers per	1454	In general you can register as many read and/or write event watchers per
806	fd as you want (as long as you don't confuse yourself). Setting all file	1455	fd as you want (as long as you don't confuse yourself). Setting all file
807	descriptors to non-blocking mode is also usually a good idea (but not	1456	descriptors to non-blocking mode is also usually a good idea (but not
808	required if you know what you are doing).	1457	required if you know what you are doing).
809		1458
810	You have to be careful with dup'ed file descriptors, though. Some backends	1459	If you cannot use non-blocking mode, then force the use of a
811	(the linux epoll backend is a notable example) cannot handle dup'ed file	1460	known-to-be-good backend (at the time of this writing, this includes only
812	descriptors correctly if you register interest in two or more fds pointing	1461	C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> and C<EVBACKEND_POLL>). The same applies to file
813	to the same underlying file/socket/etc. description (that is, they share	1462	descriptors for which non-blocking operation makes no sense (such as
814	the same underlying "file open").	1463	files) - libev doesn't guarentee any specific behaviour in that case.
815
816	If you must do this, then force the use of a known-to-be-good backend
817	(at the time of this writing, this includes only C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> and
818	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>).
819		1464
820	Another thing you have to watch out for is that it is quite easy to	1465	Another thing you have to watch out for is that it is quite easy to
821	receive "spurious" readyness notifications, that is your callback might	1466	receive "spurious" readiness notifications, that is your callback might
822	be called with C<EV_READ> but a subsequent C<read>(2) will actually block	1467	be called with C<EV_READ> but a subsequent C<read>(2) will actually block
823	because there is no data. Not only are some backends known to create a	1468	because there is no data. Not only are some backends known to create a
824	lot of those (for example solaris ports), it is very easy to get into	1469	lot of those (for example Solaris ports), it is very easy to get into
825	this situation even with a relatively standard program structure. Thus	1470	this situation even with a relatively standard program structure. Thus
826	it is best to always use non-blocking I/O: An extra C<read>(2) returning	1471	it is best to always use non-blocking I/O: An extra C<read>(2) returning
827	C<EAGAIN> is far preferable to a program hanging until some data arrives.	1472	C<EAGAIN> is far preferable to a program hanging until some data arrives.
828		1473
829	If you cannot run the fd in non-blocking mode (for example you should not	1474	If you cannot run the fd in non-blocking mode (for example you should
830	play around with an Xlib connection), then you have to seperately re-test	1475	not play around with an Xlib connection), then you have to separately
831	wether a file descriptor is really ready with a known-to-be good interface	1476	re-test whether a file descriptor is really ready with a known-to-be good
832	such as poll (fortunately in our Xlib example, Xlib already does this on	1477	interface such as poll (fortunately in our Xlib example, Xlib already
833	its own, so its quite safe to use).	1478	does this on its own, so its quite safe to use). Some people additionally
		1479	use C<SIGALRM> and an interval timer, just to be sure you won't block
		1480	indefinitely.
		1481
		1482	But really, best use non-blocking mode.
		1483
		1484	=head3 The special problem of disappearing file descriptors
		1485
		1486	Some backends (e.g. kqueue, epoll) need to be told about closing a file
		1487	descriptor (either due to calling C<close> explicitly or any other means,
		1488	such as C<dup2>). The reason is that you register interest in some file
		1489	descriptor, but when it goes away, the operating system will silently drop
		1490	this interest. If another file descriptor with the same number then is
		1491	registered with libev, there is no efficient way to see that this is, in
		1492	fact, a different file descriptor.
		1493
		1494	To avoid having to explicitly tell libev about such cases, libev follows
		1495	the following policy: Each time C<ev_io_set> is being called, libev
		1496	will assume that this is potentially a new file descriptor, otherwise
		1497	it is assumed that the file descriptor stays the same. That means that
		1498	you I<have> to call C<ev_io_set> (or C<ev_io_init>) when you change the
		1499	descriptor even if the file descriptor number itself did not change.
		1500
		1501	This is how one would do it normally anyway, the important point is that
		1502	the libev application should not optimise around libev but should leave
		1503	optimisations to libev.
		1504
		1505	=head3 The special problem of dup'ed file descriptors
		1506
		1507	Some backends (e.g. epoll), cannot register events for file descriptors,
		1508	but only events for the underlying file descriptions. That means when you
		1509	have C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors or weirder constellations, and register
		1510	events for them, only one file descriptor might actually receive events.
		1511
		1512	There is no workaround possible except not registering events
		1513	for potentially C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors, or to resort to
		1514	C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
		1515
		1516	=head3 The special problem of fork
		1517
		1518	Some backends (epoll, kqueue) do not support C<fork ()> at all or exhibit
		1519	useless behaviour. Libev fully supports fork, but needs to be told about
		1520	it in the child.
		1521
		1522	To support fork in your programs, you either have to call
		1523	C<ev_default_fork ()> or C<ev_loop_fork ()> after a fork in the child,
		1524	enable C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>, or resort to C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or
		1525	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
		1526
		1527	=head3 The special problem of SIGPIPE
		1528
		1529	While not really specific to libev, it is easy to forget about C<SIGPIPE>:
		1530	when writing to a pipe whose other end has been closed, your program gets
		1531	sent a SIGPIPE, which, by default, aborts your program. For most programs
		1532	this is sensible behaviour, for daemons, this is usually undesirable.
		1533
		1534	So when you encounter spurious, unexplained daemon exits, make sure you
		1535	ignore SIGPIPE (and maybe make sure you log the exit status of your daemon
		1536	somewhere, as that would have given you a big clue).
		1537
		1538
		1539	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions
834		1540
835	=over 4	1541	=over 4
836		1542
837	=item ev_io_init (ev_io *, callback, int fd, int events)	1543	=item ev_io_init (ev_io *, callback, int fd, int events)
838		1544
839	=item ev_io_set (ev_io *, int fd, int events)	1545	=item ev_io_set (ev_io *, int fd, int events)
840		1546
841	Configures an C<ev_io> watcher. The C<fd> is the file descriptor to	1547	Configures an C<ev_io> watcher. The C<fd> is the file descriptor to
842	rceeive events for and events is either C<EV_READ>, C<EV_WRITE> or	1548	receive events for and C<events> is either C<EV_READ>, C<EV_WRITE> or
843	C<EV_READ | EV_WRITE> to receive the given events.	1549	C<EV_READ | EV_WRITE>, to express the desire to receive the given events.
844		1550
845	=item int fd [read-only]	1551	=item int fd [read-only]
846		1552
847	The file descriptor being watched.	1553	The file descriptor being watched.
848		1554
849	=item int events [read-only]	1555	=item int events [read-only]
850		1556
851	The events being watched.	1557	The events being watched.
852		1558
853	=back	1559	=back
		1560
		1561	=head3 Examples
854		1562
855	Example: Call C<stdin_readable_cb> when STDIN_FILENO has become, well	1563	Example: Call C<stdin_readable_cb> when STDIN_FILENO has become, well
856	readable, but only once. Since it is likely line-buffered, you could	1564	readable, but only once. Since it is likely line-buffered, you could
857	attempt to read a whole line in the callback.	1565	attempt to read a whole line in the callback.
858		1566
859	static void	1567	static void
860	stdin_readable_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w, int revents)	1568	stdin_readable_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w, int revents)
861	{	1569	{
862	ev_io_stop (loop, w);	1570	ev_io_stop (loop, w);
863	.. read from stdin here (or from w->fd) and haqndle any I/O errors	1571	.. read from stdin here (or from w->fd) and handle any I/O errors
864	}	1572	}
865		1573
866	...	1574	...
867	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_init (0);	1575	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_init (0);
868	struct ev_io stdin_readable;	1576	ev_io stdin_readable;
869	ev_io_init (&stdin_readable, stdin_readable_cb, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);	1577	ev_io_init (&stdin_readable, stdin_readable_cb, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);
870	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_readable);	1578	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_readable);
871	ev_loop (loop, 0);	1579	ev_loop (loop, 0);
872		1580
873		1581
874	=head2 C<ev_timer> - relative and optionally repeating timeouts	1582	=head2 C<ev_timer> - relative and optionally repeating timeouts
875		1583
876	Timer watchers are simple relative timers that generate an event after a	1584	Timer watchers are simple relative timers that generate an event after a
877	given time, and optionally repeating in regular intervals after that.	1585	given time, and optionally repeating in regular intervals after that.
878		1586
879	The timers are based on real time, that is, if you register an event that	1587	The timers are based on real time, that is, if you register an event that
880	times out after an hour and you reset your system clock to last years	1588	times out after an hour and you reset your system clock to January last
881	time, it will still time out after (roughly) and hour. "Roughly" because	1589	year, it will still time out after (roughly) one hour. "Roughly" because
882	detecting time jumps is hard, and some inaccuracies are unavoidable (the	1590	detecting time jumps is hard, and some inaccuracies are unavoidable (the
883	monotonic clock option helps a lot here).	1591	monotonic clock option helps a lot here).
		1592
		1593	The callback is guaranteed to be invoked only I<after> its timeout has
		1594	passed (not I<at>, so on systems with very low-resolution clocks this
		1595	might introduce a small delay). If multiple timers become ready during the
		1596	same loop iteration then the ones with earlier time-out values are invoked
		1597	before ones of the same priority with later time-out values (but this is
		1598	no longer true when a callback calls C<ev_loop> recursively).
		1599
		1600	=head3 Be smart about timeouts
		1601
		1602	Many real-world problems involve some kind of timeout, usually for error
		1603	recovery. A typical example is an HTTP request - if the other side hangs,
		1604	you want to raise some error after a while.
		1605
		1606	What follows are some ways to handle this problem, from obvious and
		1607	inefficient to smart and efficient.
		1608
		1609	In the following, a 60 second activity timeout is assumed - a timeout that
		1610	gets reset to 60 seconds each time there is activity (e.g. each time some
		1611	data or other life sign was received).
		1612
		1613	=over 4
		1614
		1615	=item 1. Use a timer and stop, reinitialise and start it on activity.
		1616
		1617	This is the most obvious, but not the most simple way: In the beginning,
		1618	start the watcher:
		1619
		1620	ev_timer_init (timer, callback, 60., 0.);
		1621	ev_timer_start (loop, timer);
		1622
		1623	Then, each time there is some activity, C<ev_timer_stop> it, initialise it
		1624	and start it again:
		1625
		1626	ev_timer_stop (loop, timer);
		1627	ev_timer_set (timer, 60., 0.);
		1628	ev_timer_start (loop, timer);
		1629
		1630	This is relatively simple to implement, but means that each time there is
		1631	some activity, libev will first have to remove the timer from its internal
		1632	data structure and then add it again. Libev tries to be fast, but it's
		1633	still not a constant-time operation.
		1634
		1635	=item 2. Use a timer and re-start it with C<ev_timer_again> inactivity.
		1636
		1637	This is the easiest way, and involves using C<ev_timer_again> instead of
		1638	C<ev_timer_start>.
		1639
		1640	To implement this, configure an C<ev_timer> with a C<repeat> value
		1641	of C<60> and then call C<ev_timer_again> at start and each time you
		1642	successfully read or write some data. If you go into an idle state where
		1643	you do not expect data to travel on the socket, you can C<ev_timer_stop>
		1644	the timer, and C<ev_timer_again> will automatically restart it if need be.
		1645
		1646	That means you can ignore both the C<ev_timer_start> function and the
		1647	C<after> argument to C<ev_timer_set>, and only ever use the C<repeat>
		1648	member and C<ev_timer_again>.
		1649
		1650	At start:
		1651
		1652	ev_init (timer, callback);
		1653	timer->repeat = 60.;
		1654	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
		1655
		1656	Each time there is some activity:
		1657
		1658	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
		1659
		1660	It is even possible to change the time-out on the fly, regardless of
		1661	whether the watcher is active or not:
		1662
		1663	timer->repeat = 30.;
		1664	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
		1665
		1666	This is slightly more efficient then stopping/starting the timer each time
		1667	you want to modify its timeout value, as libev does not have to completely
		1668	remove and re-insert the timer from/into its internal data structure.
		1669
		1670	It is, however, even simpler than the "obvious" way to do it.
		1671
		1672	=item 3. Let the timer time out, but then re-arm it as required.
		1673
		1674	This method is more tricky, but usually most efficient: Most timeouts are
		1675	relatively long compared to the intervals between other activity - in
		1676	our example, within 60 seconds, there are usually many I/O events with
		1677	associated activity resets.
		1678
		1679	In this case, it would be more efficient to leave the C<ev_timer> alone,
		1680	but remember the time of last activity, and check for a real timeout only
		1681	within the callback:
		1682
		1683	ev_tstamp last_activity; // time of last activity
		1684
		1685	static void
		1686	callback (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
		1687	{
		1688	ev_tstamp now = ev_now (EV_A);
		1689	ev_tstamp timeout = last_activity + 60.;
		1690
		1691	// if last_activity + 60. is older than now, we did time out
		1692	if (timeout < now)
		1693	{
		1694	// timeout occured, take action
		1695	}
		1696	else
		1697	{
		1698	// callback was invoked, but there was some activity, re-arm
		1699	// the watcher to fire in last_activity + 60, which is
		1700	// guaranteed to be in the future, so "again" is positive:
		1701	w->repeat = timeout - now;
		1702	ev_timer_again (EV_A_ w);
		1703	}
		1704	}
		1705
		1706	To summarise the callback: first calculate the real timeout (defined
		1707	as "60 seconds after the last activity"), then check if that time has
		1708	been reached, which means something I<did>, in fact, time out. Otherwise
		1709	the callback was invoked too early (C<timeout> is in the future), so
		1710	re-schedule the timer to fire at that future time, to see if maybe we have
		1711	a timeout then.
		1712
		1713	Note how C<ev_timer_again> is used, taking advantage of the
		1714	C<ev_timer_again> optimisation when the timer is already running.
		1715
		1716	This scheme causes more callback invocations (about one every 60 seconds
		1717	minus half the average time between activity), but virtually no calls to
		1718	libev to change the timeout.
		1719
		1720	To start the timer, simply initialise the watcher and set C<last_activity>
		1721	to the current time (meaning we just have some activity :), then call the
		1722	callback, which will "do the right thing" and start the timer:
		1723
		1724	ev_init (timer, callback);
		1725	last_activity = ev_now (loop);
		1726	callback (loop, timer, EV_TIMEOUT);
		1727
		1728	And when there is some activity, simply store the current time in
		1729	C<last_activity>, no libev calls at all:
		1730
		1731	last_actiivty = ev_now (loop);
		1732
		1733	This technique is slightly more complex, but in most cases where the
		1734	time-out is unlikely to be triggered, much more efficient.
		1735
		1736	Changing the timeout is trivial as well (if it isn't hard-coded in the
		1737	callback :) - just change the timeout and invoke the callback, which will
		1738	fix things for you.
		1739
		1740	=item 4. Wee, just use a double-linked list for your timeouts.
		1741
		1742	If there is not one request, but many thousands (millions...), all
		1743	employing some kind of timeout with the same timeout value, then one can
		1744	do even better:
		1745
		1746	When starting the timeout, calculate the timeout value and put the timeout
		1747	at the I<end> of the list.
		1748
		1749	Then use an C<ev_timer> to fire when the timeout at the I<beginning> of
		1750	the list is expected to fire (for example, using the technique #3).
		1751
		1752	When there is some activity, remove the timer from the list, recalculate
		1753	the timeout, append it to the end of the list again, and make sure to
		1754	update the C<ev_timer> if it was taken from the beginning of the list.
		1755
		1756	This way, one can manage an unlimited number of timeouts in O(1) time for
		1757	starting, stopping and updating the timers, at the expense of a major
		1758	complication, and having to use a constant timeout. The constant timeout
		1759	ensures that the list stays sorted.
		1760
		1761	=back
		1762
		1763	So which method the best?
		1764
		1765	Method #2 is a simple no-brain-required solution that is adequate in most
		1766	situations. Method #3 requires a bit more thinking, but handles many cases
		1767	better, and isn't very complicated either. In most case, choosing either
		1768	one is fine, with #3 being better in typical situations.
		1769
		1770	Method #1 is almost always a bad idea, and buys you nothing. Method #4 is
		1771	rather complicated, but extremely efficient, something that really pays
		1772	off after the first million or so of active timers, i.e. it's usually
		1773	overkill :)
		1774
		1775	=head3 The special problem of time updates
		1776
		1777	Establishing the current time is a costly operation (it usually takes at
		1778	least two system calls): EV therefore updates its idea of the current
		1779	time only before and after C<ev_loop> collects new events, which causes a
		1780	growing difference between C<ev_now ()> and C<ev_time ()> when handling
		1781	lots of events in one iteration.
884		1782
885	The relative timeouts are calculated relative to the C<ev_now ()>	1783	The relative timeouts are calculated relative to the C<ev_now ()>
886	time. This is usually the right thing as this timestamp refers to the time	1784	time. This is usually the right thing as this timestamp refers to the time
887	of the event triggering whatever timeout you are modifying/starting. If	1785	of the event triggering whatever timeout you are modifying/starting. If
888	you suspect event processing to be delayed and you I<need> to base the timeout	1786	you suspect event processing to be delayed and you I<need> to base the
889	on the current time, use something like this to adjust for this:	1787	timeout on the current time, use something like this to adjust for this:
890		1788
891	ev_timer_set (&timer, after + ev_now () - ev_time (), 0.);	1789	ev_timer_set (&timer, after + ev_now () - ev_time (), 0.);
892		1790
893	The callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when its timeout has passed,	1791	If the event loop is suspended for a long time, you can also force an
894	but if multiple timers become ready during the same loop iteration then	1792	update of the time returned by C<ev_now ()> by calling C<ev_now_update
895	order of execution is undefined.	1793	()>.
		1794
		1795	=head3 The special problems of suspended animation
		1796
		1797	When you leave the server world it is quite customary to hit machines that
		1798	can suspend/hibernate - what happens to the clocks during such a suspend?
		1799
		1800	Some quick tests made with a Linux 2.6.28 indicate that a suspend freezes
		1801	all processes, while the clocks (C<times>, C<CLOCK_MONOTONIC>) continue
		1802	to run until the system is suspended, but they will not advance while the
		1803	system is suspended. That means, on resume, it will be as if the program
		1804	was frozen for a few seconds, but the suspend time will not be counted
		1805	towards C<ev_timer> when a monotonic clock source is used. The real time
		1806	clock advanced as expected, but if it is used as sole clocksource, then a
		1807	long suspend would be detected as a time jump by libev, and timers would
		1808	be adjusted accordingly.
		1809
		1810	I would not be surprised to see different behaviour in different between
		1811	operating systems, OS versions or even different hardware.
		1812
		1813	The other form of suspend (job control, or sending a SIGSTOP) will see a
		1814	time jump in the monotonic clocks and the realtime clock. If the program
		1815	is suspended for a very long time, and monotonic clock sources are in use,
		1816	then you can expect C<ev_timer>s to expire as the full suspension time
		1817	will be counted towards the timers. When no monotonic clock source is in
		1818	use, then libev will again assume a timejump and adjust accordingly.
		1819
		1820	It might be beneficial for this latter case to call C<ev_suspend>
		1821	and C<ev_resume> in code that handles C<SIGTSTP>, to at least get
		1822	deterministic behaviour in this case (you can do nothing against
		1823	C<SIGSTOP>).
		1824
		1825	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
896		1826
897	=over 4	1827	=over 4
898		1828
899	=item ev_timer_init (ev_timer *, callback, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)	1829	=item ev_timer_init (ev_timer *, callback, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)
900		1830
901	=item ev_timer_set (ev_timer *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)	1831	=item ev_timer_set (ev_timer *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)
902		1832
903	Configure the timer to trigger after C<after> seconds. If C<repeat> is	1833	Configure the timer to trigger after C<after> seconds. If C<repeat>
904	C<0.>, then it will automatically be stopped. If it is positive, then the	1834	is C<0.>, then it will automatically be stopped once the timeout is
905	timer will automatically be configured to trigger again C<repeat> seconds	1835	reached. If it is positive, then the timer will automatically be
906	later, again, and again, until stopped manually.	1836	configured to trigger again C<repeat> seconds later, again, and again,
		1837	until stopped manually.
907		1838
908	The timer itself will do a best-effort at avoiding drift, that is, if you	1839	The timer itself will do a best-effort at avoiding drift, that is, if
909	configure a timer to trigger every 10 seconds, then it will trigger at	1840	you configure a timer to trigger every 10 seconds, then it will normally
910	exactly 10 second intervals. If, however, your program cannot keep up with	1841	trigger at exactly 10 second intervals. If, however, your program cannot
911	the timer (because it takes longer than those 10 seconds to do stuff) the	1842	keep up with the timer (because it takes longer than those 10 seconds to
912	timer will not fire more than once per event loop iteration.	1843	do stuff) the timer will not fire more than once per event loop iteration.
913		1844
914	=item ev_timer_again (loop)	1845	=item ev_timer_again (loop, ev_timer *)
915		1846
916	This will act as if the timer timed out and restart it again if it is	1847	This will act as if the timer timed out and restart it again if it is
917	repeating. The exact semantics are:	1848	repeating. The exact semantics are:
918		1849
		1850	If the timer is pending, its pending status is cleared.
		1851
919	If the timer is started but nonrepeating, stop it.	1852	If the timer is started but non-repeating, stop it (as if it timed out).
920		1853
921	If the timer is repeating, either start it if necessary (with the repeat	1854	If the timer is repeating, either start it if necessary (with the
922	value), or reset the running timer to the repeat value.	1855	C<repeat> value), or reset the running timer to the C<repeat> value.
