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

Comparing libev/ev.pod (file contents):
Revision 1.74 by root, Sat Dec 8 14:12:08 2007 UTC vs.
Revision 1.137 by root, Sun Mar 16 16:42:56 2008 UTC

…		…
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	// every watcher type has its own typedef'd struct
		15	// with the name ev_<type>
13	ev_io stdin_watcher;	16	ev_io stdin_watcher;
14	ev_timer timeout_watcher;	17	ev_timer timeout_watcher;
15		18
		19	// all watcher callbacks have a similar signature
16	/* called when data readable on stdin */	20	// this callback is called when data is readable on stdin
17	static void	21	static void
18	stdin_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_io *w, int revents)	22	stdin_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_io *w, int revents)
19	{	23	{
20	/* puts ("stdin ready"); */	24	puts ("stdin ready");
21	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ w); /* just a syntax example */	25	// for one-shot events, one must manually stop the watcher
22	ev_unloop (EV_A_ EVUNLOOP_ALL); /* leave all loop calls */	26	// with its corresponding stop function.
		27	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ w);
		28
		29	// this causes all nested ev_loop's to stop iterating
		30	ev_unloop (EV_A_ EVUNLOOP_ALL);
23	}	31	}
24		32
		33	// another callback, this time for a time-out
25	static void	34	static void
26	timeout_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	35	timeout_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_timer *w, int revents)
27	{	36	{
28	/* puts ("timeout"); */	37	puts ("timeout");
29	ev_unloop (EV_A_ EVUNLOOP_ONE); /* leave one loop call */	38	// this causes the innermost ev_loop to stop iterating
		39	ev_unloop (EV_A_ EVUNLOOP_ONE);
30	}	40	}
31		41
32	int	42	int
33	main (void)	43	main (void)
34	{	44	{
		45	// use the default event loop unless you have special needs
35	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_loop (0);	46	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_loop (0);
36		47
37	/* initialise an io watcher, then start it */	48	// initialise an io watcher, then start it
		49	// this one will watch for stdin to become readable
38	ev_io_init (&stdin_watcher, stdin_cb, /STDIN_FILENO/ 0, EV_READ);	50	ev_io_init (&stdin_watcher, stdin_cb, /STDIN_FILENO/ 0, EV_READ);
39	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_watcher);	51	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_watcher);
40		52
		53	// initialise a timer watcher, then start it
41	/* simple non-repeating 5.5 second timeout */	54	// simple non-repeating 5.5 second timeout
42	ev_timer_init (&timeout_watcher, timeout_cb, 5.5, 0.);	55	ev_timer_init (&timeout_watcher, timeout_cb, 5.5, 0.);
43	ev_timer_start (loop, &timeout_watcher);	56	ev_timer_start (loop, &timeout_watcher);
44		57
45	/* loop till timeout or data ready */	58	// now wait for events to arrive
46	ev_loop (loop, 0);	59	ev_loop (loop, 0);
47		60
		61	// unloop was called, so exit
48	return 0;	62	return 0;
49	}	63	}
50		64
51	=head1 DESCRIPTION	65	=head1 DESCRIPTION
52		66
53	The newest version of this document is also available as a html-formatted	67	The newest version of this document is also available as an html-formatted
54	web page you might find easier to navigate when reading it for the first	68	web page you might find easier to navigate when reading it for the first
55	time: L<http://cvs.schmorp.de/libev/ev.html>.	69	time: L<http://cvs.schmorp.de/libev/ev.html>.
56		70
57	Libev is an event loop: you register interest in certain events (such as a	71	Libev is an event loop: you register interest in certain events (such as a
58	file descriptor being readable or a timeout occuring), and it will manage	72	file descriptor being readable or a timeout occurring), and it will manage
59	these event sources and provide your program with events.	73	these event sources and provide your program with events.
60		74
61	To do this, it must take more or less complete control over your process	75	To do this, it must take more or less complete control over your process
62	(or thread) by executing the I<event loop> handler, and will then	76	(or thread) by executing the I<event loop> handler, and will then
63	communicate events via a callback mechanism.	77	communicate events via a callback mechanism.
…		…
65	You register interest in certain events by registering so-called I<event	79	You register interest in certain events by registering so-called I<event
66	watchers>, which are relatively small C structures you initialise with the	80	watchers>, which are relatively small C structures you initialise with the
67	details of the event, and then hand it over to libev by I<starting> the	81	details of the event, and then hand it over to libev by I<starting> the
68	watcher.	82	watcher.
69		83
70	=head1 FEATURES	84	=head2 FEATURES
71		85
72	Libev supports C<select>, C<poll>, the Linux-specific C<epoll>, the	86	Libev supports C<select>, C<poll>, the Linux-specific C<epoll>, the
73	BSD-specific C<kqueue> and the Solaris-specific event port mechanisms	87	BSD-specific C<kqueue> and the Solaris-specific event port mechanisms
74	for file descriptor events (C<ev_io>), the Linux C<inotify> interface	88	for file descriptor events (C<ev_io>), the Linux C<inotify> interface
75	(for C<ev_stat>), relative timers (C<ev_timer>), absolute timers	89	(for C<ev_stat>), relative timers (C<ev_timer>), absolute timers
…		…
82		96
83	It also is quite fast (see this	97	It also is quite fast (see this
84	L<benchmark\|http://libev.schmorp.de/bench.html> comparing it to libevent	98	L<benchmark\|http://libev.schmorp.de/bench.html> comparing it to libevent
85	for example).	99	for example).
86		100
87	=head1 CONVENTIONS	101	=head2 CONVENTIONS
88		102
89	Libev is very configurable. In this manual the default configuration will	103	Libev is very configurable. In this manual the default (and most common)
90	be described, which supports multiple event loops. For more info about	104	configuration will be described, which supports multiple event loops. For
91	various configuration options please have a look at B<EMBED> section in	105	more info about various configuration options please have a look at
92	this manual. If libev was configured without support for multiple event	106	B<EMBED> section in this manual. If libev was configured without support
93	loops, then all functions taking an initial argument of name C<loop>	107	for multiple event loops, then all functions taking an initial argument of
94	(which is always of type C<struct ev_loop *>) will not have this argument.	108	name C<loop> (which is always of type C<struct ev_loop *>) will not have
		109	this argument.
95		110
96	=head1 TIME REPRESENTATION	111	=head2 TIME REPRESENTATION
97		112
98	Libev represents time as a single floating point number, representing the	113	Libev represents time as a single floating point number, representing the
99	(fractional) number of seconds since the (POSIX) epoch (somewhere near	114	(fractional) number of seconds since the (POSIX) epoch (somewhere near
100	the beginning of 1970, details are complicated, don't ask). This type is	115	the beginning of 1970, details are complicated, don't ask). This type is
101	called C<ev_tstamp>, which is what you should use too. It usually aliases	116	called C<ev_tstamp>, which is what you should use too. It usually aliases
102	to the C<double> type in C, and when you need to do any calculations on	117	to the C<double> type in C, and when you need to do any calculations on
103	it, you should treat it as such.	118	it, you should treat it as some floatingpoint value. Unlike the name
		119	component C<stamp> might indicate, it is also used for time differences
		120	throughout libev.
104		121
105	=head1 GLOBAL FUNCTIONS	122	=head1 GLOBAL FUNCTIONS
106		123
107	These functions can be called anytime, even before initialising the	124	These functions can be called anytime, even before initialising the
108	library in any way.	125	library in any way.
…		…
113		130
114	Returns the current time as libev would use it. Please note that the	131	Returns the current time as libev would use it. Please note that the
115	C<ev_now> function is usually faster and also often returns the timestamp	132	C<ev_now> function is usually faster and also often returns the timestamp
116	you actually want to know.	133	you actually want to know.
117		134
		135	=item ev_sleep (ev_tstamp interval)
		136
		137	Sleep for the given interval: The current thread will be blocked until
		138	either it is interrupted or the given time interval has passed. Basically
		139	this is a subsecond-resolution C<sleep ()>.
		140
118	=item int ev_version_major ()	141	=item int ev_version_major ()
119		142
120	=item int ev_version_minor ()	143	=item int ev_version_minor ()
121		144
122	You can find out the major and minor version numbers of the library	145	You can find out the major and minor ABI version numbers of the library
123	you linked against by calling the functions C<ev_version_major> and	146	you linked against by calling the functions C<ev_version_major> and
124	C<ev_version_minor>. If you want, you can compare against the global	147	C<ev_version_minor>. If you want, you can compare against the global
125	symbols C<EV_VERSION_MAJOR> and C<EV_VERSION_MINOR>, which specify the	148	symbols C<EV_VERSION_MAJOR> and C<EV_VERSION_MINOR>, which specify the
126	version of the library your program was compiled against.	149	version of the library your program was compiled against.
127		150
		151	These version numbers refer to the ABI version of the library, not the
		152	release version.
		153
128	Usually, it's a good idea to terminate if the major versions mismatch,	154	Usually, it's a good idea to terminate if the major versions mismatch,
129	as this indicates an incompatible change. Minor versions are usually	155	as this indicates an incompatible change. Minor versions are usually
130	compatible to older versions, so a larger minor version alone is usually	156	compatible to older versions, so a larger minor version alone is usually
131	not a problem.	157	not a problem.
132		158
133	Example: Make sure we haven't accidentally been linked against the wrong	159	Example: Make sure we haven't accidentally been linked against the wrong
134	version.	160	version.
…		…
249	flags. If that is troubling you, check C<ev_backend ()> afterwards).	275	flags. If that is troubling you, check C<ev_backend ()> afterwards).
250		276
251	If you don't know what event loop to use, use the one returned from this	277	If you don't know what event loop to use, use the one returned from this
252	function.	278	function.
253		279
		280	The default loop is the only loop that can handle C<ev_signal> and
		281	C<ev_child> watchers, and to do this, it always registers a handler
		282	for C<SIGCHLD>. If this is a problem for your app you can either
		283	create a dynamic loop with C<ev_loop_new> that doesn't do that, or you
		284	can simply overwrite the C<SIGCHLD> signal handler I<after> calling
		285	C<ev_default_init>.
		286
254	The flags argument can be used to specify special behaviour or specific	287	The flags argument can be used to specify special behaviour or specific
255	backends to use, and is usually specified as C<0> (or C<EVFLAG_AUTO>).	288	backends to use, and is usually specified as C<0> (or C<EVFLAG_AUTO>).
256		289
257	The following flags are supported:	290	The following flags are supported:
258		291
…		…
279	enabling this flag.	312	enabling this flag.
280		313
281	This works by calling C<getpid ()> on every iteration of the loop,	314	This works by calling C<getpid ()> on every iteration of the loop,
282	and thus this might slow down your event loop if you do a lot of loop	315	and thus this might slow down your event loop if you do a lot of loop
283	iterations and little real work, but is usually not noticeable (on my	316	iterations and little real work, but is usually not noticeable (on my
284	Linux system for example, C<getpid> is actually a simple 5-insn sequence	317	GNU/Linux system for example, C<getpid> is actually a simple 5-insn sequence
285	without a syscall and thus I<very> fast, but my Linux system also has	318	without a syscall and thus I<very> fast, but my GNU/Linux system also has
286	C<pthread_atfork> which is even faster).	319	C<pthread_atfork> which is even faster).
287		320
288	The big advantage of this flag is that you can forget about fork (and	321	The big advantage of this flag is that you can forget about fork (and
289	forget about forgetting to tell libev about forking) when you use this	322	forget about forgetting to tell libev about forking) when you use this
290	flag.	323	flag.
…		…
295	=item C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> (value 1, portable select backend)	328	=item C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> (value 1, portable select backend)
296		329
297	This is your standard select(2) backend. Not I<completely> standard, as	330	This is your standard select(2) backend. Not I<completely> standard, as
298	libev tries to roll its own fd_set with no limits on the number of fds,	331	libev tries to roll its own fd_set with no limits on the number of fds,
299	but if that fails, expect a fairly low limit on the number of fds when	332	but if that fails, expect a fairly low limit on the number of fds when
300	using this backend. It doesn't scale too well (O(highest_fd)), but its usually	333	using this backend. It doesn't scale too well (O(highest_fd)), but its
301	the fastest backend for a low number of fds.	334	usually the fastest backend for a low number of (low-numbered :) fds.
		335
		336	To get good performance out of this backend you need a high amount of
		337	parallelity (most of the file descriptors should be busy). If you are
		338	writing a server, you should C<accept ()> in a loop to accept as many
		339	connections as possible during one iteration. You might also want to have
		340	a look at C<ev_set_io_collect_interval ()> to increase the amount of
		341	readyness notifications you get per iteration.
302		342
303	=item C<EVBACKEND_POLL> (value 2, poll backend, available everywhere except on windows)	343	=item C<EVBACKEND_POLL> (value 2, poll backend, available everywhere except on windows)
304		344
305	And this is your standard poll(2) backend. It's more complicated than	345	And this is your standard poll(2) backend. It's more complicated
306	select, but handles sparse fds better and has no artificial limit on the	346	than select, but handles sparse fds better and has no artificial
307	number of fds you can use (except it will slow down considerably with a	347	limit on the number of fds you can use (except it will slow down
308	lot of inactive fds). It scales similarly to select, i.e. O(total_fds).	348	considerably with a lot of inactive fds). It scales similarly to select,
		349	i.e. O(total_fds). See the entry for C<EVBACKEND_SELECT>, above, for
		350	performance tips.
309		351
310	=item C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL> (value 4, Linux)	352	=item C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL> (value 4, Linux)
311		353
312	For few fds, this backend is a bit little slower than poll and select,	354	For few fds, this backend is a bit little slower than poll and select,
313	but it scales phenomenally better. While poll and select usually scale like	355	but it scales phenomenally better. While poll and select usually scale
314	O(total_fds) where n is the total number of fds (or the highest fd), epoll scales	356	like O(total_fds) where n is the total number of fds (or the highest fd),
315	either O(1) or O(active_fds).	357	epoll scales either O(1) or O(active_fds). The epoll design has a number
		358	of shortcomings, such as silently dropping events in some hard-to-detect
		359	cases and rewiring a syscall per fd change, no fork support and bad
		360	support for dup.
316		361
317	While stopping and starting an I/O watcher in the same iteration will	362	While stopping, setting and starting an I/O watcher in the same iteration
318	result in some caching, there is still a syscall per such incident	363	will result in some caching, there is still a syscall per such incident
319	(because the fd could point to a different file description now), so its	364	(because the fd could point to a different file description now), so its
320	best to avoid that. Also, dup()ed file descriptors might not work very	365	best to avoid that. Also, C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors might not work
321	well if you register events for both fds.	366	very well if you register events for both fds.
322		367
323	Please note that epoll sometimes generates spurious notifications, so you	368	Please note that epoll sometimes generates spurious notifications, so you
324	need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid blocking when no data	369	need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid blocking when no data
325	(or space) is available.	370	(or space) is available.
326		371
		372	Best performance from this backend is achieved by not unregistering all
		373	watchers for a file descriptor until it has been closed, if possible, i.e.
		374	keep at least one watcher active per fd at all times.
		375
		376	While nominally embeddeble in other event loops, this feature is broken in
		377	all kernel versions tested so far.
		378
327	=item C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE> (value 8, most BSD clones)	379	=item C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE> (value 8, most BSD clones)
328		380
329	Kqueue deserves special mention, as at the time of this writing, it	381	Kqueue deserves special mention, as at the time of this writing, it
330	was broken on all BSDs except NetBSD (usually it doesn't work with	382	was broken on all BSDs except NetBSD (usually it doesn't work reliably
331	anything but sockets and pipes, except on Darwin, where of course its	383	with anything but sockets and pipes, except on Darwin, where of course
332	completely useless). For this reason its not being "autodetected"	384	it's completely useless). For this reason it's not being "autodetected"
333	unless you explicitly specify it explicitly in the flags (i.e. using	385	unless you explicitly specify it explicitly in the flags (i.e. using
334	C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>).	386	C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>) or libev was compiled on a known-to-be-good (-enough)
		387	system like NetBSD.
		388
		389	You still can embed kqueue into a normal poll or select backend and use it
		390	only for sockets (after having made sure that sockets work with kqueue on
		391	the target platform). See C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.
335		392
336	It scales in the same way as the epoll backend, but the interface to the	393	It scales in the same way as the epoll backend, but the interface to the
337	kernel is more efficient (which says nothing about its actual speed, of	394	kernel is more efficient (which says nothing about its actual speed, of
338	course). While starting and stopping an I/O watcher does not cause an	395	course). While stopping, setting and starting an I/O watcher does never
339	extra syscall as with epoll, it still adds up to four event changes per	396	cause an extra syscall as with C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL>, it still adds up to
340	incident, so its best to avoid that.	397	two event changes per incident, support for C<fork ()> is very bad and it
		398	drops fds silently in similarly hard-to-detect cases.
		399
		400	This backend usually performs well under most conditions.
		401
		402	While nominally embeddable in other event loops, this doesn't work
		403	everywhere, so you might need to test for this. And since it is broken
		404	almost everywhere, you should only use it when you have a lot of sockets
		405	(for which it usually works), by embedding it into another event loop
		406	(e.g. C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>) and using it only for
		407	sockets.
341		408
342	=item C<EVBACKEND_DEVPOLL> (value 16, Solaris 8)	409	=item C<EVBACKEND_DEVPOLL> (value 16, Solaris 8)
343		410
344	This is not implemented yet (and might never be).	411	This is not implemented yet (and might never be, unless you send me an
		412	implementation). According to reports, C</dev/poll> only supports sockets
		413	and is not embeddable, which would limit the usefulness of this backend
		414	immensely.
345		415
346	=item C<EVBACKEND_PORT> (value 32, Solaris 10)	416	=item C<EVBACKEND_PORT> (value 32, Solaris 10)
347		417
348	This uses the Solaris 10 port mechanism. As with everything on Solaris,	418	This uses the Solaris 10 event port mechanism. As with everything on Solaris,
349	it's really slow, but it still scales very well (O(active_fds)).	419	it's really slow, but it still scales very well (O(active_fds)).