923		1856
924	This sounds a bit complicated, but here is a useful and typical	1857	This sounds a bit complicated, see L<Be smart about timeouts>, above, for a
925	example: Imagine you have a tcp connection and you want a so-called	1858	usage example.
926	idle timeout, that is, you want to be called when there have been,
927	say, 60 seconds of inactivity on the socket. The easiest way to do
928	this is to configure an C<ev_timer> with C<after>=C<repeat>=C<60> and calling
929	C<ev_timer_again> each time you successfully read or write some data. If
930	you go into an idle state where you do not expect data to travel on the
931	socket, you can stop the timer, and again will automatically restart it if
932	need be.
933		1859
934	You can also ignore the C<after> value and C<ev_timer_start> altogether	1860	=item ev_tstamp ev_timer_remaining (loop, ev_timer *)
935	and only ever use the C<repeat> value:
936		1861
937	ev_timer_init (timer, callback, 0., 5.);	1862	Returns the remaining time until a timer fires. If the timer is active,
938	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);	1863	then this time is relative to the current event loop time, otherwise it's
939	...	1864	the timeout value currently configured.
940	timer->again = 17.;
941	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
942	...
943	timer->again = 10.;
944	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
945		1865
946	This is more efficient then stopping/starting the timer eahc time you want	1866	That is, after an C<ev_timer_set (w, 5, 7)>, C<ev_timer_remaining> returns
947	to modify its timeout value.	1867	C<5>. When the timer is started and one second passes, C<ev_timer_remain>
		1868	will return C<4>. When the timer expires and is restarted, it will return
		1869	roughly C<7> (likely slightly less as callback invocation takes some time,
		1870	too), and so on.
948		1871
949	=item ev_tstamp repeat [read-write]	1872	=item ev_tstamp repeat [read-write]
950		1873
951	The current C<repeat> value. Will be used each time the watcher times out	1874	The current C<repeat> value. Will be used each time the watcher times out
952	or C<ev_timer_again> is called and determines the next timeout (if any),	1875	or C<ev_timer_again> is called, and determines the next timeout (if any),
953	which is also when any modifications are taken into account.	1876	which is also when any modifications are taken into account.
954		1877
955	=back	1878	=back
956		1879
		1880	=head3 Examples
		1881
957	Example: Create a timer that fires after 60 seconds.	1882	Example: Create a timer that fires after 60 seconds.
958		1883
959	static void	1884	static void
960	one_minute_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	1885	one_minute_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_timer *w, int revents)
961	{	1886	{
962	.. one minute over, w is actually stopped right here	1887	.. one minute over, w is actually stopped right here
963	}	1888	}
964		1889
965	struct ev_timer mytimer;	1890	ev_timer mytimer;
966	ev_timer_init (&mytimer, one_minute_cb, 60., 0.);	1891	ev_timer_init (&mytimer, one_minute_cb, 60., 0.);
967	ev_timer_start (loop, &mytimer);	1892	ev_timer_start (loop, &mytimer);
968		1893
969	Example: Create a timeout timer that times out after 10 seconds of	1894	Example: Create a timeout timer that times out after 10 seconds of
970	inactivity.	1895	inactivity.
971		1896
972	static void	1897	static void
973	timeout_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	1898	timeout_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_timer *w, int revents)
974	{	1899	{
975	.. ten seconds without any activity	1900	.. ten seconds without any activity
976	}	1901	}
977		1902
978	struct ev_timer mytimer;	1903	ev_timer mytimer;
979	ev_timer_init (&mytimer, timeout_cb, 0., 10.); /* note, only repeat used */	1904	ev_timer_init (&mytimer, timeout_cb, 0., 10.); /* note, only repeat used */
980	ev_timer_again (&mytimer); /* start timer */	1905	ev_timer_again (&mytimer); /* start timer */
981	ev_loop (loop, 0);	1906	ev_loop (loop, 0);
982		1907
983	// and in some piece of code that gets executed on any "activity":	1908	// and in some piece of code that gets executed on any "activity":
984	// reset the timeout to start ticking again at 10 seconds	1909	// reset the timeout to start ticking again at 10 seconds
985	ev_timer_again (&mytimer);	1910	ev_timer_again (&mytimer);
986		1911
987		1912
988	=head2 C<ev_periodic> - to cron or not to cron?	1913	=head2 C<ev_periodic> - to cron or not to cron?
989		1914
990	Periodic watchers are also timers of a kind, but they are very versatile	1915	Periodic watchers are also timers of a kind, but they are very versatile
991	(and unfortunately a bit complex).	1916	(and unfortunately a bit complex).
992		1917
993	Unlike C<ev_timer>'s, they are not based on real time (or relative time)	1918	Unlike C<ev_timer>, periodic watchers are not based on real time (or
994	but on wallclock time (absolute time). You can tell a periodic watcher	1919	relative time, the physical time that passes) but on wall clock time
995	to trigger "at" some specific point in time. For example, if you tell a	1920	(absolute time, the thing you can read on your calender or clock). The
996	periodic watcher to trigger in 10 seconds (by specifiying e.g. C<ev_now ()	1921	difference is that wall clock time can run faster or slower than real
997	+ 10.>) and then reset your system clock to the last year, then it will	1922	time, and time jumps are not uncommon (e.g. when you adjust your
998	take a year to trigger the event (unlike an C<ev_timer>, which would trigger	1923	wrist-watch).
999	roughly 10 seconds later and of course not if you reset your system time
1000	again).
1001		1924
1002	They can also be used to implement vastly more complex timers, such as	1925	You can tell a periodic watcher to trigger after some specific point
		1926	in time: for example, if you tell a periodic watcher to trigger "in 10
		1927	seconds" (by specifying e.g. C<ev_now () + 10.>, that is, an absolute time
		1928	not a delay) and then reset your system clock to January of the previous
		1929	year, then it will take a year or more to trigger the event (unlike an
		1930	C<ev_timer>, which would still trigger roughly 10 seconds after starting
		1931	it, as it uses a relative timeout).
		1932
		1933	C<ev_periodic> watchers can also be used to implement vastly more complex
1003	triggering an event on eahc midnight, local time.	1934	timers, such as triggering an event on each "midnight, local time", or
		1935	other complicated rules. This cannot be done with C<ev_timer> watchers, as
		1936	those cannot react to time jumps.
1004		1937
1005	As with timers, the callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when the	1938	As with timers, the callback is guaranteed to be invoked only when the
1006	time (C<at>) has been passed, but if multiple periodic timers become ready	1939	point in time where it is supposed to trigger has passed. If multiple
1007	during the same loop iteration then order of execution is undefined.	1940	timers become ready during the same loop iteration then the ones with
		1941	earlier time-out values are invoked before ones with later time-out values
		1942	(but this is no longer true when a callback calls C<ev_loop> recursively).
		1943
		1944	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1008		1945
1009	=over 4	1946	=over 4
1010		1947
1011	=item ev_periodic_init (ev_periodic *, callback, ev_tstamp at, ev_tstamp interval, reschedule_cb)	1948	=item ev_periodic_init (ev_periodic *, callback, ev_tstamp offset, ev_tstamp interval, reschedule_cb)
1012		1949
1013	=item ev_periodic_set (ev_periodic *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat, reschedule_cb)	1950	=item ev_periodic_set (ev_periodic *, ev_tstamp offset, ev_tstamp interval, reschedule_cb)
1014		1951
1015	Lots of arguments, lets sort it out... There are basically three modes of	1952	Lots of arguments, let's sort it out... There are basically three modes of
1016	operation, and we will explain them from simplest to complex:	1953	operation, and we will explain them from simplest to most complex:
1017		1954
1018	=over 4	1955	=over 4
1019		1956
1020	=item * absolute timer (interval = reschedule_cb = 0)	1957	=item * absolute timer (offset = absolute time, interval = 0, reschedule_cb = 0)
1021		1958
1022	In this configuration the watcher triggers an event at the wallclock time	1959	In this configuration the watcher triggers an event after the wall clock
1023	C<at> and doesn't repeat. It will not adjust when a time jump occurs,	1960	time C<offset> has passed. It will not repeat and will not adjust when a
1024	that is, if it is to be run at January 1st 2011 then it will run when the	1961	time jump occurs, that is, if it is to be run at January 1st 2011 then it
1025	system time reaches or surpasses this time.	1962	will be stopped and invoked when the system clock reaches or surpasses
		1963	this point in time.
1026		1964
1027	=item * non-repeating interval timer (interval > 0, reschedule_cb = 0)	1965	=item * repeating interval timer (offset = offset within interval, interval > 0, reschedule_cb = 0)
1028		1966
1029	In this mode the watcher will always be scheduled to time out at the next	1967	In this mode the watcher will always be scheduled to time out at the next
1030	C<at + N * interval> time (for some integer N) and then repeat, regardless	1968	C<offset + N * interval> time (for some integer N, which can also be
1031	of any time jumps.	1969	negative) and then repeat, regardless of any time jumps. The C<offset>
		1970	argument is merely an offset into the C<interval> periods.
1032		1971
1033	This can be used to create timers that do not drift with respect to system	1972	This can be used to create timers that do not drift with respect to the
1034	time:	1973	system clock, for example, here is an C<ev_periodic> that triggers each
		1974	hour, on the hour (with respect to UTC):
1035		1975
1036	ev_periodic_set (&periodic, 0., 3600., 0);	1976	ev_periodic_set (&periodic, 0., 3600., 0);
1037		1977
1038	This doesn't mean there will always be 3600 seconds in between triggers,	1978	This doesn't mean there will always be 3600 seconds in between triggers,
1039	but only that the the callback will be called when the system time shows a	1979	but only that the callback will be called when the system time shows a
1040	full hour (UTC), or more correctly, when the system time is evenly divisible	1980	full hour (UTC), or more correctly, when the system time is evenly divisible
1041	by 3600.	1981	by 3600.
1042		1982
1043	Another way to think about it (for the mathematically inclined) is that	1983	Another way to think about it (for the mathematically inclined) is that
1044	C<ev_periodic> will try to run the callback in this mode at the next possible	1984	C<ev_periodic> will try to run the callback in this mode at the next possible
1045	time where C<time = at (mod interval)>, regardless of any time jumps.	1985	time where C<time = offset (mod interval)>, regardless of any time jumps.
1046		1986
		1987	For numerical stability it is preferable that the C<offset> value is near
		1988	C<ev_now ()> (the current time), but there is no range requirement for
		1989	this value, and in fact is often specified as zero.
		1990
		1991	Note also that there is an upper limit to how often a timer can fire (CPU
		1992	speed for example), so if C<interval> is very small then timing stability
		1993	will of course deteriorate. Libev itself tries to be exact to be about one
		1994	millisecond (if the OS supports it and the machine is fast enough).
		1995
1047	=item * manual reschedule mode (reschedule_cb = callback)	1996	=item * manual reschedule mode (offset ignored, interval ignored, reschedule_cb = callback)
1048		1997
1049	In this mode the values for C<interval> and C<at> are both being	1998	In this mode the values for C<interval> and C<offset> are both being
1050	ignored. Instead, each time the periodic watcher gets scheduled, the	1999	ignored. Instead, each time the periodic watcher gets scheduled, the
1051	reschedule callback will be called with the watcher as first, and the	2000	reschedule callback will be called with the watcher as first, and the
1052	current time as second argument.	2001	current time as second argument.
1053		2002
1054	NOTE: I<This callback MUST NOT stop or destroy any periodic watcher,	2003	NOTE: I<This callback MUST NOT stop or destroy any periodic watcher, ever,
1055	ever, or make any event loop modifications>. If you need to stop it,	2004	or make ANY other event loop modifications whatsoever, unless explicitly
1056	return C<now + 1e30> (or so, fudge fudge) and stop it afterwards (e.g. by	2005	allowed by documentation here>.
1057	starting a prepare watcher).
1058		2006
		2007	If you need to stop it, return C<now + 1e30> (or so, fudge fudge) and stop
		2008	it afterwards (e.g. by starting an C<ev_prepare> watcher, which is the
		2009	only event loop modification you are allowed to do).
		2010
1059	Its prototype is C<ev_tstamp (*reschedule_cb)(struct ev_periodic *w,	2011	The callback prototype is C<ev_tstamp (*reschedule_cb)(ev_periodic
1060	ev_tstamp now)>, e.g.:	2012	*w, ev_tstamp now)>, e.g.:
1061		2013
		2014	static ev_tstamp
1062	static ev_tstamp my_rescheduler (struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)	2015	my_rescheduler (ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)
1063	{	2016	{
1064	return now + 60.;	2017	return now + 60.;
1065	}	2018	}
1066		2019
1067	It must return the next time to trigger, based on the passed time value	2020	It must return the next time to trigger, based on the passed time value
1068	(that is, the lowest time value larger than to the second argument). It	2021	(that is, the lowest time value larger than to the second argument). It
1069	will usually be called just before the callback will be triggered, but	2022	will usually be called just before the callback will be triggered, but
1070	might be called at other times, too.	2023	might be called at other times, too.
1071		2024
1072	NOTE: I<< This callback must always return a time that is later than the	2025	NOTE: I<< This callback must always return a time that is higher than or
1073	passed C<now> value >>. Not even C<now> itself will do, it I<must> be larger.	2026	equal to the passed C<now> value >>.
1074		2027
1075	This can be used to create very complex timers, such as a timer that	2028	This can be used to create very complex timers, such as a timer that
1076	triggers on each midnight, local time. To do this, you would calculate the	2029	triggers on "next midnight, local time". To do this, you would calculate the
1077	next midnight after C<now> and return the timestamp value for this. How	2030	next midnight after C<now> and return the timestamp value for this. How
1078	you do this is, again, up to you (but it is not trivial, which is the main	2031	you do this is, again, up to you (but it is not trivial, which is the main
1079	reason I omitted it as an example).	2032	reason I omitted it as an example).
1080		2033
1081	=back	2034	=back
…		…
1085	Simply stops and restarts the periodic watcher again. This is only useful	2038	Simply stops and restarts the periodic watcher again. This is only useful
1086	when you changed some parameters or the reschedule callback would return	2039	when you changed some parameters or the reschedule callback would return
1087	a different time than the last time it was called (e.g. in a crond like	2040	a different time than the last time it was called (e.g. in a crond like
1088	program when the crontabs have changed).	2041	program when the crontabs have changed).
1089		2042
		2043	=item ev_tstamp ev_periodic_at (ev_periodic *)
		2044
		2045	When active, returns the absolute time that the watcher is supposed
		2046	to trigger next. This is not the same as the C<offset> argument to
		2047	C<ev_periodic_set>, but indeed works even in interval and manual
		2048	rescheduling modes.
		2049
		2050	=item ev_tstamp offset [read-write]
		2051
		2052	When repeating, this contains the offset value, otherwise this is the
		2053	absolute point in time (the C<offset> value passed to C<ev_periodic_set>,
		2054	although libev might modify this value for better numerical stability).
		2055
		2056	Can be modified any time, but changes only take effect when the periodic
		2057	timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.
		2058
1090	=item ev_tstamp interval [read-write]	2059	=item ev_tstamp interval [read-write]
1091		2060
1092	The current interval value. Can be modified any time, but changes only	2061	The current interval value. Can be modified any time, but changes only
1093	take effect when the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being	2062	take effect when the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being
1094	called.	2063	called.
1095		2064
1096	=item ev_tstamp (*reschedule_cb)(struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now) [read-write]	2065	=item ev_tstamp (*reschedule_cb)(ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now) [read-write]
1097		2066
1098	The current reschedule callback, or C<0>, if this functionality is	2067	The current reschedule callback, or C<0>, if this functionality is
1099	switched off. Can be changed any time, but changes only take effect when	2068	switched off. Can be changed any time, but changes only take effect when
1100	the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.	2069	the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.
1101		2070
1102	=back	2071	=back
1103		2072
		2073	=head3 Examples
		2074
1104	Example: Call a callback every hour, or, more precisely, whenever the	2075	Example: Call a callback every hour, or, more precisely, whenever the
1105	system clock is divisible by 3600. The callback invocation times have	2076	system time is divisible by 3600. The callback invocation times have
1106	potentially a lot of jittering, but good long-term stability.	2077	potentially a lot of jitter, but good long-term stability.
1107		2078
1108	static void	2079	static void
1109	clock_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w, int revents)	2080	clock_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w, int revents)
1110	{	2081	{
1111	... its now a full hour (UTC, or TAI or whatever your clock follows)	2082	... its now a full hour (UTC, or TAI or whatever your clock follows)
1112	}	2083	}
1113		2084
1114	struct ev_periodic hourly_tick;	2085	ev_periodic hourly_tick;
1115	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 3600., 0);	2086	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 3600., 0);
1116	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);	2087	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);
1117		2088
1118	Example: The same as above, but use a reschedule callback to do it:	2089	Example: The same as above, but use a reschedule callback to do it:
1119		2090
1120	#include <math.h>	2091	#include <math.h>
1121		2092
1122	static ev_tstamp	2093	static ev_tstamp
1123	my_scheduler_cb (struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)	2094	my_scheduler_cb (ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)
1124	{	2095	{
1125	return fmod (now, 3600.) + 3600.;	2096	return now + (3600. - fmod (now, 3600.));
1126	}	2097	}
1127		2098
1128	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 0., my_scheduler_cb);	2099	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 0., my_scheduler_cb);
1129		2100
1130	Example: Call a callback every hour, starting now:	2101	Example: Call a callback every hour, starting now:
1131		2102
1132	struct ev_periodic hourly_tick;	2103	ev_periodic hourly_tick;
1133	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb,	2104	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb,
1134	fmod (ev_now (loop), 3600.), 3600., 0);	2105	fmod (ev_now (loop), 3600.), 3600., 0);
1135	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);	2106	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);
1136		2107
1137		2108
1138	=head2 C<ev_signal> - signal me when a signal gets signalled!	2109	=head2 C<ev_signal> - signal me when a signal gets signalled!
1139		2110
1140	Signal watchers will trigger an event when the process receives a specific	2111	Signal watchers will trigger an event when the process receives a specific
1141	signal one or more times. Even though signals are very asynchronous, libev	2112	signal one or more times. Even though signals are very asynchronous, libev
1142	will try it's best to deliver signals synchronously, i.e. as part of the	2113	will try it's best to deliver signals synchronously, i.e. as part of the
1143	normal event processing, like any other event.	2114	normal event processing, like any other event.
1144		2115
		2116	If you want signals to be delivered truly asynchronously, just use
		2117	C<sigaction> as you would do without libev and forget about sharing
		2118	the signal. You can even use C<ev_async> from a signal handler to
		2119	synchronously wake up an event loop.
		2120
1145	You can configure as many watchers as you like per signal. Only when the	2121	You can configure as many watchers as you like for the same signal, but
		2122	only within the same loop, i.e. you can watch for C<SIGINT> in your
		2123	default loop and for C<SIGIO> in another loop, but you cannot watch for
		2124	C<SIGINT> in both the default loop and another loop at the same time. At
		2125	the moment, C<SIGCHLD> is permanently tied to the default loop.
		2126
1146	first watcher gets started will libev actually register a signal watcher	2127	When the first watcher gets started will libev actually register something
1147	with the kernel (thus it coexists with your own signal handlers as long	2128	with the kernel (thus it coexists with your own signal handlers as long as
1148	as you don't register any with libev). Similarly, when the last signal	2129	you don't register any with libev for the same signal).
1149	watcher for a signal is stopped libev will reset the signal handler to	2130
1150	SIG_DFL (regardless of what it was set to before).	2131	If possible and supported, libev will install its handlers with
		2132	C<SA_RESTART> (or equivalent) behaviour enabled, so system calls should
		2133	not be unduly interrupted. If you have a problem with system calls getting
		2134	interrupted by signals you can block all signals in an C<ev_check> watcher
		2135	and unblock them in an C<ev_prepare> watcher.
		2136
		2137	=head3 The special problem of inheritance over execve
		2138
		2139	Both the signal mask (C<sigprocmask>) and the signal disposition
		2140	(C<sigaction>) are unspecified after starting a signal watcher (and after
		2141	stopping it again), that is, libev might or might not block the signal,
		2142	and might or might not set or restore the installed signal handler.
		2143
		2144	While this does not matter for the signal disposition (libev never
		2145	sets signals to C<SIG_IGN>, so handlers will be reset to C<SIG_DFL> on
		2146	C<execve>), this matters for the signal mask: many programs do not expect
		2147	certain signals to be blocked.
		2148
		2149	This means that before calling C<exec> (from the child) you should reset
		2150	the signal mask to whatever "default" you expect (all clear is a good
		2151	choice usually).
		2152
		2153	The simplest way to ensure that the signal mask is reset in the child is
		2154	to install a fork handler with C<pthread_atfork> that resets it. That will
		2155	catch fork calls done by libraries (such as the libc) as well.
		2156
		2157	In current versions of libev, you can also ensure that the signal mask is
		2158	not blocking any signals (except temporarily, so thread users watch out)
		2159	by specifying the C<EVFLAG_NOSIGFD> when creating the event loop. This
		2160	is not guaranteed for future versions, however.