350		420
351	Please note that solaris ports can result in a lot of spurious	421	Please note that solaris event ports can deliver a lot of spurious
352	notifications, so you need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid	422	notifications, so you need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid
353	blocking when no data (or space) is available.	423	blocking when no data (or space) is available.
		424
		425	While this backend scales well, it requires one system call per active
		426	file descriptor per loop iteration. For small and medium numbers of file
		427	descriptors a "slow" C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL> backend
		428	might perform better.
		429
		430	On the positive side, ignoring the spurious readyness notifications, this
		431	backend actually performed to specification in all tests and is fully
		432	embeddable, which is a rare feat among the OS-specific backends.
354		433
355	=item C<EVBACKEND_ALL>	434	=item C<EVBACKEND_ALL>
356		435
357	Try all backends (even potentially broken ones that wouldn't be tried	436	Try all backends (even potentially broken ones that wouldn't be tried
358	with C<EVFLAG_AUTO>). Since this is a mask, you can do stuff such as	437	with C<EVFLAG_AUTO>). Since this is a mask, you can do stuff such as
359	C<EVBACKEND_ALL & ~EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>.	438	C<EVBACKEND_ALL & ~EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>.
360		439
		440	It is definitely not recommended to use this flag.
		441
361	=back	442	=back
362		443
363	If one or more of these are ored into the flags value, then only these	444	If one or more of these are ored into the flags value, then only these
364	backends will be tried (in the reverse order as given here). If none are	445	backends will be tried (in the reverse order as listed here). If none are
365	specified, most compiled-in backend will be tried, usually in reverse	446	specified, all backends in C<ev_recommended_backends ()> will be tried.
366	order of their flag values :)
367		447
368	The most typical usage is like this:	448	The most typical usage is like this:
369		449
370	if (!ev_default_loop (0))	450	if (!ev_default_loop (0))
371	fatal ("could not initialise libev, bad $LIBEV_FLAGS in environment?");	451	fatal ("could not initialise libev, bad $LIBEV_FLAGS in environment?");
…		…
399	Destroys the default loop again (frees all memory and kernel state	479	Destroys the default loop again (frees all memory and kernel state
400	etc.). None of the active event watchers will be stopped in the normal	480	etc.). None of the active event watchers will be stopped in the normal
401	sense, so e.g. C<ev_is_active> might still return true. It is your	481	sense, so e.g. C<ev_is_active> might still return true. It is your
402	responsibility to either stop all watchers cleanly yoursef I<before>	482	responsibility to either stop all watchers cleanly yoursef I<before>
403	calling this function, or cope with the fact afterwards (which is usually	483	calling this function, or cope with the fact afterwards (which is usually
404	the easiest thing, youc na just ignore the watchers and/or C<free ()> them	484	the easiest thing, you can just ignore the watchers and/or C<free ()> them
405	for example).	485	for example).
		486
		487	Note that certain global state, such as signal state, will not be freed by
		488	this function, and related watchers (such as signal and child watchers)
		489	would need to be stopped manually.
		490
		491	In general it is not advisable to call this function except in the
		492	rare occasion where you really need to free e.g. the signal handling
		493	pipe fds. If you need dynamically allocated loops it is better to use
		494	C<ev_loop_new> and C<ev_loop_destroy>).
406		495
407	=item ev_loop_destroy (loop)	496	=item ev_loop_destroy (loop)
408		497
409	Like C<ev_default_destroy>, but destroys an event loop created by an	498	Like C<ev_default_destroy>, but destroys an event loop created by an
410	earlier call to C<ev_loop_new>.	499	earlier call to C<ev_loop_new>.
411		500
412	=item ev_default_fork ()	501	=item ev_default_fork ()
413		502
		503	This function sets a flag that causes subsequent C<ev_loop> iterations
414	This function reinitialises the kernel state for backends that have	504	to reinitialise the kernel state for backends that have one. Despite the
415	one. Despite the name, you can call it anytime, but it makes most sense	505	name, you can call it anytime, but it makes most sense after forking, in
416	after forking, in either the parent or child process (or both, but that	506	the child process (or both child and parent, but that again makes little
417	again makes little sense).	507	sense). You I<must> call it in the child before using any of the libev
		508	functions, and it will only take effect at the next C<ev_loop> iteration.
418		509
419	You I<must> call this function in the child process after forking if and	510	On the other hand, you only need to call this function in the child
420	only if you want to use the event library in both processes. If you just	511	process if and only if you want to use the event library in the child. If
421	fork+exec, you don't have to call it.	512	you just fork+exec, you don't have to call it at all.
422		513
423	The function itself is quite fast and it's usually not a problem to call	514	The function itself is quite fast and it's usually not a problem to call
424	it just in case after a fork. To make this easy, the function will fit in	515	it just in case after a fork. To make this easy, the function will fit in
425	quite nicely into a call to C<pthread_atfork>:	516	quite nicely into a call to C<pthread_atfork>:
426		517
427	pthread_atfork (0, 0, ev_default_fork);	518	pthread_atfork (0, 0, ev_default_fork);
428		519
429	At the moment, C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> and C<EVBACKEND_POLL> are safe to use
430	without calling this function, so if you force one of those backends you
431	do not need to care.
432
433	=item ev_loop_fork (loop)	520	=item ev_loop_fork (loop)
434		521
435	Like C<ev_default_fork>, but acts on an event loop created by	522	Like C<ev_default_fork>, but acts on an event loop created by
436	C<ev_loop_new>. Yes, you have to call this on every allocated event loop	523	C<ev_loop_new>. Yes, you have to call this on every allocated event loop
437	after fork, and how you do this is entirely your own problem.	524	after fork, and how you do this is entirely your own problem.
		525
		526	=item int ev_is_default_loop (loop)
		527
		528	Returns true when the given loop actually is the default loop, false otherwise.
438		529
439	=item unsigned int ev_loop_count (loop)	530	=item unsigned int ev_loop_count (loop)
440		531
441	Returns the count of loop iterations for the loop, which is identical to	532	Returns the count of loop iterations for the loop, which is identical to
442	the number of times libev did poll for new events. It starts at C<0> and	533	the number of times libev did poll for new events. It starts at C<0> and
…		…
455		546
456	Returns the current "event loop time", which is the time the event loop	547	Returns the current "event loop time", which is the time the event loop
457	received events and started processing them. This timestamp does not	548	received events and started processing them. This timestamp does not
458	change as long as callbacks are being processed, and this is also the base	549	change as long as callbacks are being processed, and this is also the base
459	time used for relative timers. You can treat it as the timestamp of the	550	time used for relative timers. You can treat it as the timestamp of the
460	event occuring (or more correctly, libev finding out about it).	551	event occurring (or more correctly, libev finding out about it).
461		552
462	=item ev_loop (loop, int flags)	553	=item ev_loop (loop, int flags)
463		554
464	Finally, this is it, the event handler. This function usually is called	555	Finally, this is it, the event handler. This function usually is called
465	after you initialised all your watchers and you want to start handling	556	after you initialised all your watchers and you want to start handling
…		…
486	libev watchers. However, a pair of C<ev_prepare>/C<ev_check> watchers is	577	libev watchers. However, a pair of C<ev_prepare>/C<ev_check> watchers is
487	usually a better approach for this kind of thing.	578	usually a better approach for this kind of thing.
488		579
489	Here are the gory details of what C<ev_loop> does:	580	Here are the gory details of what C<ev_loop> does:
490		581
491	* If there are no active watchers (reference count is zero), return.	582	- Before the first iteration, call any pending watchers.
492	- Queue prepare watchers and then call all outstanding watchers.	583	* If EVFLAG_FORKCHECK was used, check for a fork.
		584	- If a fork was detected, queue and call all fork watchers.
		585	- Queue and call all prepare watchers.
493	- If we have been forked, recreate the kernel state.	586	- If we have been forked, recreate the kernel state.
494	- Update the kernel state with all outstanding changes.	587	- Update the kernel state with all outstanding changes.
495	- Update the "event loop time".	588	- Update the "event loop time".
496	- Calculate for how long to block.	589	- Calculate for how long to sleep or block, if at all
		590	(active idle watchers, EVLOOP_NONBLOCK or not having
		591	any active watchers at all will result in not sleeping).
		592	- Sleep if the I/O and timer collect interval say so.
497	- Block the process, waiting for any events.	593	- Block the process, waiting for any events.
498	- Queue all outstanding I/O (fd) events.	594	- Queue all outstanding I/O (fd) events.
499	- Update the "event loop time" and do time jump handling.	595	- Update the "event loop time" and do time jump handling.
500	- Queue all outstanding timers.	596	- Queue all outstanding timers.
501	- Queue all outstanding periodics.	597	- Queue all outstanding periodics.
502	- If no events are pending now, queue all idle watchers.	598	- If no events are pending now, queue all idle watchers.
503	- Queue all check watchers.	599	- Queue all check watchers.
504	- Call all queued watchers in reverse order (i.e. check watchers first).	600	- Call all queued watchers in reverse order (i.e. check watchers first).