		2161
		2162	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1151		2163
1152	=over 4	2164	=over 4
1153		2165
1154	=item ev_signal_init (ev_signal *, callback, int signum)	2166	=item ev_signal_init (ev_signal *, callback, int signum)
1155		2167
…		…
1162		2174
1163	The signal the watcher watches out for.	2175	The signal the watcher watches out for.
1164		2176
1165	=back	2177	=back
1166		2178
		2179	=head3 Examples
		2180
		2181	Example: Try to exit cleanly on SIGINT.
		2182
		2183	static void
		2184	sigint_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_signal *w, int revents)
		2185	{
		2186	ev_unloop (loop, EVUNLOOP_ALL);
		2187	}
		2188
		2189	ev_signal signal_watcher;
		2190	ev_signal_init (&signal_watcher, sigint_cb, SIGINT);
		2191	ev_signal_start (loop, &signal_watcher);
		2192
1167		2193
1168	=head2 C<ev_child> - watch out for process status changes	2194	=head2 C<ev_child> - watch out for process status changes
1169		2195
1170	Child watchers trigger when your process receives a SIGCHLD in response to	2196	Child watchers trigger when your process receives a SIGCHLD in response to
1171	some child status changes (most typically when a child of yours dies).	2197	some child status changes (most typically when a child of yours dies or
		2198	exits). It is permissible to install a child watcher I<after> the child
		2199	has been forked (which implies it might have already exited), as long
		2200	as the event loop isn't entered (or is continued from a watcher), i.e.,
		2201	forking and then immediately registering a watcher for the child is fine,
		2202	but forking and registering a watcher a few event loop iterations later or
		2203	in the next callback invocation is not.
		2204
		2205	Only the default event loop is capable of handling signals, and therefore
		2206	you can only register child watchers in the default event loop.
		2207
		2208	Due to some design glitches inside libev, child watchers will always be
		2209	handled at maximum priority (their priority is set to C<EV_MAXPRI> by
		2210	libev)
		2211
		2212	=head3 Process Interaction
		2213
		2214	Libev grabs C<SIGCHLD> as soon as the default event loop is
		2215	initialised. This is necessary to guarantee proper behaviour even if the
		2216	first child watcher is started after the child exits. The occurrence
		2217	of C<SIGCHLD> is recorded asynchronously, but child reaping is done
		2218	synchronously as part of the event loop processing. Libev always reaps all
		2219	children, even ones not watched.
		2220
		2221	=head3 Overriding the Built-In Processing
		2222
		2223	Libev offers no special support for overriding the built-in child
		2224	processing, but if your application collides with libev's default child
		2225	handler, you can override it easily by installing your own handler for
		2226	C<SIGCHLD> after initialising the default loop, and making sure the
		2227	default loop never gets destroyed. You are encouraged, however, to use an
		2228	event-based approach to child reaping and thus use libev's support for
		2229	that, so other libev users can use C<ev_child> watchers freely.
		2230
		2231	=head3 Stopping the Child Watcher
		2232
		2233	Currently, the child watcher never gets stopped, even when the
		2234	child terminates, so normally one needs to stop the watcher in the
		2235	callback. Future versions of libev might stop the watcher automatically
		2236	when a child exit is detected (calling C<ev_child_stop> twice is not a
		2237	problem).
		2238
		2239	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1172		2240
1173	=over 4	2241	=over 4
1174		2242
1175	=item ev_child_init (ev_child *, callback, int pid)	2243	=item ev_child_init (ev_child *, callback, int pid, int trace)
1176		2244
1177	=item ev_child_set (ev_child *, int pid)	2245	=item ev_child_set (ev_child *, int pid, int trace)
1178		2246
1179	Configures the watcher to wait for status changes of process C<pid> (or	2247	Configures the watcher to wait for status changes of process C<pid> (or
1180	I<any> process if C<pid> is specified as C<0>). The callback can look	2248	I<any> process if C<pid> is specified as C<0>). The callback can look
1181	at the C<rstatus> member of the C<ev_child> watcher structure to see	2249	at the C<rstatus> member of the C<ev_child> watcher structure to see
1182	the status word (use the macros from C<sys/wait.h> and see your systems	2250	the status word (use the macros from C<sys/wait.h> and see your systems
1183	C<waitpid> documentation). The C<rpid> member contains the pid of the	2251	C<waitpid> documentation). The C<rpid> member contains the pid of the
1184	process causing the status change.	2252	process causing the status change. C<trace> must be either C<0> (only
		2253	activate the watcher when the process terminates) or C<1> (additionally
		2254	activate the watcher when the process is stopped or continued).
1185		2255
1186	=item int pid [read-only]	2256	=item int pid [read-only]
1187		2257
1188	The process id this watcher watches out for, or C<0>, meaning any process id.	2258	The process id this watcher watches out for, or C<0>, meaning any process id.
1189		2259
…		…
1196	The process exit/trace status caused by C<rpid> (see your systems	2266	The process exit/trace status caused by C<rpid> (see your systems
1197	C<waitpid> and C<sys/wait.h> documentation for details).	2267	C<waitpid> and C<sys/wait.h> documentation for details).
1198		2268
1199	=back	2269	=back
1200		2270
1201	Example: Try to exit cleanly on SIGINT and SIGTERM.	2271	=head3 Examples
1202		2272
		2273	Example: C<fork()> a new process and install a child handler to wait for
		2274	its completion.
		2275
		2276	ev_child cw;
		2277
1203	static void	2278	static void
1204	sigint_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_signal *w, int revents)	2279	child_cb (EV_P_ ev_child *w, int revents)
1205	{	2280	{
1206	ev_unloop (loop, EVUNLOOP_ALL);	2281	ev_child_stop (EV_A_ w);
		2282	printf ("process %d exited with status %x\n", w->rpid, w->rstatus);
1207	}	2283	}
1208		2284
1209	struct ev_signal signal_watcher;	2285	pid_t pid = fork ();
1210	ev_signal_init (&signal_watcher, sigint_cb, SIGINT);	2286
1211	ev_signal_start (loop, &sigint_cb);	2287	if (pid < 0)
		2288	// error
		2289	else if (pid == 0)
		2290	{
		2291	// the forked child executes here
		2292	exit (1);
		2293	}
		2294	else
		2295	{
		2296	ev_child_init (&cw, child_cb, pid, 0);
		2297	ev_child_start (EV_DEFAULT_ &cw);
		2298	}
1212		2299
1213		2300
1214	=head2 C<ev_stat> - did the file attributes just change?	2301	=head2 C<ev_stat> - did the file attributes just change?
1215		2302
1216	This watches a filesystem path for attribute changes. That is, it calls	2303	This watches a file system path for attribute changes. That is, it calls
1217	C<stat> regularly (or when the OS says it changed) and sees if it changed	2304	C<stat> on that path in regular intervals (or when the OS says it changed)
1218	compared to the last time, invoking the callback if it did.	2305	and sees if it changed compared to the last time, invoking the callback if
		2306	it did.
1219		2307
1220	The path does not need to exist: changing from "path exists" to "path does	2308	The path does not need to exist: changing from "path exists" to "path does
1221	not exist" is a status change like any other. The condition "path does	2309	not exist" is a status change like any other. The condition "path does not
1222	not exist" is signified by the C<st_nlink> field being zero (which is	2310	exist" (or more correctly "path cannot be stat'ed") is signified by the
1223	otherwise always forced to be at least one) and all the other fields of	2311	C<st_nlink> field being zero (which is otherwise always forced to be at
1224	the stat buffer having unspecified contents.	2312	least one) and all the other fields of the stat buffer having unspecified
		2313	contents.
1225		2314
1226	Since there is no standard to do this, the portable implementation simply	2315	The path I<must not> end in a slash or contain special components such as
1227	calls C<stat (2)> regularly on the path to see if it changed somehow. You	2316	C<.> or C<..>. The path I<should> be absolute: If it is relative and
1228	can specify a recommended polling interval for this case. If you specify	2317	your working directory changes, then the behaviour is undefined.
1229	a polling interval of C<0> (highly recommended!) then a I<suitable,	2318
1230	unspecified default> value will be used (which you can expect to be around	2319	Since there is no portable change notification interface available, the
1231	five seconds, although this might change dynamically). Libev will also	2320	portable implementation simply calls C<stat(2)> regularly on the path
1232	impose a minimum interval which is currently around C<0.1>, but thats	2321	to see if it changed somehow. You can specify a recommended polling
1233	usually overkill.	2322	interval for this case. If you specify a polling interval of C<0> (highly
		2323	recommended!) then a I<suitable, unspecified default> value will be used
		2324	(which you can expect to be around five seconds, although this might
		2325	change dynamically). Libev will also impose a minimum interval which is
		2326	currently around C<0.1>, but that's usually overkill.
1234		2327
1235	This watcher type is not meant for massive numbers of stat watchers,	2328	This watcher type is not meant for massive numbers of stat watchers,
1236	as even with OS-supported change notifications, this can be	2329	as even with OS-supported change notifications, this can be
1237	resource-intensive.	2330	resource-intensive.
1238		2331
1239	At the time of this writing, only the Linux inotify interface is	2332	At the time of this writing, the only OS-specific interface implemented
1240	implemented (implementing kqueue support is left as an exercise for the	2333	is the Linux inotify interface (implementing kqueue support is left as an
1241	reader). Inotify will be used to give hints only and should not change the	2334	exercise for the reader. Note, however, that the author sees no way of
1242	semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers, which means that libev sometimes needs	2335	implementing C<ev_stat> semantics with kqueue, except as a hint).
1243	to fall back to regular polling again even with inotify, but changes are	2336
1244	usually detected immediately, and if the file exists there will be no	2337	=head3 ABI Issues (Largefile Support)
1245	polling.	2338
		2339	Libev by default (unless the user overrides this) uses the default
		2340	compilation environment, which means that on systems with large file
		2341	support disabled by default, you get the 32 bit version of the stat
		2342	structure. When using the library from programs that change the ABI to
		2343	use 64 bit file offsets the programs will fail. In that case you have to
		2344	compile libev with the same flags to get binary compatibility. This is
		2345	obviously the case with any flags that change the ABI, but the problem is
		2346	most noticeably displayed with ev_stat and large file support.
		2347
		2348	The solution for this is to lobby your distribution maker to make large
		2349	file interfaces available by default (as e.g. FreeBSD does) and not
		2350	optional. Libev cannot simply switch on large file support because it has
		2351	to exchange stat structures with application programs compiled using the
		2352	default compilation environment.
		2353
		2354	=head3 Inotify and Kqueue
		2355
		2356	When C<inotify (7)> support has been compiled into libev and present at
		2357	runtime, it will be used to speed up change detection where possible. The
		2358	inotify descriptor will be created lazily when the first C<ev_stat>
		2359	watcher is being started.
		2360
		2361	Inotify presence does not change the semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers
		2362	except that changes might be detected earlier, and in some cases, to avoid
		2363	making regular C<stat> calls. Even in the presence of inotify support
		2364	there are many cases where libev has to resort to regular C<stat> polling,
		2365	but as long as kernel 2.6.25 or newer is used (2.6.24 and older have too
		2366	many bugs), the path exists (i.e. stat succeeds), and the path resides on
		2367	a local filesystem (libev currently assumes only ext2/3, jfs, reiserfs and
		2368	xfs are fully working) libev usually gets away without polling.
		2369
		2370	There is no support for kqueue, as apparently it cannot be used to
		2371	implement this functionality, due to the requirement of having a file
		2372	descriptor open on the object at all times, and detecting renames, unlinks
		2373	etc. is difficult.
		2374
		2375	=head3 C<stat ()> is a synchronous operation
		2376
		2377	Libev doesn't normally do any kind of I/O itself, and so is not blocking
		2378	the process. The exception are C<ev_stat> watchers - those call C<stat
		2379	()>, which is a synchronous operation.
		2380
		2381	For local paths, this usually doesn't matter: unless the system is very
		2382	busy or the intervals between stat's are large, a stat call will be fast,
		2383	as the path data is usually in memory already (except when starting the
		2384	watcher).
		2385
		2386	For networked file systems, calling C<stat ()> can block an indefinite
		2387	time due to network issues, and even under good conditions, a stat call
		2388	often takes multiple milliseconds.
		2389
		2390	Therefore, it is best to avoid using C<ev_stat> watchers on networked
		2391	paths, although this is fully supported by libev.
		2392
		2393	=head3 The special problem of stat time resolution
		2394
		2395	The C<stat ()> system call only supports full-second resolution portably,
		2396	and even on systems where the resolution is higher, most file systems
		2397	still only support whole seconds.
		2398
		2399	That means that, if the time is the only thing that changes, you can
		2400	easily miss updates: on the first update, C<ev_stat> detects a change and
		2401	calls your callback, which does something. When there is another update
		2402	within the same second, C<ev_stat> will be unable to detect unless the
		2403	stat data does change in other ways (e.g. file size).
		2404
		2405	The solution to this is to delay acting on a change for slightly more
		2406	than a second (or till slightly after the next full second boundary), using
		2407	a roughly one-second-delay C<ev_timer> (e.g. C<ev_timer_set (w, 0., 1.02);
		2408	ev_timer_again (loop, w)>).
		2409
		2410	The C<.02> offset is added to work around small timing inconsistencies
		2411	of some operating systems (where the second counter of the current time
		2412	might be be delayed. One such system is the Linux kernel, where a call to
		2413	C<gettimeofday> might return a timestamp with a full second later than
		2414	a subsequent C<time> call - if the equivalent of C<time ()> is used to
		2415	update file times then there will be a small window where the kernel uses
		2416	the previous second to update file times but libev might already execute
		2417	the timer callback).
		2418
		2419	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1246		2420
1247	=over 4	2421	=over 4
1248		2422
1249	=item ev_stat_init (ev_stat *, callback, const char *path, ev_tstamp interval)	2423	=item ev_stat_init (ev_stat *, callback, const char *path, ev_tstamp interval)
1250		2424
…		…
1254	C<path>. The C<interval> is a hint on how quickly a change is expected to	2428	C<path>. The C<interval> is a hint on how quickly a change is expected to
1255	be detected and should normally be specified as C<0> to let libev choose	2429	be detected and should normally be specified as C<0> to let libev choose
1256	a suitable value. The memory pointed to by C<path> must point to the same	2430	a suitable value. The memory pointed to by C<path> must point to the same
1257	path for as long as the watcher is active.	2431	path for as long as the watcher is active.
1258		2432
1259	The callback will be receive C<EV_STAT> when a change was detected,	2433	The callback will receive an C<EV_STAT> event when a change was detected,
1260	relative to the attributes at the time the watcher was started (or the	2434	relative to the attributes at the time the watcher was started (or the
1261	last change was detected).	2435	last change was detected).
1262		2436
1263	=item ev_stat_stat (ev_stat *)	2437	=item ev_stat_stat (loop, ev_stat *)
1264		2438
1265	Updates the stat buffer immediately with new values. If you change the	2439	Updates the stat buffer immediately with new values. If you change the
1266	watched path in your callback, you could call this fucntion to avoid	2440	watched path in your callback, you could call this function to avoid
1267	detecting this change (while introducing a race condition). Can also be	2441	detecting this change (while introducing a race condition if you are not
1268	useful simply to find out the new values.	2442	the only one changing the path). Can also be useful simply to find out the
		2443	new values.
1269		2444
1270	=item ev_statdata attr [read-only]	2445	=item ev_statdata attr [read-only]
1271		2446
1272	The most-recently detected attributes of the file. Although the type is of	2447	The most-recently detected attributes of the file. Although the type is
1273	C<ev_statdata>, this is usually the (or one of the) C<struct stat> types	2448	C<ev_statdata>, this is usually the (or one of the) C<struct stat> types
1274	suitable for your system. If the C<st_nlink> member is C<0>, then there	2449	suitable for your system, but you can only rely on the POSIX-standardised
		2450	members to be present. If the C<st_nlink> member is C<0>, then there was
1275	was some error while C<stat>ing the file.	2451	some error while C<stat>ing the file.
1276		2452
1277	=item ev_statdata prev [read-only]	2453	=item ev_statdata prev [read-only]
1278		2454
1279	The previous attributes of the file. The callback gets invoked whenever	2455	The previous attributes of the file. The callback gets invoked whenever
1280	C<prev> != C<attr>.	2456	C<prev> != C<attr>, or, more precisely, one or more of these members
		2457	differ: C<st_dev>, C<st_ino>, C<st_mode>, C<st_nlink>, C<st_uid>,
		2458	C<st_gid>, C<st_rdev>, C<st_size>, C<st_atime>, C<st_mtime>, C<st_ctime>.
1281		2459
1282	=item ev_tstamp interval [read-only]	2460	=item ev_tstamp interval [read-only]
1283		2461
1284	The specified interval.	2462	The specified interval.
1285		2463
1286	=item const char *path [read-only]	2464	=item const char *path [read-only]
1287		2465
1288	The filesystem path that is being watched.	2466	The file system path that is being watched.
1289		2467
1290	=back	2468	=back
1291		2469
		2470	=head3 Examples
		2471
1292	Example: Watch C</etc/passwd> for attribute changes.	2472	Example: Watch C</etc/passwd> for attribute changes.
1293		2473
1294	static void	2474	static void
1295	passwd_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_stat *w, int revents)	2475	passwd_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_stat *w, int revents)
1296	{	2476	{
1297	/* /etc/passwd changed in some way */	2477	/* /etc/passwd changed in some way */
1298	if (w->attr.st_nlink)	2478	if (w->attr.st_nlink)
1299	{	2479	{
1300	printf ("passwd current size %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_size);	2480	printf ("passwd current size %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_size);
1301	printf ("passwd current atime %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_mtime);	2481	printf ("passwd current atime %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_mtime);
1302	printf ("passwd current mtime %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_mtime);	2482	printf ("passwd current mtime %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_mtime);
1303	}	2483	}
1304	else	2484	else
1305	/* you shalt not abuse printf for puts */	2485	/* you shalt not abuse printf for puts */
1306	puts ("wow, /etc/passwd is not there, expect problems. "	2486	puts ("wow, /etc/passwd is not there, expect problems. "
1307	"if this is windows, they already arrived\n");	2487	"if this is windows, they already arrived\n");
1308	}	2488	}
1309		2489
1310	...	2490	...
1311	ev_stat passwd;	2491	ev_stat passwd;
1312		2492
1313	ev_stat_init (&passwd, passwd_cb, "/etc/passwd");	2493	ev_stat_init (&passwd, passwd_cb, "/etc/passwd", 0.);
1314	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);	2494	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);
		2495
		2496	Example: Like above, but additionally use a one-second delay so we do not
		2497	miss updates (however, frequent updates will delay processing, too, so
		2498	one might do the work both on C<ev_stat> callback invocation I<and> on
		2499	C<ev_timer> callback invocation).
		2500
		2501	static ev_stat passwd;
		2502	static ev_timer timer;
		2503
		2504	static void
		2505	timer_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
		2506	{
		2507	ev_timer_stop (EV_A_ w);
		2508
		2509	/* now it's one second after the most recent passwd change */
		2510	}
		2511
		2512	static void
		2513	stat_cb (EV_P_ ev_stat *w, int revents)
		2514	{
		2515	/* reset the one-second timer */
		2516	ev_timer_again (EV_A_ &timer);
		2517	}
		2518
		2519	...
		2520	ev_stat_init (&passwd, stat_cb, "/etc/passwd", 0.);
		2521	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);
		2522	ev_timer_init (&timer, timer_cb, 0., 1.02);
1315		2523
1316		2524
1317	=head2 C<ev_idle> - when you've got nothing better to do...	2525	=head2 C<ev_idle> - when you've got nothing better to do...
1318		2526
1319	Idle watchers trigger events when there are no other events are pending	2527	Idle watchers trigger events when no other events of the same or higher
1320	(prepare, check and other idle watchers do not count). That is, as long	2528	priority are pending (prepare, check and other idle watchers do not count
1321	as your process is busy handling sockets or timeouts (or even signals,	2529	as receiving "events").
1322	imagine) it will not be triggered. But when your process is idle all idle	2530
1323	watchers are being called again and again, once per event loop iteration -	2531	That is, as long as your process is busy handling sockets or timeouts
		2532	(or even signals, imagine) of the same or higher priority it will not be
		2533	triggered. But when your process is idle (or only lower-priority watchers
		2534	are pending), the idle watchers are being called once per event loop
1324	until stopped, that is, or your process receives more events and becomes	2535	iteration - until stopped, that is, or your process receives more events
1325	busy.	2536	and becomes busy again with higher priority stuff.
1326		2537
1327	The most noteworthy effect is that as long as any idle watchers are	2538	The most noteworthy effect is that as long as any idle watchers are
1328	active, the process will not block when waiting for new events.	2539	active, the process will not block when waiting for new events.
1329		2540
1330	Apart from keeping your process non-blocking (which is a useful	2541	Apart from keeping your process non-blocking (which is a useful
1331	effect on its own sometimes), idle watchers are a good place to do	2542	effect on its own sometimes), idle watchers are a good place to do
1332	"pseudo-background processing", or delay processing stuff to after the	2543	"pseudo-background processing", or delay processing stuff to after the
1333	event loop has handled all outstanding events.	2544	event loop has handled all outstanding events.
1334		2545
		2546	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		2547
1335	=over 4	2548	=over 4
1336		2549
1337	=item ev_idle_init (ev_signal *, callback)	2550	=item ev_idle_init (ev_idle *, callback)
1338		2551
1339	Initialises and configures the idle watcher - it has no parameters of any	2552	Initialises and configures the idle watcher - it has no parameters of any
1340	kind. There is a C<ev_idle_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,	2553	kind. There is a C<ev_idle_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
1341	believe me.	2554	believe me.
1342		2555
1343	=back	2556	=back
1344		2557
		2558	=head3 Examples
		2559
1345	Example: Dynamically allocate an C<ev_idle> watcher, start it, and in the	2560	Example: Dynamically allocate an C<ev_idle> watcher, start it, and in the
1346	callback, free it. Also, use no error checking, as usual.	2561	callback, free it. Also, use no error checking, as usual.