505	Signals and child watchers are implemented as I/O watchers, and will	601	Signals and child watchers are implemented as I/O watchers, and will
506	be handled here by queueing them when their watcher gets executed.	602	be handled here by queueing them when their watcher gets executed.
507	- If ev_unloop has been called or EVLOOP_ONESHOT or EVLOOP_NONBLOCK	603	- If ev_unloop has been called, or EVLOOP_ONESHOT or EVLOOP_NONBLOCK
508	were used, return, otherwise continue with step *.	604	were used, or there are no active watchers, return, otherwise
		605	continue with step *.
509		606
510	Example: Queue some jobs and then loop until no events are outsanding	607	Example: Queue some jobs and then loop until no events are outstanding
511	anymore.	608	anymore.
512		609
513	... queue jobs here, make sure they register event watchers as long	610	... queue jobs here, make sure they register event watchers as long
514	... as they still have work to do (even an idle watcher will do..)	611	... as they still have work to do (even an idle watcher will do..)
515	ev_loop (my_loop, 0);	612	ev_loop (my_loop, 0);
…		…
519		616
520	Can be used to make a call to C<ev_loop> return early (but only after it	617	Can be used to make a call to C<ev_loop> return early (but only after it
521	has processed all outstanding events). The C<how> argument must be either	618	has processed all outstanding events). The C<how> argument must be either
522	C<EVUNLOOP_ONE>, which will make the innermost C<ev_loop> call return, or	619	C<EVUNLOOP_ONE>, which will make the innermost C<ev_loop> call return, or
523	C<EVUNLOOP_ALL>, which will make all nested C<ev_loop> calls return.	620	C<EVUNLOOP_ALL>, which will make all nested C<ev_loop> calls return.
		621
		622	This "unloop state" will be cleared when entering C<ev_loop> again.
524		623
525	=item ev_ref (loop)	624	=item ev_ref (loop)
526		625
527	=item ev_unref (loop)	626	=item ev_unref (loop)
528		627
…		…
533	returning, ev_unref() after starting, and ev_ref() before stopping it. For	632	returning, ev_unref() after starting, and ev_ref() before stopping it. For
534	example, libev itself uses this for its internal signal pipe: It is not	633	example, libev itself uses this for its internal signal pipe: It is not
535	visible to the libev user and should not keep C<ev_loop> from exiting if	634	visible to the libev user and should not keep C<ev_loop> from exiting if
536	no event watchers registered by it are active. It is also an excellent	635	no event watchers registered by it are active. It is also an excellent
537	way to do this for generic recurring timers or from within third-party	636	way to do this for generic recurring timers or from within third-party
538	libraries. Just remember to I<unref after start> and I<ref before stop>.	637	libraries. Just remember to I<unref after start> and I<ref before stop>
		638	(but only if the watcher wasn't active before, or was active before,
		639	respectively).
539		640
540	Example: Create a signal watcher, but keep it from keeping C<ev_loop>	641	Example: Create a signal watcher, but keep it from keeping C<ev_loop>
541	running when nothing else is active.	642	running when nothing else is active.
542		643
543	struct ev_signal exitsig;	644	struct ev_signal exitsig;
…		…
547		648
548	Example: For some weird reason, unregister the above signal handler again.	649	Example: For some weird reason, unregister the above signal handler again.
549		650
550	ev_ref (loop);	651	ev_ref (loop);
551	ev_signal_stop (loop, &exitsig);	652	ev_signal_stop (loop, &exitsig);
		653
		654	=item ev_set_io_collect_interval (loop, ev_tstamp interval)
		655
		656	=item ev_set_timeout_collect_interval (loop, ev_tstamp interval)
		657
		658	These advanced functions influence the time that libev will spend waiting
		659	for events. Both are by default C<0>, meaning that libev will try to
		660	invoke timer/periodic callbacks and I/O callbacks with minimum latency.
		661
		662	Setting these to a higher value (the C<interval> I<must> be >= C<0>)
		663	allows libev to delay invocation of I/O and timer/periodic callbacks to
		664	increase efficiency of loop iterations.
		665
		666	The background is that sometimes your program runs just fast enough to
		667	handle one (or very few) event(s) per loop iteration. While this makes
		668	the program responsive, it also wastes a lot of CPU time to poll for new
		669	events, especially with backends like C<select ()> which have a high
		670	overhead for the actual polling but can deliver many events at once.
		671
		672	By setting a higher I<io collect interval> you allow libev to spend more
		673	time collecting I/O events, so you can handle more events per iteration,
		674	at the cost of increasing latency. Timeouts (both C<ev_periodic> and
		675	C<ev_timer>) will be not affected. Setting this to a non-null value will
		676	introduce an additional C<ev_sleep ()> call into most loop iterations.
		677
		678	Likewise, by setting a higher I<timeout collect interval> you allow libev
		679	to spend more time collecting timeouts, at the expense of increased
		680	latency (the watcher callback will be called later). C<ev_io> watchers
		681	will not be affected. Setting this to a non-null value will not introduce
		682	any overhead in libev.
		683
		684	Many (busy) programs can usually benefit by setting the io collect
		685	interval to a value near C<0.1> or so, which is often enough for
		686	interactive servers (of course not for games), likewise for timeouts. It
		687	usually doesn't make much sense to set it to a lower value than C<0.01>,
		688	as this approsaches the timing granularity of most systems.
552		689
553	=back	690	=back
554		691
555		692
556	=head1 ANATOMY OF A WATCHER	693	=head1 ANATOMY OF A WATCHER
…		…
655		792
656	=item C<EV_FORK>	793	=item C<EV_FORK>
657		794
658	The event loop has been resumed in the child process after fork (see	795	The event loop has been resumed in the child process after fork (see
659	C<ev_fork>).	796	C<ev_fork>).
		797
		798	=item C<EV_ASYNC>
		799
		800	The given async watcher has been asynchronously notified (see C<ev_async>).
660		801
661	=item C<EV_ERROR>	802	=item C<EV_ERROR>
662		803
663	An unspecified error has occured, the watcher has been stopped. This might	804	An unspecified error has occured, the watcher has been stopped. This might
664	happen because the watcher could not be properly started because libev	805	happen because the watcher could not be properly started because libev
…		…
882	In general you can register as many read and/or write event watchers per	1023	In general you can register as many read and/or write event watchers per
883	fd as you want (as long as you don't confuse yourself). Setting all file	1024	fd as you want (as long as you don't confuse yourself). Setting all file
884	descriptors to non-blocking mode is also usually a good idea (but not	1025	descriptors to non-blocking mode is also usually a good idea (but not
885	required if you know what you are doing).	1026	required if you know what you are doing).
886		1027
887	You have to be careful with dup'ed file descriptors, though. Some backends
888	(the linux epoll backend is a notable example) cannot handle dup'ed file
889	descriptors correctly if you register interest in two or more fds pointing
890	to the same underlying file/socket/etc. description (that is, they share
891	the same underlying "file open").
892
893	If you must do this, then force the use of a known-to-be-good backend	1028	If you must do this, then force the use of a known-to-be-good backend
894	(at the time of this writing, this includes only C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> and	1029	(at the time of this writing, this includes only C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> and
895	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>).	1030	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>).
896		1031
897	Another thing you have to watch out for is that it is quite easy to	1032	Another thing you have to watch out for is that it is quite easy to
…		…
907	play around with an Xlib connection), then you have to seperately re-test	1042	play around with an Xlib connection), then you have to seperately re-test
908	whether a file descriptor is really ready with a known-to-be good interface	1043	whether a file descriptor is really ready with a known-to-be good interface
909	such as poll (fortunately in our Xlib example, Xlib already does this on	1044	such as poll (fortunately in our Xlib example, Xlib already does this on
910	its own, so its quite safe to use).	1045	its own, so its quite safe to use).
911		1046
		1047	=head3 The special problem of disappearing file descriptors
		1048
		1049	Some backends (e.g. kqueue, epoll) need to be told about closing a file
		1050	descriptor (either by calling C<close> explicitly or by any other means,
		1051	such as C<dup>). The reason is that you register interest in some file
		1052	descriptor, but when it goes away, the operating system will silently drop
		1053	this interest. If another file descriptor with the same number then is
		1054	registered with libev, there is no efficient way to see that this is, in
		1055	fact, a different file descriptor.
		1056
		1057	To avoid having to explicitly tell libev about such cases, libev follows
		1058	the following policy: Each time C<ev_io_set> is being called, libev
		1059	will assume that this is potentially a new file descriptor, otherwise
		1060	it is assumed that the file descriptor stays the same. That means that
		1061	you I<have> to call C<ev_io_set> (or C<ev_io_init>) when you change the
		1062	descriptor even if the file descriptor number itself did not change.
		1063
		1064	This is how one would do it normally anyway, the important point is that
		1065	the libev application should not optimise around libev but should leave
		1066	optimisations to libev.
		1067
		1068	=head3 The special problem of dup'ed file descriptors
		1069
		1070	Some backends (e.g. epoll), cannot register events for file descriptors,
		1071	but only events for the underlying file descriptions. That means when you
		1072	have C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors or weirder constellations, and register
		1073	events for them, only one file descriptor might actually receive events.
		1074
		1075	There is no workaround possible except not registering events
		1076	for potentially C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors, or to resort to
		1077	C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
		1078
		1079	=head3 The special problem of fork
		1080
		1081	Some backends (epoll, kqueue) do not support C<fork ()> at all or exhibit
		1082	useless behaviour. Libev fully supports fork, but needs to be told about
		1083	it in the child.
		1084
		1085	To support fork in your programs, you either have to call
		1086	C<ev_default_fork ()> or C<ev_loop_fork ()> after a fork in the child,
		1087	enable C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>, or resort to C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or
		1088	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
		1089
		1090
		1091	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions
		1092
912	=over 4	1093	=over 4
913		1094
914	=item ev_io_init (ev_io *, callback, int fd, int events)	1095	=item ev_io_init (ev_io *, callback, int fd, int events)
915		1096
916	=item ev_io_set (ev_io *, int fd, int events)	1097	=item ev_io_set (ev_io *, int fd, int events)
…		…
926	=item int events [read-only]	1107	=item int events [read-only]
927		1108
928	The events being watched.	1109	The events being watched.
929		1110
930	=back	1111	=back
		1112
		1113	=head3 Examples
931		1114
932	Example: Call C<stdin_readable_cb> when STDIN_FILENO has become, well	1115	Example: Call C<stdin_readable_cb> when STDIN_FILENO has become, well
933	readable, but only once. Since it is likely line-buffered, you could	1116	readable, but only once. Since it is likely line-buffered, you could
934	attempt to read a whole line in the callback.	1117	attempt to read a whole line in the callback.
935		1118
…		…
969		1152
970	The callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when its timeout has passed,	1153	The callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when its timeout has passed,
971	but if multiple timers become ready during the same loop iteration then	1154	but if multiple timers become ready during the same loop iteration then
972	order of execution is undefined.	1155	order of execution is undefined.
973		1156
		1157	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1158
974	=over 4	1159	=over 4
975		1160
976	=item ev_timer_init (ev_timer *, callback, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)	1161	=item ev_timer_init (ev_timer *, callback, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)
977		1162
978	=item ev_timer_set (ev_timer *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)	1163	=item ev_timer_set (ev_timer *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)
…		…
986	configure a timer to trigger every 10 seconds, then it will trigger at	1171	configure a timer to trigger every 10 seconds, then it will trigger at
987	exactly 10 second intervals. If, however, your program cannot keep up with	1172	exactly 10 second intervals. If, however, your program cannot keep up with
988	the timer (because it takes longer than those 10 seconds to do stuff) the	1173	the timer (because it takes longer than those 10 seconds to do stuff) the
989	timer will not fire more than once per event loop iteration.	1174	timer will not fire more than once per event loop iteration.
990		1175
991	=item ev_timer_again (loop)	1176	=item ev_timer_again (loop, ev_timer *)
992		1177
993	This will act as if the timer timed out and restart it again if it is	1178	This will act as if the timer timed out and restart it again if it is
994	repeating. The exact semantics are:	1179	repeating. The exact semantics are:
995		1180
996	If the timer is pending, its pending status is cleared.	1181	If the timer is pending, its pending status is cleared.
…		…
1031	or C<ev_timer_again> is called and determines the next timeout (if any),	1216	or C<ev_timer_again> is called and determines the next timeout (if any),
1032	which is also when any modifications are taken into account.	1217	which is also when any modifications are taken into account.
1033		1218
1034	=back	1219	=back
1035		1220
		1221	=head3 Examples
		1222
1036	Example: Create a timer that fires after 60 seconds.	1223	Example: Create a timer that fires after 60 seconds.
1037		1224
1038	static void	1225	static void
1039	one_minute_cb (struct ev_loop loop, struct ev_timer w, int revents)	1226	one_minute_cb (struct ev_loop loop, struct ev_timer w, int revents)
1040	{	1227	{
…		…
1073	but on wallclock time (absolute time). You can tell a periodic watcher	1260	but on wallclock time (absolute time). You can tell a periodic watcher
1074	to trigger "at" some specific point in time. For example, if you tell a	1261	to trigger "at" some specific point in time. For example, if you tell a
1075	periodic watcher to trigger in 10 seconds (by specifiying e.g. C<ev_now ()	1262	periodic watcher to trigger in 10 seconds (by specifiying e.g. C<ev_now ()
1076	+ 10.>) and then reset your system clock to the last year, then it will	1263	+ 10.>) and then reset your system clock to the last year, then it will
1077	take a year to trigger the event (unlike an C<ev_timer>, which would trigger	1264	take a year to trigger the event (unlike an C<ev_timer>, which would trigger
1078	roughly 10 seconds later and of course not if you reset your system time	1265	roughly 10 seconds later).
1079	again).
1080		1266
1081	They can also be used to implement vastly more complex timers, such as	1267	They can also be used to implement vastly more complex timers, such as
1082	triggering an event on eahc midnight, local time.	1268	triggering an event on each midnight, local time or other, complicated,
		1269	rules.
1083		1270
1084	As with timers, the callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when the	1271	As with timers, the callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when the
1085	time (C<at>) has been passed, but if multiple periodic timers become ready	1272	time (C<at>) has been passed, but if multiple periodic timers become ready
1086	during the same loop iteration then order of execution is undefined.	1273	during the same loop iteration then order of execution is undefined.
1087		1274
		1275	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1276
1088	=over 4	1277	=over 4
1089		1278
1090	=item ev_periodic_init (ev_periodic *, callback, ev_tstamp at, ev_tstamp interval, reschedule_cb)	1279	=item ev_periodic_init (ev_periodic *, callback, ev_tstamp at, ev_tstamp interval, reschedule_cb)
1091		1280
1092	=item ev_periodic_set (ev_periodic *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat, reschedule_cb)	1281	=item ev_periodic_set (ev_periodic *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat, reschedule_cb)
…		…
1094	Lots of arguments, lets sort it out... There are basically three modes of	1283	Lots of arguments, lets sort it out... There are basically three modes of
1095	operation, and we will explain them from simplest to complex:	1284	operation, and we will explain them from simplest to complex:
1096		1285
1097	=over 4	1286	=over 4
1098		1287
1099	=item * absolute timer (interval = reschedule_cb = 0)	1288	=item * absolute timer (at = time, interval = reschedule_cb = 0)
1100		1289
1101	In this configuration the watcher triggers an event at the wallclock time	1290	In this configuration the watcher triggers an event at the wallclock time
1102	C<at> and doesn't repeat. It will not adjust when a time jump occurs,	1291	C<at> and doesn't repeat. It will not adjust when a time jump occurs,
1103	that is, if it is to be run at January 1st 2011 then it will run when the	1292	that is, if it is to be run at January 1st 2011 then it will run when the
1104	system time reaches or surpasses this time.	1293	system time reaches or surpasses this time.
1105		1294
1106	=item * non-repeating interval timer (interval > 0, reschedule_cb = 0)	1295	=item * repeating interval timer (at = offset, interval > 0, reschedule_cb = 0)
1107		1296
1108	In this mode the watcher will always be scheduled to time out at the next	1297	In this mode the watcher will always be scheduled to time out at the next
1109	C<at + N * interval> time (for some integer N) and then repeat, regardless	1298	C<at + N * interval> time (for some integer N, which can also be negative)
1110	of any time jumps.	1299	and then repeat, regardless of any time jumps.
1111		1300
1112	This can be used to create timers that do not drift with respect to system	1301	This can be used to create timers that do not drift with respect to system
1113	time:	1302	time:
1114		1303
1115	ev_periodic_set (&periodic, 0., 3600., 0);	1304	ev_periodic_set (&periodic, 0., 3600., 0);
…		…
1121		1310
1122	Another way to think about it (for the mathematically inclined) is that	1311	Another way to think about it (for the mathematically inclined) is that
1123	C<ev_periodic> will try to run the callback in this mode at the next possible	1312	C<ev_periodic> will try to run the callback in this mode at the next possible
1124	time where C<time = at (mod interval)>, regardless of any time jumps.	1313	time where C<time = at (mod interval)>, regardless of any time jumps.
1125		1314
		1315	For numerical stability it is preferable that the C<at> value is near
		1316	C<ev_now ()> (the current time), but there is no range requirement for
		1317	this value.
		1318
1126	=item * manual reschedule mode (reschedule_cb = callback)	1319	=item * manual reschedule mode (at and interval ignored, reschedule_cb = callback)
1127		1320
1128	In this mode the values for C<interval> and C<at> are both being	1321	In this mode the values for C<interval> and C<at> are both being
1129	ignored. Instead, each time the periodic watcher gets scheduled, the	1322	ignored. Instead, each time the periodic watcher gets scheduled, the
1130	reschedule callback will be called with the watcher as first, and the	1323	reschedule callback will be called with the watcher as first, and the
1131	current time as second argument.	1324	current time as second argument.
1132		1325
1133	NOTE: I<This callback MUST NOT stop or destroy any periodic watcher,	1326	NOTE: I<This callback MUST NOT stop or destroy any periodic watcher,
1134	ever, or make any event loop modifications>. If you need to stop it,	1327	ever, or make any event loop modifications>. If you need to stop it,
1135	return C<now + 1e30> (or so, fudge fudge) and stop it afterwards (e.g. by	1328	return C<now + 1e30> (or so, fudge fudge) and stop it afterwards (e.g. by
1136	starting a prepare watcher).	1329	starting an C<ev_prepare> watcher, which is legal).