1347		2562
1348	static void	2563	static void
1349	idle_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_idle *w, int revents)	2564	idle_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_idle *w, int revents)
1350	{	2565	{
1351	free (w);	2566	free (w);
1352	// now do something you wanted to do when the program has	2567	// now do something you wanted to do when the program has
1353	// no longer asnything immediate to do.	2568	// no longer anything immediate to do.
1354	}	2569	}
1355		2570
1356	struct ev_idle *idle_watcher = malloc (sizeof (struct ev_idle));	2571	ev_idle *idle_watcher = malloc (sizeof (ev_idle));
1357	ev_idle_init (idle_watcher, idle_cb);	2572	ev_idle_init (idle_watcher, idle_cb);
1358	ev_idle_start (loop, idle_cb);	2573	ev_idle_start (loop, idle_watcher);
1359		2574
1360		2575
1361	=head2 C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> - customise your event loop!	2576	=head2 C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> - customise your event loop!
1362		2577
1363	Prepare and check watchers are usually (but not always) used in tandem:	2578	Prepare and check watchers are usually (but not always) used in pairs:
1364	prepare watchers get invoked before the process blocks and check watchers	2579	prepare watchers get invoked before the process blocks and check watchers
1365	afterwards.	2580	afterwards.
1366		2581
1367	You I<must not> call C<ev_loop> or similar functions that enter	2582	You I<must not> call C<ev_loop> or similar functions that enter
1368	the current event loop from either C<ev_prepare> or C<ev_check>	2583	the current event loop from either C<ev_prepare> or C<ev_check>
…		…
1371	those watchers, i.e. the sequence will always be C<ev_prepare>, blocking,	2586	those watchers, i.e. the sequence will always be C<ev_prepare>, blocking,
1372	C<ev_check> so if you have one watcher of each kind they will always be	2587	C<ev_check> so if you have one watcher of each kind they will always be
1373	called in pairs bracketing the blocking call.	2588	called in pairs bracketing the blocking call.
1374		2589
1375	Their main purpose is to integrate other event mechanisms into libev and	2590	Their main purpose is to integrate other event mechanisms into libev and
1376	their use is somewhat advanced. This could be used, for example, to track	2591	their use is somewhat advanced. They could be used, for example, to track
1377	variable changes, implement your own watchers, integrate net-snmp or a	2592	variable changes, implement your own watchers, integrate net-snmp or a
1378	coroutine library and lots more. They are also occasionally useful if	2593	coroutine library and lots more. They are also occasionally useful if
1379	you cache some data and want to flush it before blocking (for example,	2594	you cache some data and want to flush it before blocking (for example,
1380	in X programs you might want to do an C<XFlush ()> in an C<ev_prepare>	2595	in X programs you might want to do an C<XFlush ()> in an C<ev_prepare>
1381	watcher).	2596	watcher).
1382		2597
1383	This is done by examining in each prepare call which file descriptors need	2598	This is done by examining in each prepare call which file descriptors
1384	to be watched by the other library, registering C<ev_io> watchers for	2599	need to be watched by the other library, registering C<ev_io> watchers
1385	them and starting an C<ev_timer> watcher for any timeouts (many libraries	2600	for them and starting an C<ev_timer> watcher for any timeouts (many
1386	provide just this functionality). Then, in the check watcher you check for	2601	libraries provide exactly this functionality). Then, in the check watcher,
1387	any events that occured (by checking the pending status of all watchers	2602	you check for any events that occurred (by checking the pending status
1388	and stopping them) and call back into the library. The I/O and timer	2603	of all watchers and stopping them) and call back into the library. The
1389	callbacks will never actually be called (but must be valid nevertheless,	2604	I/O and timer callbacks will never actually be called (but must be valid
1390	because you never know, you know?).	2605	nevertheless, because you never know, you know?).
1391		2606
1392	As another example, the Perl Coro module uses these hooks to integrate	2607	As another example, the Perl Coro module uses these hooks to integrate
1393	coroutines into libev programs, by yielding to other active coroutines	2608	coroutines into libev programs, by yielding to other active coroutines
1394	during each prepare and only letting the process block if no coroutines	2609	during each prepare and only letting the process block if no coroutines
1395	are ready to run (it's actually more complicated: it only runs coroutines	2610	are ready to run (it's actually more complicated: it only runs coroutines
1396	with priority higher than or equal to the event loop and one coroutine	2611	with priority higher than or equal to the event loop and one coroutine
1397	of lower priority, but only once, using idle watchers to keep the event	2612	of lower priority, but only once, using idle watchers to keep the event
1398	loop from blocking if lower-priority coroutines are active, thus mapping	2613	loop from blocking if lower-priority coroutines are active, thus mapping
1399	low-priority coroutines to idle/background tasks).	2614	low-priority coroutines to idle/background tasks).
1400		2615
		2616	It is recommended to give C<ev_check> watchers highest (C<EV_MAXPRI>)
		2617	priority, to ensure that they are being run before any other watchers
		2618	after the poll (this doesn't matter for C<ev_prepare> watchers).
		2619
		2620	Also, C<ev_check> watchers (and C<ev_prepare> watchers, too) should not
		2621	activate ("feed") events into libev. While libev fully supports this, they
		2622	might get executed before other C<ev_check> watchers did their job. As
		2623	C<ev_check> watchers are often used to embed other (non-libev) event
		2624	loops those other event loops might be in an unusable state until their
		2625	C<ev_check> watcher ran (always remind yourself to coexist peacefully with
		2626	others).
		2627
		2628	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		2629
1401	=over 4	2630	=over 4
1402		2631
1403	=item ev_prepare_init (ev_prepare *, callback)	2632	=item ev_prepare_init (ev_prepare *, callback)
1404		2633
1405	=item ev_check_init (ev_check *, callback)	2634	=item ev_check_init (ev_check *, callback)
1406		2635
1407	Initialises and configures the prepare or check watcher - they have no	2636	Initialises and configures the prepare or check watcher - they have no
1408	parameters of any kind. There are C<ev_prepare_set> and C<ev_check_set>	2637	parameters of any kind. There are C<ev_prepare_set> and C<ev_check_set>
1409	macros, but using them is utterly, utterly and completely pointless.	2638	macros, but using them is utterly, utterly, utterly and completely
		2639	pointless.
1410		2640
1411	=back	2641	=back
1412		2642
1413	Example: To include a library such as adns, you would add IO watchers	2643	=head3 Examples
1414	and a timeout watcher in a prepare handler, as required by libadns, and	2644
		2645	There are a number of principal ways to embed other event loops or modules
		2646	into libev. Here are some ideas on how to include libadns into libev
		2647	(there is a Perl module named C<EV::ADNS> that does this, which you could
		2648	use as a working example. Another Perl module named C<EV::Glib> embeds a
		2649	Glib main context into libev, and finally, C<Glib::EV> embeds EV into the
		2650	Glib event loop).
		2651
		2652	Method 1: Add IO watchers and a timeout watcher in a prepare handler,
1415	in a check watcher, destroy them and call into libadns. What follows is	2653	and in a check watcher, destroy them and call into libadns. What follows
1416	pseudo-code only of course:	2654	is pseudo-code only of course. This requires you to either use a low
		2655	priority for the check watcher or use C<ev_clear_pending> explicitly, as
		2656	the callbacks for the IO/timeout watchers might not have been called yet.
1417		2657
1418	static ev_io iow [nfd];	2658	static ev_io iow [nfd];
1419	static ev_timer tw;	2659	static ev_timer tw;
1420		2660
1421	static void	2661	static void
1422	io_cb (ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w, int revents)	2662	io_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w, int revents)
1423	{	2663	{
1424	// set the relevant poll flags
1425	// could also call adns_processreadable etc. here
1426	struct pollfd *fd = (struct pollfd *)w->data;
1427	if (revents & EV_READ ) fd->revents |= fd->events & POLLIN;
1428	if (revents & EV_WRITE) fd->revents |= fd->events & POLLOUT;
1429	}	2664	}
1430		2665
1431	// create io watchers for each fd and a timer before blocking	2666	// create io watchers for each fd and a timer before blocking
1432	static void	2667	static void
1433	adns_prepare_cb (ev_loop *loop, ev_prepare *w, int revents)	2668	adns_prepare_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_prepare *w, int revents)
1434	{	2669	{
1435	int timeout = 3600000;truct pollfd fds [nfd];	2670	int timeout = 3600000;
		2671	struct pollfd fds [nfd];
1436	// actual code will need to loop here and realloc etc.	2672	// actual code will need to loop here and realloc etc.
1437	adns_beforepoll (ads, fds, &nfd, &timeout, timeval_from (ev_time ()));	2673	adns_beforepoll (ads, fds, &nfd, &timeout, timeval_from (ev_time ()));
1438		2674
1439	/* the callback is illegal, but won't be called as we stop during check */	2675	/* the callback is illegal, but won't be called as we stop during check */
1440	ev_timer_init (&tw, 0, timeout * 1e-3);	2676	ev_timer_init (&tw, 0, timeout * 1e-3, 0.);
1441	ev_timer_start (loop, &tw);	2677	ev_timer_start (loop, &tw);
1442		2678
1443	// create on ev_io per pollfd	2679	// create one ev_io per pollfd
1444	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)	2680	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)
1445	{	2681	{
1446	ev_io_init (iow + i, io_cb, fds [i].fd,	2682	ev_io_init (iow + i, io_cb, fds [i].fd,
1447	((fds [i].events & POLLIN ? EV_READ : 0)	2683	((fds [i].events & POLLIN ? EV_READ : 0)
1448	| (fds [i].events & POLLOUT ? EV_WRITE : 0)));	2684	| (fds [i].events & POLLOUT ? EV_WRITE : 0)));
1449		2685
1450	fds [i].revents = 0;	2686	fds [i].revents = 0;
1451	iow [i].data = fds + i;
1452	ev_io_start (loop, iow + i);	2687	ev_io_start (loop, iow + i);
1453	}	2688	}
1454	}	2689	}
1455		2690
1456	// stop all watchers after blocking	2691	// stop all watchers after blocking
1457	static void	2692	static void
1458	adns_check_cb (ev_loop *loop, ev_check *w, int revents)	2693	adns_check_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_check *w, int revents)
1459	{	2694	{
1460	ev_timer_stop (loop, &tw);	2695	ev_timer_stop (loop, &tw);
1461		2696
1462	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)	2697	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)
		2698	{
		2699	// set the relevant poll flags
		2700	// could also call adns_processreadable etc. here
		2701	struct pollfd *fd = fds + i;
		2702	int revents = ev_clear_pending (iow + i);
		2703	if (revents & EV_READ ) fd->revents |= fd->events & POLLIN;
		2704	if (revents & EV_WRITE) fd->revents |= fd->events & POLLOUT;
		2705
		2706	// now stop the watcher
1463	ev_io_stop (loop, iow + i);	2707	ev_io_stop (loop, iow + i);
		2708	}
1464		2709
1465	adns_afterpoll (adns, fds, nfd, timeval_from (ev_now (loop));	2710	adns_afterpoll (adns, fds, nfd, timeval_from (ev_now (loop));
1466	}	2711	}
		2712
		2713	Method 2: This would be just like method 1, but you run C<adns_afterpoll>
		2714	in the prepare watcher and would dispose of the check watcher.
		2715
		2716	Method 3: If the module to be embedded supports explicit event
		2717	notification (libadns does), you can also make use of the actual watcher
		2718	callbacks, and only destroy/create the watchers in the prepare watcher.
		2719
		2720	static void
		2721	timer_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
		2722	{
		2723	adns_state ads = (adns_state)w->data;
		2724	update_now (EV_A);
		2725
		2726	adns_processtimeouts (ads, &tv_now);
		2727	}
		2728
		2729	static void
		2730	io_cb (EV_P_ ev_io *w, int revents)
		2731	{
		2732	adns_state ads = (adns_state)w->data;
		2733	update_now (EV_A);
		2734
		2735	if (revents & EV_READ ) adns_processreadable (ads, w->fd, &tv_now);
		2736	if (revents & EV_WRITE) adns_processwriteable (ads, w->fd, &tv_now);
		2737	}
		2738
		2739	// do not ever call adns_afterpoll
		2740
		2741	Method 4: Do not use a prepare or check watcher because the module you
		2742	want to embed is not flexible enough to support it. Instead, you can
		2743	override their poll function. The drawback with this solution is that the
		2744	main loop is now no longer controllable by EV. The C<Glib::EV> module uses
		2745	this approach, effectively embedding EV as a client into the horrible
		2746	libglib event loop.
		2747
		2748	static gint
		2749	event_poll_func (GPollFD *fds, guint nfds, gint timeout)
		2750	{
		2751	int got_events = 0;
		2752
		2753	for (n = 0; n < nfds; ++n)
		2754	// create/start io watcher that sets the relevant bits in fds[n] and increment got_events
		2755
		2756	if (timeout >= 0)
		2757	// create/start timer
		2758
		2759	// poll
		2760	ev_loop (EV_A_ 0);
		2761
		2762	// stop timer again
		2763	if (timeout >= 0)
		2764	ev_timer_stop (EV_A_ &to);
		2765
		2766	// stop io watchers again - their callbacks should have set
		2767	for (n = 0; n < nfds; ++n)
		2768	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ iow [n]);
		2769
		2770	return got_events;
		2771	}
1467		2772
1468		2773
1469	=head2 C<ev_embed> - when one backend isn't enough...	2774	=head2 C<ev_embed> - when one backend isn't enough...
1470		2775
1471	This is a rather advanced watcher type that lets you embed one event loop	2776	This is a rather advanced watcher type that lets you embed one event loop
…		…
1477	prioritise I/O.	2782	prioritise I/O.
1478		2783
1479	As an example for a bug workaround, the kqueue backend might only support	2784	As an example for a bug workaround, the kqueue backend might only support
1480	sockets on some platform, so it is unusable as generic backend, but you	2785	sockets on some platform, so it is unusable as generic backend, but you
1481	still want to make use of it because you have many sockets and it scales	2786	still want to make use of it because you have many sockets and it scales
1482	so nicely. In this case, you would create a kqueue-based loop and embed it	2787	so nicely. In this case, you would create a kqueue-based loop and embed
1483	into your default loop (which might use e.g. poll). Overall operation will	2788	it into your default loop (which might use e.g. poll). Overall operation
1484	be a bit slower because first libev has to poll and then call kevent, but	2789	will be a bit slower because first libev has to call C<poll> and then
1485	at least you can use both at what they are best.	2790	C<kevent>, but at least you can use both mechanisms for what they are
		2791	best: C<kqueue> for scalable sockets and C<poll> if you want it to work :)
1486		2792
1487	As for prioritising I/O: rarely you have the case where some fds have	2793	As for prioritising I/O: under rare circumstances you have the case where
1488	to be watched and handled very quickly (with low latency), and even	2794	some fds have to be watched and handled very quickly (with low latency),
1489	priorities and idle watchers might have too much overhead. In this case	2795	and even priorities and idle watchers might have too much overhead. In
1490	you would put all the high priority stuff in one loop and all the rest in	2796	this case you would put all the high priority stuff in one loop and all
1491	a second one, and embed the second one in the first.	2797	the rest in a second one, and embed the second one in the first.
1492		2798
1493	As long as the watcher is active, the callback will be invoked every time	2799	As long as the watcher is active, the callback will be invoked every
1494	there might be events pending in the embedded loop. The callback must then	2800	time there might be events pending in the embedded loop. The callback
1495	call C<ev_embed_sweep (mainloop, watcher)> to make a single sweep and invoke	2801	must then call C<ev_embed_sweep (mainloop, watcher)> to make a single
1496	their callbacks (you could also start an idle watcher to give the embedded	2802	sweep and invoke their callbacks (the callback doesn't need to invoke the
1497	loop strictly lower priority for example). You can also set the callback	2803	C<ev_embed_sweep> function directly, it could also start an idle watcher
1498	to C<0>, in which case the embed watcher will automatically execute the	2804	to give the embedded loop strictly lower priority for example).
1499	embedded loop sweep.
1500		2805
1501	As long as the watcher is started it will automatically handle events. The	2806	You can also set the callback to C<0>, in which case the embed watcher
1502	callback will be invoked whenever some events have been handled. You can	2807	will automatically execute the embedded loop sweep whenever necessary.
1503	set the callback to C<0> to avoid having to specify one if you are not
1504	interested in that.
1505		2808
1506	Also, there have not currently been made special provisions for forking:	2809	Fork detection will be handled transparently while the C<ev_embed> watcher
1507	when you fork, you not only have to call C<ev_loop_fork> on both loops,	2810	is active, i.e., the embedded loop will automatically be forked when the
1508	but you will also have to stop and restart any C<ev_embed> watchers	2811	embedding loop forks. In other cases, the user is responsible for calling
1509	yourself.	2812	C<ev_loop_fork> on the embedded loop.
1510		2813
1511	Unfortunately, not all backends are embeddable, only the ones returned by	2814	Unfortunately, not all backends are embeddable: only the ones returned by
1512	C<ev_embeddable_backends> are, which, unfortunately, does not include any	2815	C<ev_embeddable_backends> are, which, unfortunately, does not include any
1513	portable one.	2816	portable one.
1514		2817
1515	So when you want to use this feature you will always have to be prepared	2818	So when you want to use this feature you will always have to be prepared
1516	that you cannot get an embeddable loop. The recommended way to get around	2819	that you cannot get an embeddable loop. The recommended way to get around
1517	this is to have a separate variables for your embeddable loop, try to	2820	this is to have a separate variables for your embeddable loop, try to
1518	create it, and if that fails, use the normal loop for everything:	2821	create it, and if that fails, use the normal loop for everything.
1519		2822
1520	struct ev_loop *loop_hi = ev_default_init (0);	2823	=head3 C<ev_embed> and fork
1521	struct ev_loop *loop_lo = 0;
1522	struct ev_embed embed;
1523
1524	// see if there is a chance of getting one that works
1525	// (remember that a flags value of 0 means autodetection)
1526	loop_lo = ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_recommended_backends ()
1527	? ev_loop_new (ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_recommended_backends ())
1528	: 0;
1529		2824
1530	// if we got one, then embed it, otherwise default to loop_hi	2825	While the C<ev_embed> watcher is running, forks in the embedding loop will
1531	if (loop_lo)	2826	automatically be applied to the embedded loop as well, so no special
1532	{	2827	fork handling is required in that case. When the watcher is not running,
1533	ev_embed_init (&embed, 0, loop_lo);	2828	however, it is still the task of the libev user to call C<ev_loop_fork ()>
1534	ev_embed_start (loop_hi, &embed);	2829	as applicable.
1535	}	2830
1536	else	2831	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1537	loop_lo = loop_hi;
1538		2832
1539	=over 4	2833	=over 4
1540		2834
1541	=item ev_embed_init (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)	2835	=item ev_embed_init (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)
1542		2836
…		…
1544		2838
1545	Configures the watcher to embed the given loop, which must be	2839	Configures the watcher to embed the given loop, which must be
1546	embeddable. If the callback is C<0>, then C<ev_embed_sweep> will be	2840	embeddable. If the callback is C<0>, then C<ev_embed_sweep> will be
1547	invoked automatically, otherwise it is the responsibility of the callback	2841	invoked automatically, otherwise it is the responsibility of the callback
1548	to invoke it (it will continue to be called until the sweep has been done,	2842	to invoke it (it will continue to be called until the sweep has been done,
1549	if you do not want thta, you need to temporarily stop the embed watcher).	2843	if you do not want that, you need to temporarily stop the embed watcher).
1550		2844
1551	=item ev_embed_sweep (loop, ev_embed *)	2845	=item ev_embed_sweep (loop, ev_embed *)
1552		2846
1553	Make a single, non-blocking sweep over the embedded loop. This works	2847	Make a single, non-blocking sweep over the embedded loop. This works
1554	similarly to C<ev_loop (embedded_loop, EVLOOP_NONBLOCK)>, but in the most	2848	similarly to C<ev_loop (embedded_loop, EVLOOP_NONBLOCK)>, but in the most
1555	apropriate way for embedded loops.	2849	appropriate way for embedded loops.
1556		2850
1557	=item struct ev_loop *loop [read-only]	2851	=item struct ev_loop *other [read-only]
1558		2852
1559	The embedded event loop.	2853	The embedded event loop.
1560		2854
1561	=back	2855	=back
		2856
		2857	=head3 Examples
		2858
		2859	Example: Try to get an embeddable event loop and embed it into the default
		2860	event loop. If that is not possible, use the default loop. The default
		2861	loop is stored in C<loop_hi>, while the embeddable loop is stored in
		2862	C<loop_lo> (which is C<loop_hi> in the case no embeddable loop can be
		2863	used).