1137		1330
1138	Its prototype is C<ev_tstamp (reschedule_cb)(struct ev_periodic w,	1331	Its prototype is C<ev_tstamp (reschedule_cb)(struct ev_periodic w,
1139	ev_tstamp now)>, e.g.:	1332	ev_tstamp now)>, e.g.:
1140		1333
1141	static ev_tstamp my_rescheduler (struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)	1334	static ev_tstamp my_rescheduler (struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)
…		…
1164	Simply stops and restarts the periodic watcher again. This is only useful	1357	Simply stops and restarts the periodic watcher again. This is only useful
1165	when you changed some parameters or the reschedule callback would return	1358	when you changed some parameters or the reschedule callback would return
1166	a different time than the last time it was called (e.g. in a crond like	1359	a different time than the last time it was called (e.g. in a crond like
1167	program when the crontabs have changed).	1360	program when the crontabs have changed).
1168		1361
		1362	=item ev_tstamp offset [read-write]
		1363
		1364	When repeating, this contains the offset value, otherwise this is the
		1365	absolute point in time (the C<at> value passed to C<ev_periodic_set>).
		1366
		1367	Can be modified any time, but changes only take effect when the periodic
		1368	timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.
		1369
1169	=item ev_tstamp interval [read-write]	1370	=item ev_tstamp interval [read-write]
1170		1371
1171	The current interval value. Can be modified any time, but changes only	1372	The current interval value. Can be modified any time, but changes only
1172	take effect when the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being	1373	take effect when the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being
1173	called.	1374	called.
…		…
1176		1377
1177	The current reschedule callback, or C<0>, if this functionality is	1378	The current reschedule callback, or C<0>, if this functionality is
1178	switched off. Can be changed any time, but changes only take effect when	1379	switched off. Can be changed any time, but changes only take effect when
1179	the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.	1380	the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.
1180		1381
		1382	=item ev_tstamp at [read-only]
		1383
		1384	When active, contains the absolute time that the watcher is supposed to
		1385	trigger next.
		1386
1181	=back	1387	=back
		1388
		1389	=head3 Examples
1182		1390
1183	Example: Call a callback every hour, or, more precisely, whenever the	1391	Example: Call a callback every hour, or, more precisely, whenever the
1184	system clock is divisible by 3600. The callback invocation times have	1392	system clock is divisible by 3600. The callback invocation times have
1185	potentially a lot of jittering, but good long-term stability.	1393	potentially a lot of jittering, but good long-term stability.
1186		1394
…		…
1226	with the kernel (thus it coexists with your own signal handlers as long	1434	with the kernel (thus it coexists with your own signal handlers as long
1227	as you don't register any with libev). Similarly, when the last signal	1435	as you don't register any with libev). Similarly, when the last signal
1228	watcher for a signal is stopped libev will reset the signal handler to	1436	watcher for a signal is stopped libev will reset the signal handler to
1229	SIG_DFL (regardless of what it was set to before).	1437	SIG_DFL (regardless of what it was set to before).
1230		1438
		1439	If possible and supported, libev will install its handlers with
		1440	C<SA_RESTART> behaviour enabled, so syscalls should not be unduly
		1441	interrupted. If you have a problem with syscalls getting interrupted by
		1442	signals you can block all signals in an C<ev_check> watcher and unblock
		1443	them in an C<ev_prepare> watcher.
		1444
		1445	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1446
1231	=over 4	1447	=over 4
1232		1448
1233	=item ev_signal_init (ev_signal *, callback, int signum)	1449	=item ev_signal_init (ev_signal *, callback, int signum)
1234		1450
1235	=item ev_signal_set (ev_signal *, int signum)	1451	=item ev_signal_set (ev_signal *, int signum)
…		…
1241		1457
1242	The signal the watcher watches out for.	1458	The signal the watcher watches out for.
1243		1459
1244	=back	1460	=back
1245		1461
		1462	=head3 Examples
		1463
		1464	Example: Try to exit cleanly on SIGINT and SIGTERM.
		1465
		1466	static void
		1467	sigint_cb (struct ev_loop loop, struct ev_signal w, int revents)
		1468	{
		1469	ev_unloop (loop, EVUNLOOP_ALL);
		1470	}
		1471
		1472	struct ev_signal signal_watcher;
		1473	ev_signal_init (&signal_watcher, sigint_cb, SIGINT);
		1474	ev_signal_start (loop, &sigint_cb);
		1475
1246		1476
1247	=head2 C<ev_child> - watch out for process status changes	1477	=head2 C<ev_child> - watch out for process status changes
1248		1478
1249	Child watchers trigger when your process receives a SIGCHLD in response to	1479	Child watchers trigger when your process receives a SIGCHLD in response to
1250	some child status changes (most typically when a child of yours dies).	1480	some child status changes (most typically when a child of yours dies). It
		1481	is permissible to install a child watcher I<after> the child has been
		1482	forked (which implies it might have already exited), as long as the event
		1483	loop isn't entered (or is continued from a watcher).
		1484
		1485	Only the default event loop is capable of handling signals, and therefore
		1486	you can only rgeister child watchers in the default event loop.
		1487
		1488	=head3 Process Interaction
		1489
		1490	Libev grabs C<SIGCHLD> as soon as the default event loop is
		1491	initialised. This is necessary to guarantee proper behaviour even if
		1492	the first child watcher is started after the child exits. The occurance
		1493	of C<SIGCHLD> is recorded asynchronously, but child reaping is done
		1494	synchronously as part of the event loop processing. Libev always reaps all
		1495	children, even ones not watched.
		1496
		1497	=head3 Overriding the Built-In Processing
		1498
		1499	Libev offers no special support for overriding the built-in child
		1500	processing, but if your application collides with libev's default child
		1501	handler, you can override it easily by installing your own handler for
		1502	C<SIGCHLD> after initialising the default loop, and making sure the
		1503	default loop never gets destroyed. You are encouraged, however, to use an
		1504	event-based approach to child reaping and thus use libev's support for
		1505	that, so other libev users can use C<ev_child> watchers freely.
		1506
		1507	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1251		1508
1252	=over 4	1509	=over 4
1253		1510
1254	=item ev_child_init (ev_child *, callback, int pid)	1511	=item ev_child_init (ev_child *, callback, int pid, int trace)
1255		1512
1256	=item ev_child_set (ev_child *, int pid)	1513	=item ev_child_set (ev_child *, int pid, int trace)
1257		1514
1258	Configures the watcher to wait for status changes of process C<pid> (or	1515	Configures the watcher to wait for status changes of process C<pid> (or
1259	I<any> process if C<pid> is specified as C<0>). The callback can look	1516	I<any> process if C<pid> is specified as C<0>). The callback can look
1260	at the C<rstatus> member of the C<ev_child> watcher structure to see	1517	at the C<rstatus> member of the C<ev_child> watcher structure to see
1261	the status word (use the macros from C<sys/wait.h> and see your systems	1518	the status word (use the macros from C<sys/wait.h> and see your systems
1262	C<waitpid> documentation). The C<rpid> member contains the pid of the	1519	C<waitpid> documentation). The C<rpid> member contains the pid of the
1263	process causing the status change.	1520	process causing the status change. C<trace> must be either C<0> (only
		1521	activate the watcher when the process terminates) or C<1> (additionally
		1522	activate the watcher when the process is stopped or continued).
1264		1523
1265	=item int pid [read-only]	1524	=item int pid [read-only]
1266		1525
1267	The process id this watcher watches out for, or C<0>, meaning any process id.	1526	The process id this watcher watches out for, or C<0>, meaning any process id.
1268		1527
…		…
1275	The process exit/trace status caused by C<rpid> (see your systems	1534	The process exit/trace status caused by C<rpid> (see your systems
1276	C<waitpid> and C<sys/wait.h> documentation for details).	1535	C<waitpid> and C<sys/wait.h> documentation for details).
1277		1536
1278	=back	1537	=back
1279		1538
1280	Example: Try to exit cleanly on SIGINT and SIGTERM.	1539	=head3 Examples
		1540
		1541	Example: C<fork()> a new process and install a child handler to wait for
		1542	its completion.
		1543
		1544	ev_child cw;
1281		1545
1282	static void	1546	static void
1283	sigint_cb (struct ev_loop loop, struct ev_signal w, int revents)	1547	child_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_child *w, int revents)
1284	{	1548	{
1285	ev_unloop (loop, EVUNLOOP_ALL);	1549	ev_child_stop (EV_A_ w);
		1550	printf ("process %d exited with status %x\n", w->rpid, w->rstatus);
1286	}	1551	}
1287		1552
1288	struct ev_signal signal_watcher;	1553	pid_t pid = fork ();
1289	ev_signal_init (&signal_watcher, sigint_cb, SIGINT);	1554
1290	ev_signal_start (loop, &sigint_cb);	1555	if (pid < 0)
		1556	// error
		1557	else if (pid == 0)
		1558	{
		1559	// the forked child executes here
		1560	exit (1);
		1561	}
		1562	else
		1563	{
		1564	ev_child_init (&cw, child_cb, pid, 0);
		1565	ev_child_start (EV_DEFAULT_ &cw);
		1566	}
1291		1567
1292		1568
1293	=head2 C<ev_stat> - did the file attributes just change?	1569	=head2 C<ev_stat> - did the file attributes just change?
1294		1570
1295	This watches a filesystem path for attribute changes. That is, it calls	1571	This watches a filesystem path for attribute changes. That is, it calls
…		…
1324	semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers, which means that libev sometimes needs	1600	semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers, which means that libev sometimes needs
1325	to fall back to regular polling again even with inotify, but changes are	1601	to fall back to regular polling again even with inotify, but changes are
1326	usually detected immediately, and if the file exists there will be no	1602	usually detected immediately, and if the file exists there will be no
1327	polling.	1603	polling.
1328		1604
		1605	=head3 ABI Issues (Largefile Support)
		1606
		1607	Libev by default (unless the user overrides this) uses the default
		1608	compilation environment, which means that on systems with optionally
		1609	disabled large file support, you get the 32 bit version of the stat
		1610	structure. When using the library from programs that change the ABI to
		1611	use 64 bit file offsets the programs will fail. In that case you have to
		1612	compile libev with the same flags to get binary compatibility. This is
		1613	obviously the case with any flags that change the ABI, but the problem is
		1614	most noticably with ev_stat and largefile support.
		1615
		1616	=head3 Inotify
		1617
		1618	When C<inotify (7)> support has been compiled into libev (generally only
		1619	available on Linux) and present at runtime, it will be used to speed up
		1620	change detection where possible. The inotify descriptor will be created lazily
		1621	when the first C<ev_stat> watcher is being started.
		1622
		1623	Inotify presense does not change the semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers
		1624	except that changes might be detected earlier, and in some cases, to avoid
		1625	making regular C<stat> calls. Even in the presense of inotify support
		1626	there are many cases where libev has to resort to regular C<stat> polling.
		1627
		1628	(There is no support for kqueue, as apparently it cannot be used to
		1629	implement this functionality, due to the requirement of having a file
		1630	descriptor open on the object at all times).
		1631
		1632	=head3 The special problem of stat time resolution
		1633
		1634	The C<stat ()> syscall only supports full-second resolution portably, and
		1635	even on systems where the resolution is higher, many filesystems still
		1636	only support whole seconds.
		1637
		1638	That means that, if the time is the only thing that changes, you might
		1639	miss updates: on the first update, C<ev_stat> detects a change and calls
		1640	your callback, which does something. When there is another update within
		1641	the same second, C<ev_stat> will be unable to detect it.
		1642
		1643	The solution to this is to delay acting on a change for a second (or till
		1644	the next second boundary), using a roughly one-second delay C<ev_timer>
		1645	(C<ev_timer_set (w, 0., 1.01); ev_timer_again (loop, w)>). The C<.01>
		1646	is added to work around small timing inconsistencies of some operating
		1647	systems.
		1648
		1649	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1650
1329	=over 4	1651	=over 4
1330		1652
1331	=item ev_stat_init (ev_stat , callback, const char path, ev_tstamp interval)	1653	=item ev_stat_init (ev_stat , callback, const char path, ev_tstamp interval)
1332		1654
1333	=item ev_stat_set (ev_stat , const char path, ev_tstamp interval)	1655	=item ev_stat_set (ev_stat , const char path, ev_tstamp interval)
…		…
1340		1662
1341	The callback will be receive C<EV_STAT> when a change was detected,	1663	The callback will be receive C<EV_STAT> when a change was detected,
1342	relative to the attributes at the time the watcher was started (or the	1664	relative to the attributes at the time the watcher was started (or the
1343	last change was detected).	1665	last change was detected).
1344		1666
1345	=item ev_stat_stat (ev_stat *)	1667	=item ev_stat_stat (loop, ev_stat *)
1346		1668
1347	Updates the stat buffer immediately with new values. If you change the	1669	Updates the stat buffer immediately with new values. If you change the
1348	watched path in your callback, you could call this fucntion to avoid	1670	watched path in your callback, you could call this fucntion to avoid
1349	detecting this change (while introducing a race condition). Can also be	1671	detecting this change (while introducing a race condition). Can also be
1350	useful simply to find out the new values.	1672	useful simply to find out the new values.
…		…
1368	=item const char *path [read-only]	1690	=item const char *path [read-only]
1369		1691
1370	The filesystem path that is being watched.	1692	The filesystem path that is being watched.
1371		1693
1372	=back	1694	=back
		1695
		1696	=head3 Examples
1373		1697
1374	Example: Watch C</etc/passwd> for attribute changes.	1698	Example: Watch C</etc/passwd> for attribute changes.
1375		1699
1376	static void	1700	static void
1377	passwd_cb (struct ev_loop loop, ev_stat w, int revents)	1701	passwd_cb (struct ev_loop loop, ev_stat w, int revents)
…		…
1390	}	1714	}
1391		1715
1392	...	1716	...
1393	ev_stat passwd;	1717	ev_stat passwd;
1394		1718
1395	ev_stat_init (&passwd, passwd_cb, "/etc/passwd");	1719	ev_stat_init (&passwd, passwd_cb, "/etc/passwd", 0.);
1396	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);	1720	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);
		1721
		1722	Example: Like above, but additionally use a one-second delay so we do not
		1723	miss updates (however, frequent updates will delay processing, too, so
		1724	one might do the work both on C<ev_stat> callback invocation I<and> on
		1725	C<ev_timer> callback invocation).
		1726
		1727	static ev_stat passwd;
		1728	static ev_timer timer;
		1729
		1730	static void
		1731	timer_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
		1732	{
		1733	ev_timer_stop (EV_A_ w);
		1734
		1735	/* now it's one second after the most recent passwd change */
		1736	}
		1737
		1738	static void
		1739	stat_cb (EV_P_ ev_stat *w, int revents)
		1740	{
		1741	/* reset the one-second timer */
		1742	ev_timer_again (EV_A_ &timer);
		1743	}
		1744
		1745	...
		1746	ev_stat_init (&passwd, stat_cb, "/etc/passwd", 0.);
		1747	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);
		1748	ev_timer_init (&timer, timer_cb, 0., 1.01);
1397		1749
1398		1750
1399	=head2 C<ev_idle> - when you've got nothing better to do...	1751	=head2 C<ev_idle> - when you've got nothing better to do...
1400		1752
1401	Idle watchers trigger events when no other events of the same or higher	1753	Idle watchers trigger events when no other events of the same or higher
…		…
1415	Apart from keeping your process non-blocking (which is a useful	1767	Apart from keeping your process non-blocking (which is a useful
1416	effect on its own sometimes), idle watchers are a good place to do	1768	effect on its own sometimes), idle watchers are a good place to do
1417	"pseudo-background processing", or delay processing stuff to after the	1769	"pseudo-background processing", or delay processing stuff to after the
1418	event loop has handled all outstanding events.	1770	event loop has handled all outstanding events.
1419		1771
		1772	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1773
1420	=over 4	1774	=over 4
1421		1775
1422	=item ev_idle_init (ev_signal *, callback)	1776	=item ev_idle_init (ev_signal *, callback)
1423		1777
1424	Initialises and configures the idle watcher - it has no parameters of any	1778	Initialises and configures the idle watcher - it has no parameters of any
1425	kind. There is a C<ev_idle_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,	1779	kind. There is a C<ev_idle_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
1426	believe me.	1780	believe me.
1427		1781
1428	=back	1782	=back
		1783
		1784	=head3 Examples
1429		1785
1430	Example: Dynamically allocate an C<ev_idle> watcher, start it, and in the	1786	Example: Dynamically allocate an C<ev_idle> watcher, start it, and in the
1431	callback, free it. Also, use no error checking, as usual.	1787	callback, free it. Also, use no error checking, as usual.
1432		1788
1433	static void	1789	static void
1434	idle_cb (struct ev_loop loop, struct ev_idle w, int revents)	1790	idle_cb (struct ev_loop loop, struct ev_idle w, int revents)
1435	{	1791	{
1436	free (w);	1792	free (w);
1437	// now do something you wanted to do when the program has	1793	// now do something you wanted to do when the program has
1438	// no longer asnything immediate to do.	1794	// no longer anything immediate to do.
1439	}	1795	}
1440		1796
1441	struct ev_idle *idle_watcher = malloc (sizeof (struct ev_idle));	1797	struct ev_idle *idle_watcher = malloc (sizeof (struct ev_idle));
1442	ev_idle_init (idle_watcher, idle_cb);	1798	ev_idle_init (idle_watcher, idle_cb);
1443	ev_idle_start (loop, idle_cb);	1799	ev_idle_start (loop, idle_cb);
…		…
1481	with priority higher than or equal to the event loop and one coroutine	1837	with priority higher than or equal to the event loop and one coroutine
1482	of lower priority, but only once, using idle watchers to keep the event	1838	of lower priority, but only once, using idle watchers to keep the event
1483	loop from blocking if lower-priority coroutines are active, thus mapping	1839	loop from blocking if lower-priority coroutines are active, thus mapping
1484	low-priority coroutines to idle/background tasks).	1840	low-priority coroutines to idle/background tasks).