		2864
		2865	struct ev_loop *loop_hi = ev_default_init (0);
		2866	struct ev_loop *loop_lo = 0;
		2867	ev_embed embed;
		2868
		2869	// see if there is a chance of getting one that works
		2870	// (remember that a flags value of 0 means autodetection)
		2871	loop_lo = ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_recommended_backends ()
		2872	? ev_loop_new (ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_recommended_backends ())
		2873	: 0;
		2874
		2875	// if we got one, then embed it, otherwise default to loop_hi
		2876	if (loop_lo)
		2877	{
		2878	ev_embed_init (&embed, 0, loop_lo);
		2879	ev_embed_start (loop_hi, &embed);
		2880	}
		2881	else
		2882	loop_lo = loop_hi;
		2883
		2884	Example: Check if kqueue is available but not recommended and create
		2885	a kqueue backend for use with sockets (which usually work with any
		2886	kqueue implementation). Store the kqueue/socket-only event loop in
		2887	C<loop_socket>. (One might optionally use C<EVFLAG_NOENV>, too).
		2888
		2889	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_init (0);
		2890	struct ev_loop *loop_socket = 0;
		2891	ev_embed embed;
		2892
		2893	if (ev_supported_backends () & ~ev_recommended_backends () & EVBACKEND_KQUEUE)
		2894	if ((loop_socket = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_KQUEUE))
		2895	{
		2896	ev_embed_init (&embed, 0, loop_socket);
		2897	ev_embed_start (loop, &embed);
		2898	}
		2899
		2900	if (!loop_socket)
		2901	loop_socket = loop;
		2902
		2903	// now use loop_socket for all sockets, and loop for everything else
1562		2904
1563		2905
1564	=head2 C<ev_fork> - the audacity to resume the event loop after a fork	2906	=head2 C<ev_fork> - the audacity to resume the event loop after a fork
1565		2907
1566	Fork watchers are called when a C<fork ()> was detected (usually because	2908	Fork watchers are called when a C<fork ()> was detected (usually because
…		…
1569	event loop blocks next and before C<ev_check> watchers are being called,	2911	event loop blocks next and before C<ev_check> watchers are being called,
1570	and only in the child after the fork. If whoever good citizen calling	2912	and only in the child after the fork. If whoever good citizen calling
1571	C<ev_default_fork> cheats and calls it in the wrong process, the fork	2913	C<ev_default_fork> cheats and calls it in the wrong process, the fork
1572	handlers will be invoked, too, of course.	2914	handlers will be invoked, too, of course.
1573		2915
		2916	=head3 The special problem of life after fork - how is it possible?
		2917
		2918	Most uses of C<fork()> consist of forking, then some simple calls to ste
		2919	up/change the process environment, followed by a call to C<exec()>. This
		2920	sequence should be handled by libev without any problems.
		2921
		2922	This changes when the application actually wants to do event handling
		2923	in the child, or both parent in child, in effect "continuing" after the
		2924	fork.
		2925
		2926	The default mode of operation (for libev, with application help to detect
		2927	forks) is to duplicate all the state in the child, as would be expected
		2928	when I<either> the parent I<or> the child process continues.
		2929
		2930	When both processes want to continue using libev, then this is usually the
		2931	wrong result. In that case, usually one process (typically the parent) is
		2932	supposed to continue with all watchers in place as before, while the other
		2933	process typically wants to start fresh, i.e. without any active watchers.
		2934
		2935	The cleanest and most efficient way to achieve that with libev is to
		2936	simply create a new event loop, which of course will be "empty", and
		2937	use that for new watchers. This has the advantage of not touching more
		2938	memory than necessary, and thus avoiding the copy-on-write, and the
		2939	disadvantage of having to use multiple event loops (which do not support
		2940	signal watchers).
		2941
		2942	When this is not possible, or you want to use the default loop for
		2943	other reasons, then in the process that wants to start "fresh", call
		2944	C<ev_default_destroy ()> followed by C<ev_default_loop (...)>. Destroying
		2945	the default loop will "orphan" (not stop) all registered watchers, so you
		2946	have to be careful not to execute code that modifies those watchers. Note
		2947	also that in that case, you have to re-register any signal watchers.
		2948
		2949	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		2950
1574	=over 4	2951	=over 4
1575		2952
1576	=item ev_fork_init (ev_signal *, callback)	2953	=item ev_fork_init (ev_signal *, callback)
1577		2954
1578	Initialises and configures the fork watcher - it has no parameters of any	2955	Initialises and configures the fork watcher - it has no parameters of any
…		…
1580	believe me.	2957	believe me.
1581		2958
1582	=back	2959	=back
1583		2960
1584		2961
		2962	=head2 C<ev_async> - how to wake up another event loop
		2963
		2964	In general, you cannot use an C<ev_loop> from multiple threads or other
		2965	asynchronous sources such as signal handlers (as opposed to multiple event
		2966	loops - those are of course safe to use in different threads).
		2967
		2968	Sometimes, however, you need to wake up another event loop you do not
		2969	control, for example because it belongs to another thread. This is what
		2970	C<ev_async> watchers do: as long as the C<ev_async> watcher is active, you
		2971	can signal it by calling C<ev_async_send>, which is thread- and signal
		2972	safe.
		2973
		2974	This functionality is very similar to C<ev_signal> watchers, as signals,
		2975	too, are asynchronous in nature, and signals, too, will be compressed
		2976	(i.e. the number of callback invocations may be less than the number of
		2977	C<ev_async_sent> calls).
		2978
		2979	Unlike C<ev_signal> watchers, C<ev_async> works with any event loop, not
		2980	just the default loop.
		2981
		2982	=head3 Queueing
		2983
		2984	C<ev_async> does not support queueing of data in any way. The reason
		2985	is that the author does not know of a simple (or any) algorithm for a
		2986	multiple-writer-single-reader queue that works in all cases and doesn't
		2987	need elaborate support such as pthreads or unportable memory access
		2988	semantics.
		2989
		2990	That means that if you want to queue data, you have to provide your own
		2991	queue. But at least I can tell you how to implement locking around your
		2992	queue:
		2993
		2994	=over 4
		2995
		2996	=item queueing from a signal handler context
		2997
		2998	To implement race-free queueing, you simply add to the queue in the signal
		2999	handler but you block the signal handler in the watcher callback. Here is
		3000	an example that does that for some fictitious SIGUSR1 handler:
		3001
		3002	static ev_async mysig;
		3003
		3004	static void
		3005	sigusr1_handler (void)
		3006	{
		3007	sometype data;
		3008
		3009	// no locking etc.
		3010	queue_put (data);
		3011	ev_async_send (EV_DEFAULT_ &mysig);
		3012	}
		3013
		3014	static void
		3015	mysig_cb (EV_P_ ev_async *w, int revents)
		3016	{
		3017	sometype data;
		3018	sigset_t block, prev;
		3019
		3020	sigemptyset (&block);
		3021	sigaddset (&block, SIGUSR1);
		3022	sigprocmask (SIG_BLOCK, &block, &prev);
		3023
		3024	while (queue_get (&data))
		3025	process (data);
		3026
		3027	if (sigismember (&prev, SIGUSR1)
		3028	sigprocmask (SIG_UNBLOCK, &block, 0);
		3029	}
		3030
		3031	(Note: pthreads in theory requires you to use C<pthread_setmask>
		3032	instead of C<sigprocmask> when you use threads, but libev doesn't do it
		3033	either...).
		3034
		3035	=item queueing from a thread context
		3036
		3037	The strategy for threads is different, as you cannot (easily) block
		3038	threads but you can easily preempt them, so to queue safely you need to
		3039	employ a traditional mutex lock, such as in this pthread example:
		3040
		3041	static ev_async mysig;
		3042	static pthread_mutex_t mymutex = PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER;
		3043
		3044	static void
		3045	otherthread (void)
		3046	{
		3047	// only need to lock the actual queueing operation
		3048	pthread_mutex_lock (&mymutex);
		3049	queue_put (data);
		3050	pthread_mutex_unlock (&mymutex);
		3051
		3052	ev_async_send (EV_DEFAULT_ &mysig);
		3053	}
		3054
		3055	static void
		3056	mysig_cb (EV_P_ ev_async *w, int revents)
		3057	{
		3058	pthread_mutex_lock (&mymutex);
		3059
		3060	while (queue_get (&data))
		3061	process (data);
		3062
		3063	pthread_mutex_unlock (&mymutex);
		3064	}
		3065
		3066	=back
		3067
		3068
		3069	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		3070
		3071	=over 4
		3072
		3073	=item ev_async_init (ev_async *, callback)
		3074
		3075	Initialises and configures the async watcher - it has no parameters of any
		3076	kind. There is a C<ev_async_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
		3077	trust me.
		3078
		3079	=item ev_async_send (loop, ev_async *)
		3080
		3081	Sends/signals/activates the given C<ev_async> watcher, that is, feeds
		3082	an C<EV_ASYNC> event on the watcher into the event loop. Unlike
		3083	C<ev_feed_event>, this call is safe to do from other threads, signal or
		3084	similar contexts (see the discussion of C<EV_ATOMIC_T> in the embedding
		3085	section below on what exactly this means).
		3086
		3087	Note that, as with other watchers in libev, multiple events might get
		3088	compressed into a single callback invocation (another way to look at this
		3089	is that C<ev_async> watchers are level-triggered, set on C<ev_async_send>,
		3090	reset when the event loop detects that).
		3091
		3092	This call incurs the overhead of a system call only once per event loop
		3093	iteration, so while the overhead might be noticeable, it doesn't apply to
		3094	repeated calls to C<ev_async_send> for the same event loop.
		3095
		3096	=item bool = ev_async_pending (ev_async *)
		3097
		3098	Returns a non-zero value when C<ev_async_send> has been called on the
		3099	watcher but the event has not yet been processed (or even noted) by the
		3100	event loop.
		3101
		3102	C<ev_async_send> sets a flag in the watcher and wakes up the loop. When
		3103	the loop iterates next and checks for the watcher to have become active,
		3104	it will reset the flag again. C<ev_async_pending> can be used to very
		3105	quickly check whether invoking the loop might be a good idea.
		3106
		3107	Not that this does I<not> check whether the watcher itself is pending,
		3108	only whether it has been requested to make this watcher pending: there
		3109	is a time window between the event loop checking and resetting the async
		3110	notification, and the callback being invoked.
		3111
		3112	=back
		3113
		3114
1585	=head1 OTHER FUNCTIONS	3115	=head1 OTHER FUNCTIONS
1586		3116
1587	There are some other functions of possible interest. Described. Here. Now.	3117	There are some other functions of possible interest. Described. Here. Now.
1588		3118
1589	=over 4	3119	=over 4
1590		3120
1591	=item ev_once (loop, int fd, int events, ev_tstamp timeout, callback)	3121	=item ev_once (loop, int fd, int events, ev_tstamp timeout, callback)
1592		3122
1593	This function combines a simple timer and an I/O watcher, calls your	3123	This function combines a simple timer and an I/O watcher, calls your
1594	callback on whichever event happens first and automatically stop both	3124	callback on whichever event happens first and automatically stops both
1595	watchers. This is useful if you want to wait for a single event on an fd	3125	watchers. This is useful if you want to wait for a single event on an fd
1596	or timeout without having to allocate/configure/start/stop/free one or	3126	or timeout without having to allocate/configure/start/stop/free one or
1597	more watchers yourself.	3127	more watchers yourself.
1598		3128
1599	If C<fd> is less than 0, then no I/O watcher will be started and events	3129	If C<fd> is less than 0, then no I/O watcher will be started and the
1600	is being ignored. Otherwise, an C<ev_io> watcher for the given C<fd> and	3130	C<events> argument is being ignored. Otherwise, an C<ev_io> watcher for
1601	C<events> set will be craeted and started.	3131	the given C<fd> and C<events> set will be created and started.
1602		3132
1603	If C<timeout> is less than 0, then no timeout watcher will be	3133	If C<timeout> is less than 0, then no timeout watcher will be
1604	started. Otherwise an C<ev_timer> watcher with after = C<timeout> (and	3134	started. Otherwise an C<ev_timer> watcher with after = C<timeout> (and
1605	repeat = 0) will be started. While C<0> is a valid timeout, it is of	3135	repeat = 0) will be started. C<0> is a valid timeout.
1606	dubious value.
1607		3136
1608	The callback has the type C<void (*cb)(int revents, void *arg)> and gets	3137	The callback has the type C<void (*cb)(int revents, void *arg)> and gets
1609	passed an C<revents> set like normal event callbacks (a combination of	3138	passed an C<revents> set like normal event callbacks (a combination of
1610	C<EV_ERROR>, C<EV_READ>, C<EV_WRITE> or C<EV_TIMEOUT>) and the C<arg>	3139	C<EV_ERROR>, C<EV_READ>, C<EV_WRITE> or C<EV_TIMEOUT>) and the C<arg>
1611	value passed to C<ev_once>:	3140	value passed to C<ev_once>. Note that it is possible to receive I<both>
		3141	a timeout and an io event at the same time - you probably should give io
		3142	events precedence.
1612		3143
		3144	Example: wait up to ten seconds for data to appear on STDIN_FILENO.
		3145
1613	static void stdin_ready (int revents, void *arg)	3146	static void stdin_ready (int revents, void *arg)
1614	{	3147	{
1615	if (revents & EV_TIMEOUT)
1616	/* doh, nothing entered */;
1617	else if (revents & EV_READ)	3148	if (revents & EV_READ)
1618	/* stdin might have data for us, joy! */;	3149	/* stdin might have data for us, joy! */;
		3150	else if (revents & EV_TIMEOUT)
		3151	/* doh, nothing entered */;
1619	}	3152	}
1620		3153
1621	ev_once (STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ, 10., stdin_ready, 0);	3154	ev_once (STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ, 10., stdin_ready, 0);
1622		3155
1623	=item ev_feed_event (ev_loop *, watcher *, int revents)
1624
1625	Feeds the given event set into the event loop, as if the specified event
1626	had happened for the specified watcher (which must be a pointer to an
1627	initialised but not necessarily started event watcher).
1628
1629	=item ev_feed_fd_event (ev_loop *, int fd, int revents)	3156	=item ev_feed_fd_event (loop, int fd, int revents)
1630		3157
1631	Feed an event on the given fd, as if a file descriptor backend detected	3158	Feed an event on the given fd, as if a file descriptor backend detected
1632	the given events it.	3159	the given events it.
1633		3160
1634	=item ev_feed_signal_event (ev_loop *loop, int signum)	3161	=item ev_feed_signal_event (loop, int signum)
1635		3162
1636	Feed an event as if the given signal occured (C<loop> must be the default	3163	Feed an event as if the given signal occurred (C<loop> must be the default
1637	loop!).	3164	loop!).
1638		3165
1639	=back	3166	=back
1640		3167
1641		3168
…		…
1657		3184
1658	=item * Priorities are not currently supported. Initialising priorities	3185	=item * Priorities are not currently supported. Initialising priorities
1659	will fail and all watchers will have the same priority, even though there	3186	will fail and all watchers will have the same priority, even though there
1660	is an ev_pri field.	3187	is an ev_pri field.
1661		3188
		3189	=item * In libevent, the last base created gets the signals, in libev, the
		3190	first base created (== the default loop) gets the signals.
		3191
1662	=item * Other members are not supported.	3192	=item * Other members are not supported.
1663		3193
1664	=item * The libev emulation is I<not> ABI compatible to libevent, you need	3194	=item * The libev emulation is I<not> ABI compatible to libevent, you need
1665	to use the libev header file and library.	3195	to use the libev header file and library.
1666		3196
1667	=back	3197	=back
1668		3198
1669	=head1 C++ SUPPORT	3199	=head1 C++ SUPPORT
1670		3200
1671	Libev comes with some simplistic wrapper classes for C++ that mainly allow	3201	Libev comes with some simplistic wrapper classes for C++ that mainly allow
1672	you to use some convinience methods to start/stop watchers and also change	3202	you to use some convenience methods to start/stop watchers and also change
1673	the callback model to a model using method callbacks on objects.	3203	the callback model to a model using method callbacks on objects.
1674		3204
1675	To use it,	3205	To use it,
1676		3206
1677	#include <ev++.h>	3207	#include <ev++.h>
1678		3208
1679	(it is not installed by default). This automatically includes F<ev.h>	3209	This automatically includes F<ev.h> and puts all of its definitions (many
1680	and puts all of its definitions (many of them macros) into the global	3210	of them macros) into the global namespace. All C++ specific things are
1681	namespace. All C++ specific things are put into the C<ev> namespace.	3211	put into the C<ev> namespace. It should support all the same embedding
		3212	options as F<ev.h>, most notably C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>.
1682		3213
1683	It should support all the same embedding options as F<ev.h>, most notably	3214	Care has been taken to keep the overhead low. The only data member the C++
1684	C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>.	3215	classes add (compared to plain C-style watchers) is the event loop pointer
		3216	that the watcher is associated with (or no additional members at all if
		3217	you disable C<EV_MULTIPLICITY> when embedding libev).
		3218
		3219	Currently, functions, and static and non-static member functions can be
		3220	used as callbacks. Other types should be easy to add as long as they only
		3221	need one additional pointer for context. If you need support for other
		3222	types of functors please contact the author (preferably after implementing
		3223	it).
1685		3224
1686	Here is a list of things available in the C<ev> namespace:	3225	Here is a list of things available in the C<ev> namespace:
1687		3226
1688	=over 4	3227	=over 4
1689		3228
…		…
1705		3244
1706	All of those classes have these methods:	3245	All of those classes have these methods:
1707		3246
1708	=over 4	3247	=over 4
1709		3248
1710	=item ev::TYPE::TYPE (object *, object::method *)	3249	=item ev::TYPE::TYPE ()
1711		3250
1712	=item ev::TYPE::TYPE (object *, object::method *, struct ev_loop *)	3251	=item ev::TYPE::TYPE (loop)
1713		3252
1714	=item ev::TYPE::~TYPE	3253	=item ev::TYPE::~TYPE
1715		3254
1716	The constructor takes a pointer to an object and a method pointer to	3255	The constructor (optionally) takes an event loop to associate the watcher
1717	the event handler callback to call in this class. The constructor calls	3256	with. If it is omitted, it will use C<EV_DEFAULT>.
1718	C<ev_init> for you, which means you have to call the C<set> method	3257
1719	before starting it. If you do not specify a loop then the constructor	3258	The constructor calls C<ev_init> for you, which means you have to call the
1720	automatically associates the default loop with this watcher.	3259	C<set> method before starting it.
		3260
		3261	It will not set a callback, however: You have to call the templated C<set>
		3262	method to set a callback before you can start the watcher.
		3263
		3264	(The reason why you have to use a method is a limitation in C++ which does
		3265	not allow explicit template arguments for constructors).
1721		3266
1722	The destructor automatically stops the watcher if it is active.	3267	The destructor automatically stops the watcher if it is active.
1723		3268
		3269	=item w->set<class, &class::method> (object *)
		3270
		3271	This method sets the callback method to call. The method has to have a
		3272	signature of C<void (*)(ev_TYPE &, int)>, it receives the watcher as
		3273	first argument and the C<revents> as second. The object must be given as
		3274	parameter and is stored in the C<data> member of the watcher.
		3275
		3276	This method synthesizes efficient thunking code to call your method from
		3277	the C callback that libev requires. If your compiler can inline your
		3278	callback (i.e. it is visible to it at the place of the C<set> call and
		3279	your compiler is good :), then the method will be fully inlined into the
		3280	thunking function, making it as fast as a direct C callback.
		3281
		3282	Example: simple class declaration and watcher initialisation
		3283
		3284	struct myclass
		3285	{
		3286	void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents) { }
		3287	}
		3288
		3289	myclass obj;
		3290	ev::io iow;
		3291	iow.set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb> (&obj);
		3292
		3293	=item w->set (object *)
		3294
		3295	This is an B<experimental> feature that might go away in a future version.
		3296
		3297	This is a variation of a method callback - leaving out the method to call
		3298	will default the method to C<operator ()>, which makes it possible to use
		3299	functor objects without having to manually specify the C<operator ()> all
		3300	the time. Incidentally, you can then also leave out the template argument
		3301	list.
		3302
		3303	The C<operator ()> method prototype must be C<void operator ()(watcher &w,
		3304	int revents)>.
		3305
		3306	See the method-C<set> above for more details.
		3307
		3308	Example: use a functor object as callback.
		3309
		3310	struct myfunctor
		3311	{
		3312	void operator() (ev::io &w, int revents)
		3313	{
		3314	...
		3315	}
		3316	}
		3317
		3318	myfunctor f;
		3319
		3320	ev::io w;
		3321	w.set (&f);
		3322
		3323	=item w->set<function> (void *data = 0)
		3324
		3325	Also sets a callback, but uses a static method or plain function as
		3326	callback. The optional C<data> argument will be stored in the watcher's
		3327	C<data> member and is free for you to use.
		3328
		3329	The prototype of the C<function> must be C<void (*)(ev::TYPE &w, int)>.
		3330
		3331	See the method-C<set> above for more details.
		3332
		3333	Example: Use a plain function as callback.
		3334
		3335	static void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents) { }
		3336	iow.set <io_cb> ();
		3337
1724	=item w->set (struct ev_loop *)	3338	=item w->set (loop)
1725		3339
1726	Associates a different C<struct ev_loop> with this watcher. You can only	3340	Associates a different C<struct ev_loop> with this watcher. You can only
1727	do this when the watcher is inactive (and not pending either).	3341	do this when the watcher is inactive (and not pending either).
1728		3342
1729	=item w->set ([args])	3343	=item w->set ([arguments])
1730		3344
1731	Basically the same as C<ev_TYPE_set>, with the same args. Must be	3345	Basically the same as C<ev_TYPE_set>, with the same arguments. Must be
1732	called at least once. Unlike the C counterpart, an active watcher gets	3346	called at least once. Unlike the C counterpart, an active watcher gets
1733	automatically stopped and restarted.	3347	automatically stopped and restarted when reconfiguring it with this
		3348	method.
1734		3349
1735	=item w->start ()	3350	=item w->start ()
1736		3351
1737	Starts the watcher. Note that there is no C<loop> argument as the	3352	Starts the watcher. Note that there is no C<loop> argument, as the
1738	constructor already takes the loop.	3353	constructor already stores the event loop.
1739		3354
1740	=item w->stop ()	3355	=item w->stop ()
1741		3356
1742	Stops the watcher if it is active. Again, no C<loop> argument.	3357	Stops the watcher if it is active. Again, no C<loop> argument.
1743		3358
1744	=item w->again () C<ev::timer>, C<ev::periodic> only	3359	=item w->again () (C<ev::timer>, C<ev::periodic> only)
1745		3360
1746	For C<ev::timer> and C<ev::periodic>, this invokes the corresponding	3361	For C<ev::timer> and C<ev::periodic>, this invokes the corresponding
1747	C<ev_TYPE_again> function.	3362	C<ev_TYPE_again> function.
1748		3363
1749	=item w->sweep () C<ev::embed> only	3364	=item w->sweep () (C<ev::embed> only)
1750		3365
1751	Invokes C<ev_embed_sweep>.	3366	Invokes C<ev_embed_sweep>.
1752		3367
1753	=item w->update () C<ev::stat> only	3368	=item w->update () (C<ev::stat> only)
1754		3369
1755	Invokes C<ev_stat_stat>.	3370	Invokes C<ev_stat_stat>.
1756		3371
1757	=back	3372	=back
1758		3373
1759	=back	3374	=back
1760		3375
1761	Example: Define a class with an IO and idle watcher, start one of them in	3376	Example: Define a class with an IO and idle watcher, start one of them in
1762	the constructor.	3377	the constructor.
1763		3378
1764	class myclass	3379	class myclass
1765	{	3380	{
1766	ev_io io; void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents);	3381	ev::io io ; void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents);
1767	ev_idle idle void idle_cb (ev::idle &w, int revents);	3382	ev::idle idle; void idle_cb (ev::idle &w, int revents);
1768		3383
1769	myclass ();	3384	myclass (int fd)
1770	}	3385	{
		3386	io .set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb > (this);
		3387	idle.set <myclass, &myclass::idle_cb> (this);
1771		3388
1772	myclass::myclass (int fd)
1773	: io (this, &myclass::io_cb),
1774	idle (this, &myclass::idle_cb)
1775	{
1776	io.start (fd, ev::READ);	3389	io.start (fd, ev::READ);
		3390	}
1777	}	3391	};
		3392
		3393
		3394	=head1 OTHER LANGUAGE BINDINGS
		3395
		3396	Libev does not offer other language bindings itself, but bindings for a
		3397	number of languages exist in the form of third-party packages. If you know
		3398	any interesting language binding in addition to the ones listed here, drop
		3399	me a note.
		3400
		3401	=over 4
		3402
		3403	=item Perl
		3404
		3405	The EV module implements the full libev API and is actually used to test
		3406	libev. EV is developed together with libev. Apart from the EV core module,
		3407	there are additional modules that implement libev-compatible interfaces
		3408	to C<libadns> (C<EV::ADNS>, but C<AnyEvent::DNS> is preferred nowadays),
		3409	C<Net::SNMP> (C<Net::SNMP::EV>) and the C<libglib> event core (C<Glib::EV>
		3410	and C<EV::Glib>).
		3411
		3412	It can be found and installed via CPAN, its homepage is at
		3413	L<http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/EV>.
		3414
		3415	=item Python
		3416
		3417	Python bindings can be found at L<http://code.google.com/p/pyev/>. It
		3418	seems to be quite complete and well-documented.
		3419
		3420	=item Ruby
		3421
		3422	Tony Arcieri has written a ruby extension that offers access to a subset
		3423	of the libev API and adds file handle abstractions, asynchronous DNS and
		3424	more on top of it. It can be found via gem servers. Its homepage is at
		3425	L<http://rev.rubyforge.org/>.
		3426
		3427	Roger Pack reports that using the link order C<-lws2_32 -lmsvcrt-ruby-190>
		3428	makes rev work even on mingw.
		3429
		3430	=item Haskell
		3431
		3432	A haskell binding to libev is available at
		3433	L<http://hackage.haskell.org/cgi-bin/hackage-scripts/package/hlibev>.
		3434
		3435	=item D
		3436
		3437	Leandro Lucarella has written a D language binding (F<ev.d>) for libev, to
		3438	be found at L<http://proj.llucax.com.ar/wiki/evd>.
		3439
		3440	=item Ocaml
		3441
		3442	Erkki Seppala has written Ocaml bindings for libev, to be found at
		3443	L<http://modeemi.cs.tut.fi/~flux/software/ocaml-ev/>.
		3444
		3445	=item Lua
		3446
		3447	Brian Maher has written a partial interface to libev
		3448	for lua (only C<ev_io> and C<ev_timer>), to be found at
		3449	L<http://github.com/brimworks/lua-ev>.
		3450
		3451	=back
1778		3452
1779		3453
1780	=head1 MACRO MAGIC	3454	=head1 MACRO MAGIC
1781		3455
1782	Libev can be compiled with a variety of options, the most fundemantal is	3456	Libev can be compiled with a variety of options, the most fundamental
1783	C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>. This option determines wether (most) functions and	3457	of which is C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>. This option determines whether (most)
1784	callbacks have an initial C<struct ev_loop *> argument.	3458	functions and callbacks have an initial C<struct ev_loop *> argument.
1785		3459
1786	To make it easier to write programs that cope with either variant, the	3460	To make it easier to write programs that cope with either variant, the
1787	following macros are defined:	3461	following macros are defined:
1788		3462
1789	=over 4	3463	=over 4
…		…
1792		3466
1793	This provides the loop I<argument> for functions, if one is required ("ev	3467	This provides the loop I<argument> for functions, if one is required ("ev
1794	loop argument"). The C<EV_A> form is used when this is the sole argument,	3468	loop argument"). The C<EV_A> form is used when this is the sole argument,
1795	C<EV_A_> is used when other arguments are following. Example:	3469	C<EV_A_> is used when other arguments are following. Example:
1796		3470
1797	ev_unref (EV_A);	3471	ev_unref (EV_A);
1798	ev_timer_add (EV_A_ watcher);	3472	ev_timer_add (EV_A_ watcher);
1799	ev_loop (EV_A_ 0);	3473	ev_loop (EV_A_ 0);
1800		3474
1801	It assumes the variable C<loop> of type C<struct ev_loop *> is in scope,	3475	It assumes the variable C<loop> of type C<struct ev_loop *> is in scope,
1802	which is often provided by the following macro.	3476	which is often provided by the following macro.
1803		3477
1804	=item C<EV_P>, C<EV_P_>	3478	=item C<EV_P>, C<EV_P_>
1805		3479
1806	This provides the loop I<parameter> for functions, if one is required ("ev	3480	This provides the loop I<parameter> for functions, if one is required ("ev
1807	loop parameter"). The C<EV_P> form is used when this is the sole parameter,	3481	loop parameter"). The C<EV_P> form is used when this is the sole parameter,
1808	C<EV_P_> is used when other parameters are following. Example:	3482	C<EV_P_> is used when other parameters are following. Example:
1809		3483
1810	// this is how ev_unref is being declared	3484	// this is how ev_unref is being declared
1811	static void ev_unref (EV_P);	3485	static void ev_unref (EV_P);
1812		3486
1813	// this is how you can declare your typical callback	3487	// this is how you can declare your typical callback
1814	static void cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)	3488	static void cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
1815		3489
1816	It declares a parameter C<loop> of type C<struct ev_loop *>, quite	3490	It declares a parameter C<loop> of type C<struct ev_loop *>, quite
1817	suitable for use with C<EV_A>.	3491	suitable for use with C<EV_A>.
1818		3492
1819	=item C<EV_DEFAULT>, C<EV_DEFAULT_>	3493	=item C<EV_DEFAULT>, C<EV_DEFAULT_>
1820		3494
1821	Similar to the other two macros, this gives you the value of the default	3495	Similar to the other two macros, this gives you the value of the default
1822	loop, if multiple loops are supported ("ev loop default").	3496	loop, if multiple loops are supported ("ev loop default").
1823		3497
		3498	=item C<EV_DEFAULT_UC>, C<EV_DEFAULT_UC_>
		3499
		3500	Usage identical to C<EV_DEFAULT> and C<EV_DEFAULT_>, but requires that the
		3501	default loop has been initialised (C<UC> == unchecked). Their behaviour
		3502	is undefined when the default loop has not been initialised by a previous
		3503	execution of C<EV_DEFAULT>, C<EV_DEFAULT_> or C<ev_default_init (...)>.
		3504
		3505	It is often prudent to use C<EV_DEFAULT> when initialising the first
		3506	watcher in a function but use C<EV_DEFAULT_UC> afterwards.
		3507
1824	=back	3508	=back
1825		3509
1826	Example: Declare and initialise a check watcher, working regardless of	3510	Example: Declare and initialise a check watcher, utilising the above
1827	wether multiple loops are supported or not.	3511	macros so it will work regardless of whether multiple loops are supported
		3512	or not.
1828		3513
1829	static void	3514	static void
1830	check_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)	3515	check_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
1831	{	3516	{
1832	ev_check_stop (EV_A_ w);	3517	ev_check_stop (EV_A_ w);
1833	}	3518	}
1834		3519
1835	ev_check check;	3520	ev_check check;
1836	ev_check_init (&check, check_cb);	3521	ev_check_init (&check, check_cb);
1837	ev_check_start (EV_DEFAULT_ &check);	3522	ev_check_start (EV_DEFAULT_ &check);
1838	ev_loop (EV_DEFAULT_ 0);	3523	ev_loop (EV_DEFAULT_ 0);
1839
1840		3524
1841	=head1 EMBEDDING	3525	=head1 EMBEDDING
1842		3526
1843	Libev can (and often is) directly embedded into host	3527	Libev can (and often is) directly embedded into host
1844	applications. Examples of applications that embed it include the Deliantra	3528	applications. Examples of applications that embed it include the Deliantra
1845	Game Server, the EV perl module, the GNU Virtual Private Ethernet (gvpe)	3529	Game Server, the EV perl module, the GNU Virtual Private Ethernet (gvpe)
1846	and rxvt-unicode.	3530	and rxvt-unicode.
1847		3531
1848	The goal is to enable you to just copy the neecssary files into your	3532	The goal is to enable you to just copy the necessary files into your
1849	source directory without having to change even a single line in them, so	3533	source directory without having to change even a single line in them, so
1850	you can easily upgrade by simply copying (or having a checked-out copy of	3534	you can easily upgrade by simply copying (or having a checked-out copy of
1851	libev somewhere in your source tree).	3535	libev somewhere in your source tree).
1852		3536
1853	=head2 FILESETS	3537	=head2 FILESETS
1854		3538
1855	Depending on what features you need you need to include one or more sets of files	3539	Depending on what features you need you need to include one or more sets of files
1856	in your app.	3540	in your application.
1857		3541
1858	=head3 CORE EVENT LOOP	3542	=head3 CORE EVENT LOOP
1859		3543
1860	To include only the libev core (all the C<ev_*> functions), with manual	3544	To include only the libev core (all the C<ev_*> functions), with manual
1861	configuration (no autoconf):	3545	configuration (no autoconf):
1862		3546
1863	#define EV_STANDALONE 1	3547	#define EV_STANDALONE 1
1864	#include "ev.c"	3548	#include "ev.c"
1865		3549
1866	This will automatically include F<ev.h>, too, and should be done in a	3550	This will automatically include F<ev.h>, too, and should be done in a
1867	single C source file only to provide the function implementations. To use	3551	single C source file only to provide the function implementations. To use
1868	it, do the same for F<ev.h> in all files wishing to use this API (best	3552	it, do the same for F<ev.h> in all files wishing to use this API (best
1869	done by writing a wrapper around F<ev.h> that you can include instead and	3553	done by writing a wrapper around F<ev.h> that you can include instead and
1870	where you can put other configuration options):	3554	where you can put other configuration options):
1871		3555
1872	#define EV_STANDALONE 1	3556	#define EV_STANDALONE 1
1873	#include "ev.h"	3557	#include "ev.h"
1874		3558
1875	Both header files and implementation files can be compiled with a C++	3559	Both header files and implementation files can be compiled with a C++
1876	compiler (at least, thats a stated goal, and breakage will be treated	3560	compiler (at least, that's a stated goal, and breakage will be treated
1877	as a bug).	3561	as a bug).
1878		3562
1879	You need the following files in your source tree, or in a directory	3563	You need the following files in your source tree, or in a directory
1880	in your include path (e.g. in libev/ when using -Ilibev):	3564	in your include path (e.g. in libev/ when using -Ilibev):
1881		3565
1882	ev.h	3566	ev.h
1883	ev.c	3567	ev.c
1884	ev_vars.h	3568	ev_vars.h
1885	ev_wrap.h	3569	ev_wrap.h
1886		3570
1887	ev_win32.c required on win32 platforms only	3571	ev_win32.c required on win32 platforms only
1888		3572
1889	ev_select.c only when select backend is enabled (which is by default)	3573	ev_select.c only when select backend is enabled (which is enabled by default)
1890	ev_poll.c only when poll backend is enabled (disabled by default)	3574	ev_poll.c only when poll backend is enabled (disabled by default)
1891	ev_epoll.c only when the epoll backend is enabled (disabled by default)	3575	ev_epoll.c only when the epoll backend is enabled (disabled by default)
1892	ev_kqueue.c only when the kqueue backend is enabled (disabled by default)	3576	ev_kqueue.c only when the kqueue backend is enabled (disabled by default)
1893	ev_port.c only when the solaris port backend is enabled (disabled by default)	3577	ev_port.c only when the solaris port backend is enabled (disabled by default)
1894		3578
1895	F<ev.c> includes the backend files directly when enabled, so you only need	3579	F<ev.c> includes the backend files directly when enabled, so you only need
1896	to compile this single file.	3580	to compile this single file.
1897		3581
1898	=head3 LIBEVENT COMPATIBILITY API	3582	=head3 LIBEVENT COMPATIBILITY API
1899		3583
1900	To include the libevent compatibility API, also include:	3584	To include the libevent compatibility API, also include:
1901		3585
1902	#include "event.c"	3586	#include "event.c"
1903		3587
1904	in the file including F<ev.c>, and:	3588	in the file including F<ev.c>, and:
1905		3589
1906	#include "event.h"	3590	#include "event.h"
1907		3591
1908	in the files that want to use the libevent API. This also includes F<ev.h>.	3592	in the files that want to use the libevent API. This also includes F<ev.h>.
1909		3593
1910	You need the following additional files for this:	3594	You need the following additional files for this:
1911		3595
1912	event.h	3596	event.h
1913	event.c	3597	event.c
1914		3598
1915	=head3 AUTOCONF SUPPORT	3599	=head3 AUTOCONF SUPPORT
1916		3600
1917	Instead of using C<EV_STANDALONE=1> and providing your config in	3601	Instead of using C<EV_STANDALONE=1> and providing your configuration in
1918	whatever way you want, you can also C<m4_include([libev.m4])> in your	3602	whatever way you want, you can also C<m4_include([libev.m4])> in your
1919	F<configure.ac> and leave C<EV_STANDALONE> undefined. F<ev.c> will then	3603	F<configure.ac> and leave C<EV_STANDALONE> undefined. F<ev.c> will then
1920	include F<config.h> and configure itself accordingly.	3604	include F<config.h> and configure itself accordingly.
1921		3605
1922	For this of course you need the m4 file:	3606	For this of course you need the m4 file:
1923		3607
1924	libev.m4	3608	libev.m4
1925		3609
1926	=head2 PREPROCESSOR SYMBOLS/MACROS	3610	=head2 PREPROCESSOR SYMBOLS/MACROS
1927		3611
1928	Libev can be configured via a variety of preprocessor symbols you have to define	3612	Libev can be configured via a variety of preprocessor symbols you have to
1929	before including any of its files. The default is not to build for multiplicity	3613	define before including any of its files. The default in the absence of
1930	and only include the select backend.	3614	autoconf is documented for every option.
1931		3615
1932	=over 4	3616	=over 4
1933		3617
1934	=item EV_STANDALONE	3618	=item EV_STANDALONE
1935		3619
…		…
1937	keeps libev from including F<config.h>, and it also defines dummy	3621	keeps libev from including F<config.h>, and it also defines dummy
1938	implementations for some libevent functions (such as logging, which is not	3622	implementations for some libevent functions (such as logging, which is not
1939	supported). It will also not define any of the structs usually found in	3623	supported). It will also not define any of the structs usually found in
1940	F<event.h> that are not directly supported by the libev core alone.	3624	F<event.h> that are not directly supported by the libev core alone.
1941		3625
		3626	In standalone mode, libev will still try to automatically deduce the
		3627	configuration, but has to be more conservative.
		3628
1942	=item EV_USE_MONOTONIC	3629	=item EV_USE_MONOTONIC
1943		3630
1944	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the	3631	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the
1945	monotonic clock option at both compiletime and runtime. Otherwise no use	3632	monotonic clock option at both compile time and runtime. Otherwise no
1946	of the monotonic clock option will be attempted. If you enable this, you	3633	use of the monotonic clock option will be attempted. If you enable this,
1947	usually have to link against librt or something similar. Enabling it when	3634	you usually have to link against librt or something similar. Enabling it
1948	the functionality isn't available is safe, though, althoguh you have	3635	when the functionality isn't available is safe, though, although you have
1949	to make sure you link against any libraries where the C<clock_gettime>	3636	to make sure you link against any libraries where the C<clock_gettime>
1950	function is hiding in (often F<-lrt>).	3637	function is hiding in (often F<-lrt>). See also C<EV_USE_CLOCK_SYSCALL>.
1951		3638
1952	=item EV_USE_REALTIME	3639	=item EV_USE_REALTIME
1953		3640
1954	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the	3641	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the
1955	realtime clock option at compiletime (and assume its availability at	3642	real-time clock option at compile time (and assume its availability
1956	runtime if successful). Otherwise no use of the realtime clock option will	3643	at runtime if successful). Otherwise no use of the real-time clock
1957	be attempted. This effectively replaces C<gettimeofday> by C<clock_get	3644	option will be attempted. This effectively replaces C<gettimeofday>
1958	(CLOCK_REALTIME, ...)> and will not normally affect correctness. See tzhe note about libraries	3645	by C<clock_get (CLOCK_REALTIME, ...)> and will not normally affect
1959	in the description of C<EV_USE_MONOTONIC>, though.	3646	correctness. See the note about libraries in the description of
		3647	C<EV_USE_MONOTONIC>, though. Defaults to the opposite value of
		3648	C<EV_USE_CLOCK_SYSCALL>.
		3649
		3650	=item EV_USE_CLOCK_SYSCALL
		3651
		3652	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to use a direct syscall instead
		3653	of calling the system-provided C<clock_gettime> function. This option
		3654	exists because on GNU/Linux, C<clock_gettime> is in C<librt>, but C<librt>
		3655	unconditionally pulls in C<libpthread>, slowing down single-threaded
		3656	programs needlessly. Using a direct syscall is slightly slower (in
		3657	theory), because no optimised vdso implementation can be used, but avoids
		3658	the pthread dependency. Defaults to C<1> on GNU/Linux with glibc 2.x or
		3659	higher, as it simplifies linking (no need for C<-lrt>).
		3660
		3661	=item EV_USE_NANOSLEEP
		3662
		3663	If defined to be C<1>, libev will assume that C<nanosleep ()> is available
		3664	and will use it for delays. Otherwise it will use C<select ()>.
		3665
		3666	=item EV_USE_EVENTFD
		3667
		3668	If defined to be C<1>, then libev will assume that C<eventfd ()> is
		3669	available and will probe for kernel support at runtime. This will improve
		3670	C<ev_signal> and C<ev_async> performance and reduce resource consumption.
		3671	If undefined, it will be enabled if the headers indicate GNU/Linux + Glibc
		3672	2.7 or newer, otherwise disabled.
1960		3673
1961	=item EV_USE_SELECT	3674	=item EV_USE_SELECT
1962		3675
1963	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the	3676	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the
1964	C<select>(2) backend. No attempt at autodetection will be done: if no	3677	C<select>(2) backend. No attempt at auto-detection will be done: if no
1965	other method takes over, select will be it. Otherwise the select backend	3678	other method takes over, select will be it. Otherwise the select backend
1966	will not be compiled in.	3679	will not be compiled in.
1967		3680
1968	=item EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET	3681	=item EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET
1969		3682
1970	If defined to C<1>, then the select backend will use the system C<fd_set>	3683	If defined to C<1>, then the select backend will use the system C<fd_set>
1971	structure. This is useful if libev doesn't compile due to a missing	3684	structure. This is useful if libev doesn't compile due to a missing
1972	C<NFDBITS> or C<fd_mask> definition or it misguesses the bitset layout on	3685	C<NFDBITS> or C<fd_mask> definition or it mis-guesses the bitset layout
1973	exotic systems. This usually limits the range of file descriptors to some	3686	on exotic systems. This usually limits the range of file descriptors to
1974	low limit such as 1024 or might have other limitations (winsocket only	3687	some low limit such as 1024 or might have other limitations (winsocket
1975	allows 64 sockets). The C<FD_SETSIZE> macro, set before compilation, might	3688	only allows 64 sockets). The C<FD_SETSIZE> macro, set before compilation,
1976	influence the size of the C<fd_set> used.	3689	configures the maximum size of the C<fd_set>.
1977		3690
1978	=item EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET	3691	=item EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET
1979		3692
1980	When defined to C<1>, the select backend will assume that	3693	When defined to C<1>, the select backend will assume that
1981	select/socket/connect etc. don't understand file descriptors but	3694	select/socket/connect etc. don't understand file descriptors but
…		…
1983	be used is the winsock select). This means that it will call	3696	be used is the winsock select). This means that it will call
1984	C<_get_osfhandle> on the fd to convert it to an OS handle. Otherwise,	3697	C<_get_osfhandle> on the fd to convert it to an OS handle. Otherwise,
1985	it is assumed that all these functions actually work on fds, even	3698	it is assumed that all these functions actually work on fds, even
1986	on win32. Should not be defined on non-win32 platforms.	3699	on win32. Should not be defined on non-win32 platforms.
1987		3700
		3701	=item EV_FD_TO_WIN32_HANDLE(fd)
		3702
		3703	If C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> is enabled, then libev needs a way to map
		3704	file descriptors to socket handles. When not defining this symbol (the
		3705	default), then libev will call C<_get_osfhandle>, which is usually
		3706	correct. In some cases, programs use their own file descriptor management,
		3707	in which case they can provide this function to map fds to socket handles.
		3708
		3709	=item EV_WIN32_HANDLE_TO_FD(handle)
		3710
		3711	If C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> then libev maps handles to file descriptors
		3712	using the standard C<_open_osfhandle> function. For programs implementing
		3713	their own fd to handle mapping, overwriting this function makes it easier
		3714	to do so. This can be done by defining this macro to an appropriate value.
		3715
		3716	=item EV_WIN32_CLOSE_FD(fd)
		3717
		3718	If programs implement their own fd to handle mapping on win32, then this
		3719	macro can be used to override the C<close> function, useful to unregister
		3720	file descriptors again. Note that the replacement function has to close
		3721	the underlying OS handle.
		3722
1988	=item EV_USE_POLL	3723	=item EV_USE_POLL
1989		3724
1990	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the C<poll>(2)	3725	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the C<poll>(2)
1991	backend. Otherwise it will be enabled on non-win32 platforms. It	3726	backend. Otherwise it will be enabled on non-win32 platforms. It
1992	takes precedence over select.	3727	takes precedence over select.
1993		3728
1994	=item EV_USE_EPOLL	3729	=item EV_USE_EPOLL
1995		3730
1996	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux	3731	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux
1997	C<epoll>(7) backend. Its availability will be detected at runtime,	3732	C<epoll>(7) backend. Its availability will be detected at runtime,
1998	otherwise another method will be used as fallback. This is the	3733	otherwise another method will be used as fallback. This is the preferred
1999	preferred backend for GNU/Linux systems.	3734	backend for GNU/Linux systems. If undefined, it will be enabled if the
		3735	headers indicate GNU/Linux + Glibc 2.4 or newer, otherwise disabled.
2000		3736
2001	=item EV_USE_KQUEUE	3737	=item EV_USE_KQUEUE
2002		3738
2003	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the BSD style	3739	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the BSD style
2004	C<kqueue>(2) backend. Its actual availability will be detected at runtime,	3740	C<kqueue>(2) backend. Its actual availability will be detected at runtime,
…		…
2017	otherwise another method will be used as fallback. This is the preferred	3753	otherwise another method will be used as fallback. This is the preferred
2018	backend for Solaris 10 systems.	3754	backend for Solaris 10 systems.
2019		3755
2020	=item EV_USE_DEVPOLL	3756	=item EV_USE_DEVPOLL
2021		3757
2022	reserved for future expansion, works like the USE symbols above.	3758	Reserved for future expansion, works like the USE symbols above.
2023		3759
2024	=item EV_USE_INOTIFY	3760	=item EV_USE_INOTIFY
2025		3761
2026	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux inotify	3762	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux inotify
2027	interface to speed up C<ev_stat> watchers. Its actual availability will	3763	interface to speed up C<ev_stat> watchers. Its actual availability will
2028	be detected at runtime.	3764	be detected at runtime. If undefined, it will be enabled if the headers
		3765	indicate GNU/Linux + Glibc 2.4 or newer, otherwise disabled.
		3766
		3767	=item EV_ATOMIC_T
		3768
		3769	Libev requires an integer type (suitable for storing C<0> or C<1>) whose
		3770	access is atomic with respect to other threads or signal contexts. No such
		3771	type is easily found in the C language, so you can provide your own type
		3772	that you know is safe for your purposes. It is used both for signal handler "locking"
		3773	as well as for signal and thread safety in C<ev_async> watchers.
		3774
		3775	In the absence of this define, libev will use C<sig_atomic_t volatile>
		3776	(from F<signal.h>), which is usually good enough on most platforms.
2029		3777
2030	=item EV_H	3778	=item EV_H
2031		3779
2032	The name of the F<ev.h> header file used to include it. The default if	3780	The name of the F<ev.h> header file used to include it. The default if
2033	undefined is C<< <ev.h> >> in F<event.h> and C<"ev.h"> in F<ev.c>. This	3781	undefined is C<"ev.h"> in F<event.h>, F<ev.c> and F<ev++.h>. This can be
2034	can be used to virtually rename the F<ev.h> header file in case of conflicts.	3782	used to virtually rename the F<ev.h> header file in case of conflicts.
2035		3783
2036	=item EV_CONFIG_H	3784	=item EV_CONFIG_H
2037		3785
2038	If C<EV_STANDALONE> isn't C<1>, this variable can be used to override	3786	If C<EV_STANDALONE> isn't C<1>, this variable can be used to override
2039	F<ev.c>'s idea of where to find the F<config.h> file, similarly to	3787	F<ev.c>'s idea of where to find the F<config.h> file, similarly to
2040	C<EV_H>, above.	3788	C<EV_H>, above.
2041		3789
2042	=item EV_EVENT_H	3790	=item EV_EVENT_H
2043		3791
2044	Similarly to C<EV_H>, this macro can be used to override F<event.c>'s idea	3792	Similarly to C<EV_H>, this macro can be used to override F<event.c>'s idea
2045	of how the F<event.h> header can be found.	3793	of how the F<event.h> header can be found, the default is C<"event.h">.
2046		3794
2047	=item EV_PROTOTYPES	3795	=item EV_PROTOTYPES
2048		3796
2049	If defined to be C<0>, then F<ev.h> will not define any function	3797	If defined to be C<0>, then F<ev.h> will not define any function
2050	prototypes, but still define all the structs and other symbols. This is	3798	prototypes, but still define all the structs and other symbols. This is
…		…
2057	will have the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument, and you can create	3805	will have the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument, and you can create
2058	additional independent event loops. Otherwise there will be no support	3806	additional independent event loops. Otherwise there will be no support
2059	for multiple event loops and there is no first event loop pointer	3807	for multiple event loops and there is no first event loop pointer
2060	argument. Instead, all functions act on the single default loop.	3808	argument. Instead, all functions act on the single default loop.
2061		3809
		3810	=item EV_MINPRI
		3811
		3812	=item EV_MAXPRI
		3813
		3814	The range of allowed priorities. C<EV_MINPRI> must be smaller or equal to
		3815	C<EV_MAXPRI>, but otherwise there are no non-obvious limitations. You can
		3816	provide for more priorities by overriding those symbols (usually defined
		3817	to be C<-2> and C<2>, respectively).
		3818
		3819	When doing priority-based operations, libev usually has to linearly search
		3820	all the priorities, so having many of them (hundreds) uses a lot of space
		3821	and time, so using the defaults of five priorities (-2 .. +2) is usually
		3822	fine.
		3823
		3824	If your embedding application does not need any priorities, defining these
		3825	both to C<0> will save some memory and CPU.
		3826
2062	=item EV_PERIODIC_ENABLE	3827	=item EV_PERIODIC_ENABLE
2063		3828
2064	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then periodic timers are supported. If	3829	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then periodic timers are supported. If
2065	defined to be C<0>, then they are not. Disabling them saves a few kB of	3830	defined to be C<0>, then they are not. Disabling them saves a few kB of
2066	code.	3831	code.
2067		3832
		3833	=item EV_IDLE_ENABLE
		3834
		3835	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then idle watchers are supported. If
		3836	defined to be C<0>, then they are not. Disabling them saves a few kB of
		3837	code.
		3838
2068	=item EV_EMBED_ENABLE	3839	=item EV_EMBED_ENABLE
2069		3840
2070	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then embed watchers are supported. If	3841	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then embed watchers are supported. If
2071	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.	3842	defined to be C<0>, then they are not. Embed watchers rely on most other
		3843	watcher types, which therefore must not be disabled.
2072		3844
2073	=item EV_STAT_ENABLE	3845	=item EV_STAT_ENABLE
2074		3846
2075	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then stat watchers are supported. If	3847	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then stat watchers are supported. If
2076	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.	3848	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
…		…
2078	=item EV_FORK_ENABLE	3850	=item EV_FORK_ENABLE
2079		3851
2080	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then fork watchers are supported. If	3852	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then fork watchers are supported. If
2081	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.	3853	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
2082		3854
		3855	=item EV_ASYNC_ENABLE
		3856
		3857	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then async watchers are supported. If
		3858	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
		3859
2083	=item EV_MINIMAL	3860	=item EV_MINIMAL
2084		3861
2085	If you need to shave off some kilobytes of code at the expense of some	3862	If you need to shave off some kilobytes of code at the expense of some
2086	speed, define this symbol to C<1>. Currently only used for gcc to override	3863	speed (but with the full API), define this symbol to C<1>. Currently this
2087	some inlining decisions, saves roughly 30% codesize of amd64.	3864	is used to override some inlining decisions, saves roughly 30% code size
		3865	on amd64. It also selects a much smaller 2-heap for timer management over
		3866	the default 4-heap.
		3867
		3868	You can save even more by disabling watcher types you do not need
		3869	and setting C<EV_MAXPRI> == C<EV_MINPRI>. Also, disabling C<assert>
		3870	(C<-DNDEBUG>) will usually reduce code size a lot.
		3871
		3872	Defining C<EV_MINIMAL> to C<2> will additionally reduce the core API to
		3873	provide a bare-bones event library. See C<ev.h> for details on what parts
		3874	of the API are still available, and do not complain if this subset changes
		3875	over time.
		3876
		3877	=item EV_NSIG
		3878
		3879	The highest supported signal number, +1 (or, the number of
		3880	signals): Normally, libev tries to deduce the maximum number of signals
		3881	automatically, but sometimes this fails, in which case it can be
		3882	specified. Also, using a lower number than detected (C<32> should be
		3883	good for about any system in existance) can save some memory, as libev
		3884	statically allocates some 12-24 bytes per signal number.
2088		3885
2089	=item EV_PID_HASHSIZE	3886	=item EV_PID_HASHSIZE
2090		3887
2091	C<ev_child> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by	3888	C<ev_child> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by
2092	pid. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_MINIMAL>), usually more	3889	pid. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_MINIMAL>), usually more
2093	than enough. If you need to manage thousands of children you might want to	3890	than enough. If you need to manage thousands of children you might want to
2094	increase this value (I<must> be a power of two).	3891	increase this value (I<must> be a power of two).
2095		3892
2096	=item EV_INOTIFY_HASHSIZE	3893	=item EV_INOTIFY_HASHSIZE
2097		3894
2098	C<ev_staz> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by	3895	C<ev_stat> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by
2099	inotify watch id. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_MINIMAL>),	3896	inotify watch id. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_MINIMAL>),
2100	usually more than enough. If you need to manage thousands of C<ev_stat>	3897	usually more than enough. If you need to manage thousands of C<ev_stat>
2101	watchers you might want to increase this value (I<must> be a power of	3898	watchers you might want to increase this value (I<must> be a power of
2102	two).	3899	two).
2103		3900
		3901	=item EV_USE_4HEAP
		3902
		3903	Heaps are not very cache-efficient. To improve the cache-efficiency of the
		3904	timer and periodics heaps, libev uses a 4-heap when this symbol is defined
		3905	to C<1>. The 4-heap uses more complicated (longer) code but has noticeably
		3906	faster performance with many (thousands) of watchers.
		3907
		3908	The default is C<1> unless C<EV_MINIMAL> is set in which case it is C<0>
		3909	(disabled).
		3910
		3911	=item EV_HEAP_CACHE_AT
		3912
		3913	Heaps are not very cache-efficient. To improve the cache-efficiency of the
		3914	timer and periodics heaps, libev can cache the timestamp (I<at>) within
		3915	the heap structure (selected by defining C<EV_HEAP_CACHE_AT> to C<1>),
		3916	which uses 8-12 bytes more per watcher and a few hundred bytes more code,
		3917	but avoids random read accesses on heap changes. This improves performance
		3918	noticeably with many (hundreds) of watchers.
		3919
		3920	The default is C<1> unless C<EV_MINIMAL> is set in which case it is C<0>
		3921	(disabled).
		3922
		3923	=item EV_VERIFY
		3924
		3925	Controls how much internal verification (see C<ev_loop_verify ()>) will
		3926	be done: If set to C<0>, no internal verification code will be compiled
		3927	in. If set to C<1>, then verification code will be compiled in, but not
		3928	called. If set to C<2>, then the internal verification code will be
		3929	called once per loop, which can slow down libev. If set to C<3>, then the
		3930	verification code will be called very frequently, which will slow down
		3931	libev considerably.
		3932
		3933	The default is C<1>, unless C<EV_MINIMAL> is set, in which case it will be
		3934	C<0>.
		3935
2104	=item EV_COMMON	3936	=item EV_COMMON
2105		3937
2106	By default, all watchers have a C<void *data> member. By redefining	3938	By default, all watchers have a C<void *data> member. By redefining
2107	this macro to a something else you can include more and other types of	3939	this macro to a something else you can include more and other types of
2108	members. You have to define it each time you include one of the files,	3940	members. You have to define it each time you include one of the files,
2109	though, and it must be identical each time.	3941	though, and it must be identical each time.
2110		3942
2111	For example, the perl EV module uses something like this:	3943	For example, the perl EV module uses something like this:
2112		3944
2113	#define EV_COMMON \	3945	#define EV_COMMON \
2114	SV *self; /* contains this struct */ \	3946	SV *self; /* contains this struct */ \
2115	SV *cb_sv, *fh /* note no trailing ";" */	3947	SV *cb_sv, *fh /* note no trailing ";" */
2116		3948
2117	=item EV_CB_DECLARE (type)	3949	=item EV_CB_DECLARE (type)
2118		3950
2119	=item EV_CB_INVOKE (watcher, revents)	3951	=item EV_CB_INVOKE (watcher, revents)
2120		3952
2121	=item ev_set_cb (ev, cb)	3953	=item ev_set_cb (ev, cb)
2122		3954
2123	Can be used to change the callback member declaration in each watcher,	3955	Can be used to change the callback member declaration in each watcher,
2124	and the way callbacks are invoked and set. Must expand to a struct member	3956	and the way callbacks are invoked and set. Must expand to a struct member
2125	definition and a statement, respectively. See the F<ev.v> header file for	3957	definition and a statement, respectively. See the F<ev.h> header file for
2126	their default definitions. One possible use for overriding these is to	3958	their default definitions. One possible use for overriding these is to
2127	avoid the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument in all cases, or to use	3959	avoid the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument in all cases, or to use
2128	method calls instead of plain function calls in C++.	3960	method calls instead of plain function calls in C++.
		3961
		3962	=back
		3963
		3964	=head2 EXPORTED API SYMBOLS
		3965
		3966	If you need to re-export the API (e.g. via a DLL) and you need a list of
		3967	exported symbols, you can use the provided F<Symbol.*> files which list
		3968	all public symbols, one per line:
		3969
		3970	Symbols.ev for libev proper
		3971	Symbols.event for the libevent emulation
		3972
		3973	This can also be used to rename all public symbols to avoid clashes with
		3974	multiple versions of libev linked together (which is obviously bad in
		3975	itself, but sometimes it is inconvenient to avoid this).
		3976
		3977	A sed command like this will create wrapper C<#define>'s that you need to
		3978	include before including F<ev.h>:
		3979
		3980	<Symbols.ev sed -e "s/.*/#define & myprefix_&/" >wrap.h
		3981
		3982	This would create a file F<wrap.h> which essentially looks like this:
		3983
		3984	#define ev_backend myprefix_ev_backend
		3985	#define ev_check_start myprefix_ev_check_start
		3986	#define ev_check_stop myprefix_ev_check_stop
		3987	...
2129		3988
2130	=head2 EXAMPLES	3989	=head2 EXAMPLES
2131		3990
2132	For a real-world example of a program the includes libev	3991	For a real-world example of a program the includes libev
2133	verbatim, you can have a look at the EV perl module	3992	verbatim, you can have a look at the EV perl module
…		…
2136	interface) and F<EV.xs> (implementation) files. Only the F<EV.xs> file	3995	interface) and F<EV.xs> (implementation) files. Only the F<EV.xs> file
2137	will be compiled. It is pretty complex because it provides its own header	3996	will be compiled. It is pretty complex because it provides its own header
2138	file.	3997	file.
2139		3998
2140	The usage in rxvt-unicode is simpler. It has a F<ev_cpp.h> header file	3999	The usage in rxvt-unicode is simpler. It has a F<ev_cpp.h> header file
2141	that everybody includes and which overrides some autoconf choices:	4000	that everybody includes and which overrides some configure choices:
2142		4001
		4002	#define EV_MINIMAL 1
2143	#define EV_USE_POLL 0	4003	#define EV_USE_POLL 0
2144	#define EV_MULTIPLICITY 0	4004	#define EV_MULTIPLICITY 0
2145	#define EV_PERIODICS 0	4005	#define EV_PERIODIC_ENABLE 0
		4006	#define EV_STAT_ENABLE 0
		4007	#define EV_FORK_ENABLE 0
2146	#define EV_CONFIG_H <config.h>	4008	#define EV_CONFIG_H <config.h>
		4009	#define EV_MINPRI 0
		4010	#define EV_MAXPRI 0
2147		4011
2148	#include "ev++.h"	4012	#include "ev++.h"
2149		4013
2150	And a F<ev_cpp.C> implementation file that contains libev proper and is compiled:	4014	And a F<ev_cpp.C> implementation file that contains libev proper and is compiled:
2151		4015
2152	#include "ev_cpp.h"	4016	#include "ev_cpp.h"
2153	#include "ev.c"	4017	#include "ev.c"
2154		4018
		4019	=head1 INTERACTION WITH OTHER PROGRAMS OR LIBRARIES
2155		4020
		4021	=head2 THREADS AND COROUTINES
		4022
		4023	=head3 THREADS
		4024
		4025	All libev functions are reentrant and thread-safe unless explicitly
		4026	documented otherwise, but libev implements no locking itself. This means
		4027	that you can use as many loops as you want in parallel, as long as there
		4028	are no concurrent calls into any libev function with the same loop
		4029	parameter (C<ev_default_*> calls have an implicit default loop parameter,
		4030	of course): libev guarantees that different event loops share no data
		4031	structures that need any locking.
		4032
		4033	Or to put it differently: calls with different loop parameters can be done
		4034	concurrently from multiple threads, calls with the same loop parameter
		4035	must be done serially (but can be done from different threads, as long as
		4036	only one thread ever is inside a call at any point in time, e.g. by using
		4037	a mutex per loop).
		4038
		4039	Specifically to support threads (and signal handlers), libev implements
		4040	so-called C<ev_async> watchers, which allow some limited form of
		4041	concurrency on the same event loop, namely waking it up "from the
		4042	outside".
		4043
		4044	If you want to know which design (one loop, locking, or multiple loops
		4045	without or something else still) is best for your problem, then I cannot
		4046	help you, but here is some generic advice:
		4047
		4048	=over 4
		4049
		4050	=item * most applications have a main thread: use the default libev loop
		4051	in that thread, or create a separate thread running only the default loop.
		4052
		4053	This helps integrating other libraries or software modules that use libev
		4054	themselves and don't care/know about threading.
		4055
		4056	=item * one loop per thread is usually a good model.
		4057
		4058	Doing this is almost never wrong, sometimes a better-performance model
		4059	exists, but it is always a good start.
		4060
		4061	=item * other models exist, such as the leader/follower pattern, where one
		4062	loop is handed through multiple threads in a kind of round-robin fashion.
		4063
		4064	Choosing a model is hard - look around, learn, know that usually you can do
		4065	better than you currently do :-)
		4066
		4067	=item * often you need to talk to some other thread which blocks in the
		4068	event loop.
		4069
		4070	C<ev_async> watchers can be used to wake them up from other threads safely
		4071	(or from signal contexts...).
		4072
		4073	An example use would be to communicate signals or other events that only
		4074	work in the default loop by registering the signal watcher with the
		4075	default loop and triggering an C<ev_async> watcher from the default loop
		4076	watcher callback into the event loop interested in the signal.
		4077
		4078	=back
		4079
		4080	=head4 THREAD LOCKING EXAMPLE
		4081
		4082	Here is a fictitious example of how to run an event loop in a different
		4083	thread than where callbacks are being invoked and watchers are
		4084	created/added/removed.
		4085
		4086	For a real-world example, see the C<EV::Loop::Async> perl module,
		4087	which uses exactly this technique (which is suited for many high-level
		4088	languages).
		4089
		4090	The example uses a pthread mutex to protect the loop data, a condition
		4091	variable to wait for callback invocations, an async watcher to notify the
		4092	event loop thread and an unspecified mechanism to wake up the main thread.
		4093
		4094	First, you need to associate some data with the event loop:
		4095
		4096	typedef struct {
		4097	mutex_t lock; /* global loop lock */
		4098	ev_async async_w;
		4099	thread_t tid;
		4100	cond_t invoke_cv;
		4101	} userdata;
		4102
		4103	void prepare_loop (EV_P)
		4104	{
		4105	// for simplicity, we use a static userdata struct.
		4106	static userdata u;
		4107
		4108	ev_async_init (&u->async_w, async_cb);
		4109	ev_async_start (EV_A_ &u->async_w);
		4110
		4111	pthread_mutex_init (&u->lock, 0);
		4112	pthread_cond_init (&u->invoke_cv, 0);
		4113
		4114	// now associate this with the loop
		4115	ev_set_userdata (EV_A_ u);
		4116	ev_set_invoke_pending_cb (EV_A_ l_invoke);
		4117	ev_set_loop_release_cb (EV_A_ l_release, l_acquire);
		4118
		4119	// then create the thread running ev_loop
		4120	pthread_create (&u->tid, 0, l_run, EV_A);
		4121	}
		4122
		4123	The callback for the C<ev_async> watcher does nothing: the watcher is used
		4124	solely to wake up the event loop so it takes notice of any new watchers
		4125	that might have been added:
		4126
		4127	static void
		4128	async_cb (EV_P_ ev_async *w, int revents)
		4129	{
		4130	// just used for the side effects
		4131	}
		4132
		4133	The C<l_release> and C<l_acquire> callbacks simply unlock/lock the mutex
		4134	protecting the loop data, respectively.
		4135
		4136	static void
		4137	l_release (EV_P)
		4138	{
		4139	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		4140	pthread_mutex_unlock (&u->lock);
		4141	}
		4142
		4143	static void
		4144	l_acquire (EV_P)
		4145	{
		4146	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		4147	pthread_mutex_lock (&u->lock);
		4148	}
		4149
		4150	The event loop thread first acquires the mutex, and then jumps straight
		4151	into C<ev_loop>:
		4152
		4153	void *
		4154	l_run (void *thr_arg)
		4155	{
		4156	struct ev_loop *loop = (struct ev_loop *)thr_arg;
		4157
		4158	l_acquire (EV_A);
		4159	pthread_setcanceltype (PTHREAD_CANCEL_ASYNCHRONOUS, 0);
		4160	ev_loop (EV_A_ 0);
		4161	l_release (EV_A);
		4162
		4163	return 0;
		4164	}
		4165
		4166	Instead of invoking all pending watchers, the C<l_invoke> callback will
		4167	signal the main thread via some unspecified mechanism (signals? pipe
		4168	writes? C<Async::Interrupt>?) and then waits until all pending watchers
		4169	have been called (in a while loop because a) spurious wakeups are possible
		4170	and b) skipping inter-thread-communication when there are no pending
		4171	watchers is very beneficial):
		4172
		4173	static void
		4174	l_invoke (EV_P)
		4175	{
		4176	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		4177
		4178	while (ev_pending_count (EV_A))
		4179	{
		4180	wake_up_other_thread_in_some_magic_or_not_so_magic_way ();
		4181	pthread_cond_wait (&u->invoke_cv, &u->lock);
		4182	}
		4183	}
		4184
		4185	Now, whenever the main thread gets told to invoke pending watchers, it
		4186	will grab the lock, call C<ev_invoke_pending> and then signal the loop
		4187	thread to continue:
		4188
		4189	static void
		4190	real_invoke_pending (EV_P)
		4191	{
		4192	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		4193
		4194	pthread_mutex_lock (&u->lock);
		4195	ev_invoke_pending (EV_A);
		4196	pthread_cond_signal (&u->invoke_cv);
		4197	pthread_mutex_unlock (&u->lock);
		4198	}
		4199
		4200	Whenever you want to start/stop a watcher or do other modifications to an
		4201	event loop, you will now have to lock:
		4202
		4203	ev_timer timeout_watcher;
		4204	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		4205
		4206	ev_timer_init (&timeout_watcher, timeout_cb, 5.5, 0.);
		4207
		4208	pthread_mutex_lock (&u->lock);
		4209	ev_timer_start (EV_A_ &timeout_watcher);
		4210	ev_async_send (EV_A_ &u->async_w);
		4211	pthread_mutex_unlock (&u->lock);
		4212
		4213	Note that sending the C<ev_async> watcher is required because otherwise
		4214	an event loop currently blocking in the kernel will have no knowledge
		4215	about the newly added timer. By waking up the loop it will pick up any new
		4216	watchers in the next event loop iteration.
		4217
		4218	=head3 COROUTINES
		4219
		4220	Libev is very accommodating to coroutines ("cooperative threads"):
		4221	libev fully supports nesting calls to its functions from different
		4222	coroutines (e.g. you can call C<ev_loop> on the same loop from two
		4223	different coroutines, and switch freely between both coroutines running
		4224	the loop, as long as you don't confuse yourself). The only exception is
		4225	that you must not do this from C<ev_periodic> reschedule callbacks.
		4226
		4227	Care has been taken to ensure that libev does not keep local state inside
		4228	C<ev_loop>, and other calls do not usually allow for coroutine switches as
		4229	they do not call any callbacks.
		4230
		4231	=head2 COMPILER WARNINGS
		4232
		4233	Depending on your compiler and compiler settings, you might get no or a
		4234	lot of warnings when compiling libev code. Some people are apparently
		4235	scared by this.
		4236
		4237	However, these are unavoidable for many reasons. For one, each compiler
		4238	has different warnings, and each user has different tastes regarding
		4239	warning options. "Warn-free" code therefore cannot be a goal except when
		4240	targeting a specific compiler and compiler-version.
		4241
		4242	Another reason is that some compiler warnings require elaborate
		4243	workarounds, or other changes to the code that make it less clear and less
		4244	maintainable.
		4245
		4246	And of course, some compiler warnings are just plain stupid, or simply
		4247	wrong (because they don't actually warn about the condition their message
		4248	seems to warn about). For example, certain older gcc versions had some
		4249	warnings that resulted an extreme number of false positives. These have
		4250	been fixed, but some people still insist on making code warn-free with
		4251	such buggy versions.
		4252
		4253	While libev is written to generate as few warnings as possible,
		4254	"warn-free" code is not a goal, and it is recommended not to build libev
		4255	with any compiler warnings enabled unless you are prepared to cope with
		4256	them (e.g. by ignoring them). Remember that warnings are just that:
		4257	warnings, not errors, or proof of bugs.
		4258
		4259
		4260	=head2 VALGRIND
		4261
		4262	Valgrind has a special section here because it is a popular tool that is
		4263	highly useful. Unfortunately, valgrind reports are very hard to interpret.
		4264
		4265	If you think you found a bug (memory leak, uninitialised data access etc.)
		4266	in libev, then check twice: If valgrind reports something like:
		4267
		4268	==2274== definitely lost: 0 bytes in 0 blocks.
		4269	==2274== possibly lost: 0 bytes in 0 blocks.
		4270	==2274== still reachable: 256 bytes in 1 blocks.
		4271
		4272	Then there is no memory leak, just as memory accounted to global variables
		4273	is not a memleak - the memory is still being referenced, and didn't leak.
		4274
		4275	Similarly, under some circumstances, valgrind might report kernel bugs
		4276	as if it were a bug in libev (e.g. in realloc or in the poll backend,
		4277	although an acceptable workaround has been found here), or it might be
		4278	confused.
		4279
		4280	Keep in mind that valgrind is a very good tool, but only a tool. Don't
		4281	make it into some kind of religion.
		4282
		4283	If you are unsure about something, feel free to contact the mailing list
		4284	with the full valgrind report and an explanation on why you think this
		4285	is a bug in libev (best check the archives, too :). However, don't be
		4286	annoyed when you get a brisk "this is no bug" answer and take the chance
		4287	of learning how to interpret valgrind properly.
		4288
		4289	If you need, for some reason, empty reports from valgrind for your project
		4290	I suggest using suppression lists.
		4291
		4292
		4293	=head1 PORTABILITY NOTES
		4294
		4295	=head2 WIN32 PLATFORM LIMITATIONS AND WORKAROUNDS
		4296
		4297	Win32 doesn't support any of the standards (e.g. POSIX) that libev
		4298	requires, and its I/O model is fundamentally incompatible with the POSIX
		4299	model. Libev still offers limited functionality on this platform in
		4300	the form of the C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> backend, and only supports socket
		4301	descriptors. This only applies when using Win32 natively, not when using
		4302	e.g. cygwin.
		4303
		4304	Lifting these limitations would basically require the full
		4305	re-implementation of the I/O system. If you are into these kinds of
		4306	things, then note that glib does exactly that for you in a very portable
		4307	way (note also that glib is the slowest event library known to man).
		4308
		4309	There is no supported compilation method available on windows except
		4310	embedding it into other applications.
		4311
		4312	Sensible signal handling is officially unsupported by Microsoft - libev
		4313	tries its best, but under most conditions, signals will simply not work.
		4314
		4315	Not a libev limitation but worth mentioning: windows apparently doesn't
		4316	accept large writes: instead of resulting in a partial write, windows will
		4317	either accept everything or return C<ENOBUFS> if the buffer is too large,
		4318	so make sure you only write small amounts into your sockets (less than a
		4319	megabyte seems safe, but this apparently depends on the amount of memory
		4320	available).
		4321
		4322	Due to the many, low, and arbitrary limits on the win32 platform and
		4323	the abysmal performance of winsockets, using a large number of sockets
		4324	is not recommended (and not reasonable). If your program needs to use
		4325	more than a hundred or so sockets, then likely it needs to use a totally
		4326	different implementation for windows, as libev offers the POSIX readiness
		4327	notification model, which cannot be implemented efficiently on windows
		4328	(due to Microsoft monopoly games).
		4329
		4330	A typical way to use libev under windows is to embed it (see the embedding
		4331	section for details) and use the following F<evwrap.h> header file instead
		4332	of F<ev.h>:
		4333
		4334	#define EV_STANDALONE /* keeps ev from requiring config.h */
		4335	#define EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET 1 /* configure libev for windows select */
		4336
		4337	#include "ev.h"
		4338
		4339	And compile the following F<evwrap.c> file into your project (make sure
		4340	you do I<not> compile the F<ev.c> or any other embedded source files!):
		4341
		4342	#include "evwrap.h"
		4343	#include "ev.c"
		4344
		4345	=over 4
		4346
		4347	=item The winsocket select function
		4348
		4349	The winsocket C<select> function doesn't follow POSIX in that it
		4350	requires socket I<handles> and not socket I<file descriptors> (it is
		4351	also extremely buggy). This makes select very inefficient, and also
		4352	requires a mapping from file descriptors to socket handles (the Microsoft
		4353	C runtime provides the function C<_open_osfhandle> for this). See the
		4354	discussion of the C<EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET>, C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> and
		4355	C<EV_FD_TO_WIN32_HANDLE> preprocessor symbols for more info.
		4356
		4357	The configuration for a "naked" win32 using the Microsoft runtime
		4358	libraries and raw winsocket select is:
		4359
		4360	#define EV_USE_SELECT 1
		4361	#define EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET 1 /* forces EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET, too */
		4362
		4363	Note that winsockets handling of fd sets is O(n), so you can easily get a
		4364	complexity in the O(n²) range when using win32.
		4365
		4366	=item Limited number of file descriptors
		4367
		4368	Windows has numerous arbitrary (and low) limits on things.
		4369
		4370	Early versions of winsocket's select only supported waiting for a maximum
		4371	of C<64> handles (probably owning to the fact that all windows kernels
		4372	can only wait for C<64> things at the same time internally; Microsoft
		4373	recommends spawning a chain of threads and wait for 63 handles and the
		4374	previous thread in each. Sounds great!).
		4375
		4376	Newer versions support more handles, but you need to define C<FD_SETSIZE>
		4377	to some high number (e.g. C<2048>) before compiling the winsocket select
		4378	call (which might be in libev or elsewhere, for example, perl and many
		4379	other interpreters do their own select emulation on windows).
		4380
		4381	Another limit is the number of file descriptors in the Microsoft runtime
		4382	libraries, which by default is C<64> (there must be a hidden I<64>
		4383	fetish or something like this inside Microsoft). You can increase this
		4384	by calling C<_setmaxstdio>, which can increase this limit to C<2048>
		4385	(another arbitrary limit), but is broken in many versions of the Microsoft
		4386	runtime libraries. This might get you to about C<512> or C<2048> sockets
		4387	(depending on windows version and/or the phase of the moon). To get more,
		4388	you need to wrap all I/O functions and provide your own fd management, but
		4389	the cost of calling select (O(n²)) will likely make this unworkable.
		4390
		4391	=back
		4392
		4393	=head2 PORTABILITY REQUIREMENTS
		4394
		4395	In addition to a working ISO-C implementation and of course the
		4396	backend-specific APIs, libev relies on a few additional extensions:
		4397
		4398	=over 4
		4399
		4400	=item C<void (*)(ev_watcher_type *, int revents)> must have compatible
		4401	calling conventions regardless of C<ev_watcher_type *>.
		4402
		4403	Libev assumes not only that all watcher pointers have the same internal
		4404	structure (guaranteed by POSIX but not by ISO C for example), but it also
		4405	assumes that the same (machine) code can be used to call any watcher
		4406	callback: The watcher callbacks have different type signatures, but libev
		4407	calls them using an C<ev_watcher *> internally.
		4408
		4409	=item C<sig_atomic_t volatile> must be thread-atomic as well
		4410
		4411	The type C<sig_atomic_t volatile> (or whatever is defined as
		4412	C<EV_ATOMIC_T>) must be atomic with respect to accesses from different
		4413	threads. This is not part of the specification for C<sig_atomic_t>, but is
		4414	believed to be sufficiently portable.
		4415
		4416	=item C<sigprocmask> must work in a threaded environment
		4417
		4418	Libev uses C<sigprocmask> to temporarily block signals. This is not
		4419	allowed in a threaded program (C<pthread_sigmask> has to be used). Typical
		4420	pthread implementations will either allow C<sigprocmask> in the "main
		4421	thread" or will block signals process-wide, both behaviours would
		4422	be compatible with libev. Interaction between C<sigprocmask> and
		4423	C<pthread_sigmask> could complicate things, however.
		4424
		4425	The most portable way to handle signals is to block signals in all threads
		4426	except the initial one, and run the default loop in the initial thread as
		4427	well.
		4428
		4429	=item C<long> must be large enough for common memory allocation sizes
		4430
		4431	To improve portability and simplify its API, libev uses C<long> internally
		4432	instead of C<size_t> when allocating its data structures. On non-POSIX
		4433	systems (Microsoft...) this might be unexpectedly low, but is still at
		4434	least 31 bits everywhere, which is enough for hundreds of millions of
		4435	watchers.
		4436
		4437	=item C<double> must hold a time value in seconds with enough accuracy
		4438
		4439	The type C<double> is used to represent timestamps. It is required to
		4440	have at least 51 bits of mantissa (and 9 bits of exponent), which is good
		4441	enough for at least into the year 4000. This requirement is fulfilled by
		4442	implementations implementing IEEE 754, which is basically all existing
		4443	ones. With IEEE 754 doubles, you get microsecond accuracy until at least
		4444	2200.
		4445
		4446	=back
		4447
		4448	If you know of other additional requirements drop me a note.
		4449
		4450
2156	=head1 COMPLEXITIES	4451	=head1 ALGORITHMIC COMPLEXITIES
2157		4452
2158	In this section the complexities of (many of) the algorithms used inside	4453	In this section the complexities of (many of) the algorithms used inside
2159	libev will be explained. For complexity discussions about backends see the	4454	libev will be documented. For complexity discussions about backends see
2160	documentation for C<ev_default_init>.	4455	the documentation for C<ev_default_init>.
		4456
		4457	All of the following are about amortised time: If an array needs to be
		4458	extended, libev needs to realloc and move the whole array, but this
		4459	happens asymptotically rarer with higher number of elements, so O(1) might
		4460	mean that libev does a lengthy realloc operation in rare cases, but on
		4461	average it is much faster and asymptotically approaches constant time.
2161		4462
2162	=over 4	4463	=over 4
2163		4464
2164	=item Starting and stopping timer/periodic watchers: O(log skipped_other_timers)	4465	=item Starting and stopping timer/periodic watchers: O(log skipped_other_timers)
2165		4466
		4467	This means that, when you have a watcher that triggers in one hour and
		4468	there are 100 watchers that would trigger before that, then inserting will
		4469	have to skip roughly seven (C<ld 100>) of these watchers.
		4470
2166	=item Changing timer/periodic watchers (by autorepeat, again): O(log skipped_other_timers)	4471	=item Changing timer/periodic watchers (by autorepeat or calling again): O(log skipped_other_timers)
2167		4472
		4473	That means that changing a timer costs less than removing/adding them,
		4474	as only the relative motion in the event queue has to be paid for.
		4475
2168	=item Starting io/check/prepare/idle/signal/child watchers: O(1)	4476	=item Starting io/check/prepare/idle/signal/child/fork/async watchers: O(1)
2169		4477
		4478	These just add the watcher into an array or at the head of a list.
		4479
2170	=item Stopping check/prepare/idle watchers: O(1)	4480	=item Stopping check/prepare/idle/fork/async watchers: O(1)
2171		4481
2172	=item Stopping an io/signal/child watcher: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_(fd/signal/pid % EV_PID_HASHSIZE))	4482	=item Stopping an io/signal/child watcher: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_(fd/signal/pid % EV_PID_HASHSIZE))
2173		4483
		4484	These watchers are stored in lists, so they need to be walked to find the
		4485	correct watcher to remove. The lists are usually short (you don't usually
		4486	have many watchers waiting for the same fd or signal: one is typical, two
		4487	is rare).
		4488
2174	=item Finding the next timer per loop iteration: O(1)	4489	=item Finding the next timer in each loop iteration: O(1)
		4490
		4491	By virtue of using a binary or 4-heap, the next timer is always found at a
		4492	fixed position in the storage array.
2175		4493
2176	=item Each change on a file descriptor per loop iteration: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_fd)	4494	=item Each change on a file descriptor per loop iteration: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_fd)
2177		4495
2178	=item Activating one watcher: O(1)	4496	A change means an I/O watcher gets started or stopped, which requires
		4497	libev to recalculate its status (and possibly tell the kernel, depending
		4498	on backend and whether C<ev_io_set> was used).
		4499
		4500	=item Activating one watcher (putting it into the pending state): O(1)
		4501
		4502	=item Priority handling: O(number_of_priorities)
		4503
		4504	Priorities are implemented by allocating some space for each
		4505	priority. When doing priority-based operations, libev usually has to
		4506	linearly search all the priorities, but starting/stopping and activating
		4507	watchers becomes O(1) with respect to priority handling.
		4508
		4509	=item Sending an ev_async: O(1)
		4510
		4511	=item Processing ev_async_send: O(number_of_async_watchers)
		4512
		4513	=item Processing signals: O(max_signal_number)
		4514
		4515	Sending involves a system call I<iff> there were no other C<ev_async_send>
		4516	calls in the current loop iteration. Checking for async and signal events
		4517	involves iterating over all running async watchers or all signal numbers.
2179		4518
2180	=back	4519	=back
2181		4520
2182		4521
		4522	=head1 GLOSSARY
		4523
		4524	=over 4
		4525
		4526	=item active
		4527
		4528	A watcher is active as long as it has been started (has been attached to
		4529	an event loop) but not yet stopped (disassociated from the event loop).
		4530
		4531	=item application
		4532
		4533	In this document, an application is whatever is using libev.
		4534
		4535	=item callback
		4536
		4537	The address of a function that is called when some event has been
		4538	detected. Callbacks are being passed the event loop, the watcher that
		4539	received the event, and the actual event bitset.
		4540
		4541	=item callback invocation
		4542
		4543	The act of calling the callback associated with a watcher.
		4544
		4545	=item event
		4546
		4547	A change of state of some external event, such as data now being available
		4548	for reading on a file descriptor, time having passed or simply not having
		4549	any other events happening anymore.
		4550
		4551	In libev, events are represented as single bits (such as C<EV_READ> or
		4552	C<EV_TIMEOUT>).
		4553
		4554	=item event library
		4555
		4556	A software package implementing an event model and loop.
		4557
		4558	=item event loop
		4559
		4560	An entity that handles and processes external events and converts them
		4561	into callback invocations.
		4562
		4563	=item event model
		4564
		4565	The model used to describe how an event loop handles and processes
		4566	watchers and events.
		4567
		4568	=item pending
		4569
		4570	A watcher is pending as soon as the corresponding event has been detected,
		4571	and stops being pending as soon as the watcher will be invoked or its
		4572	pending status is explicitly cleared by the application.
		4573
		4574	A watcher can be pending, but not active. Stopping a watcher also clears
		4575	its pending status.
		4576
		4577	=item real time
		4578
		4579	The physical time that is observed. It is apparently strictly monotonic :)
		4580
		4581	=item wall-clock time
		4582
		4583	The time and date as shown on clocks. Unlike real time, it can actually
		4584	be wrong and jump forwards and backwards, e.g. when the you adjust your
		4585	clock.
		4586
		4587	=item watcher
		4588
		4589	A data structure that describes interest in certain events. Watchers need
		4590	to be started (attached to an event loop) before they can receive events.
		4591
		4592	=item watcher invocation
		4593
		4594	The act of calling the callback associated with a watcher.
		4595
		4596	=back
		4597
2183	=head1 AUTHOR	4598	=head1 AUTHOR
2184		4599
2185	Marc Lehmann <libev@schmorp.de>.	4600	Marc Lehmann <libev@schmorp.de>, with repeated corrections by Mikael Magnusson.
2186		4601

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