1485		1841
		1842	It is recommended to give C<ev_check> watchers highest (C<EV_MAXPRI>)
		1843	priority, to ensure that they are being run before any other watchers
		1844	after the poll. Also, C<ev_check> watchers (and C<ev_prepare> watchers,
		1845	too) should not activate ("feed") events into libev. While libev fully
		1846	supports this, they will be called before other C<ev_check> watchers
		1847	did their job. As C<ev_check> watchers are often used to embed other
		1848	(non-libev) event loops those other event loops might be in an unusable
		1849	state until their C<ev_check> watcher ran (always remind yourself to
		1850	coexist peacefully with others).
		1851
		1852	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1853
1486	=over 4	1854	=over 4
1487		1855
1488	=item ev_prepare_init (ev_prepare *, callback)	1856	=item ev_prepare_init (ev_prepare *, callback)
1489		1857
1490	=item ev_check_init (ev_check *, callback)	1858	=item ev_check_init (ev_check *, callback)
…		…
1493	parameters of any kind. There are C<ev_prepare_set> and C<ev_check_set>	1861	parameters of any kind. There are C<ev_prepare_set> and C<ev_check_set>
1494	macros, but using them is utterly, utterly and completely pointless.	1862	macros, but using them is utterly, utterly and completely pointless.
1495		1863
1496	=back	1864	=back
1497		1865
1498	Example: To include a library such as adns, you would add IO watchers	1866	=head3 Examples
1499	and a timeout watcher in a prepare handler, as required by libadns, and	1867
		1868	There are a number of principal ways to embed other event loops or modules
		1869	into libev. Here are some ideas on how to include libadns into libev
		1870	(there is a Perl module named C<EV::ADNS> that does this, which you could
		1871	use for an actually working example. Another Perl module named C<EV::Glib>
		1872	embeds a Glib main context into libev, and finally, C<Glib::EV> embeds EV
		1873	into the Glib event loop).
		1874
		1875	Method 1: Add IO watchers and a timeout watcher in a prepare handler,
1500	in a check watcher, destroy them and call into libadns. What follows is	1876	and in a check watcher, destroy them and call into libadns. What follows
1501	pseudo-code only of course:	1877	is pseudo-code only of course. This requires you to either use a low
		1878	priority for the check watcher or use C<ev_clear_pending> explicitly, as
		1879	the callbacks for the IO/timeout watchers might not have been called yet.
1502		1880
1503	static ev_io iow [nfd];	1881	static ev_io iow [nfd];
1504	static ev_timer tw;	1882	static ev_timer tw;
1505		1883
1506	static void	1884	static void
1507	io_cb (ev_loop loop, ev_io w, int revents)	1885	io_cb (ev_loop loop, ev_io w, int revents)
1508	{	1886	{
1509	// set the relevant poll flags
1510	// could also call adns_processreadable etc. here
1511	struct pollfd fd = (struct pollfd )w->data;
1512	if (revents & EV_READ ) fd->revents \|= fd->events & POLLIN;
1513	if (revents & EV_WRITE) fd->revents \|= fd->events & POLLOUT;
1514	}	1887	}
1515		1888
1516	// create io watchers for each fd and a timer before blocking	1889	// create io watchers for each fd and a timer before blocking
1517	static void	1890	static void
1518	adns_prepare_cb (ev_loop loop, ev_prepare w, int revents)	1891	adns_prepare_cb (ev_loop loop, ev_prepare w, int revents)
…		…
1524		1897
1525	/* the callback is illegal, but won't be called as we stop during check */	1898	/* the callback is illegal, but won't be called as we stop during check */
1526	ev_timer_init (&tw, 0, timeout * 1e-3);	1899	ev_timer_init (&tw, 0, timeout * 1e-3);
1527	ev_timer_start (loop, &tw);	1900	ev_timer_start (loop, &tw);
1528		1901
1529	// create on ev_io per pollfd	1902	// create one ev_io per pollfd
1530	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)	1903	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)
1531	{	1904	{
1532	ev_io_init (iow + i, io_cb, fds [i].fd,	1905	ev_io_init (iow + i, io_cb, fds [i].fd,
1533	((fds [i].events & POLLIN ? EV_READ : 0)	1906	((fds [i].events & POLLIN ? EV_READ : 0)
1534	\| (fds [i].events & POLLOUT ? EV_WRITE : 0)));	1907	\| (fds [i].events & POLLOUT ? EV_WRITE : 0)));
1535		1908
1536	fds [i].revents = 0;	1909	fds [i].revents = 0;
1537	iow [i].data = fds + i;
1538	ev_io_start (loop, iow + i);	1910	ev_io_start (loop, iow + i);
1539	}	1911	}
1540	}	1912	}
1541		1913
1542	// stop all watchers after blocking	1914	// stop all watchers after blocking
…		…
1544	adns_check_cb (ev_loop loop, ev_check w, int revents)	1916	adns_check_cb (ev_loop loop, ev_check w, int revents)
1545	{	1917	{
1546	ev_timer_stop (loop, &tw);	1918	ev_timer_stop (loop, &tw);
1547		1919
1548	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)	1920	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)
		1921	{
		1922	// set the relevant poll flags
		1923	// could also call adns_processreadable etc. here
		1924	struct pollfd *fd = fds + i;
		1925	int revents = ev_clear_pending (iow + i);
		1926	if (revents & EV_READ ) fd->revents \|= fd->events & POLLIN;
		1927	if (revents & EV_WRITE) fd->revents \|= fd->events & POLLOUT;
		1928
		1929	// now stop the watcher
1549	ev_io_stop (loop, iow + i);	1930	ev_io_stop (loop, iow + i);
		1931	}
1550		1932
1551	adns_afterpoll (adns, fds, nfd, timeval_from (ev_now (loop));	1933	adns_afterpoll (adns, fds, nfd, timeval_from (ev_now (loop));
		1934	}
		1935
		1936	Method 2: This would be just like method 1, but you run C<adns_afterpoll>
		1937	in the prepare watcher and would dispose of the check watcher.
		1938
		1939	Method 3: If the module to be embedded supports explicit event
		1940	notification (adns does), you can also make use of the actual watcher
		1941	callbacks, and only destroy/create the watchers in the prepare watcher.
		1942
		1943	static void
		1944	timer_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
		1945	{
		1946	adns_state ads = (adns_state)w->data;
		1947	update_now (EV_A);
		1948
		1949	adns_processtimeouts (ads, &tv_now);
		1950	}
		1951
		1952	static void
		1953	io_cb (EV_P_ ev_io *w, int revents)
		1954	{
		1955	adns_state ads = (adns_state)w->data;
		1956	update_now (EV_A);
		1957
		1958	if (revents & EV_READ ) adns_processreadable (ads, w->fd, &tv_now);
		1959	if (revents & EV_WRITE) adns_processwriteable (ads, w->fd, &tv_now);
		1960	}
		1961
		1962	// do not ever call adns_afterpoll
		1963
		1964	Method 4: Do not use a prepare or check watcher because the module you
		1965	want to embed is too inflexible to support it. Instead, youc na override
		1966	their poll function. The drawback with this solution is that the main
		1967	loop is now no longer controllable by EV. The C<Glib::EV> module does
		1968	this.
		1969
		1970	static gint
		1971	event_poll_func (GPollFD *fds, guint nfds, gint timeout)
		1972	{
		1973	int got_events = 0;
		1974
		1975	for (n = 0; n < nfds; ++n)
		1976	// create/start io watcher that sets the relevant bits in fds[n] and increment got_events
		1977
		1978	if (timeout >= 0)
		1979	// create/start timer
		1980
		1981	// poll
		1982	ev_loop (EV_A_ 0);
		1983
		1984	// stop timer again
		1985	if (timeout >= 0)
		1986	ev_timer_stop (EV_A_ &to);
		1987
		1988	// stop io watchers again - their callbacks should have set
		1989	for (n = 0; n < nfds; ++n)
		1990	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ iow [n]);
		1991
		1992	return got_events;
1552	}	1993	}
1553		1994
1554		1995
1555	=head2 C<ev_embed> - when one backend isn't enough...	1996	=head2 C<ev_embed> - when one backend isn't enough...
1556		1997
…		…
1599	portable one.	2040	portable one.
1600		2041
1601	So when you want to use this feature you will always have to be prepared	2042	So when you want to use this feature you will always have to be prepared
1602	that you cannot get an embeddable loop. The recommended way to get around	2043	that you cannot get an embeddable loop. The recommended way to get around
1603	this is to have a separate variables for your embeddable loop, try to	2044	this is to have a separate variables for your embeddable loop, try to
1604	create it, and if that fails, use the normal loop for everything:	2045	create it, and if that fails, use the normal loop for everything.
		2046
		2047	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		2048
		2049	=over 4
		2050
		2051	=item ev_embed_init (ev_embed , callback, struct ev_loop embedded_loop)
		2052
		2053	=item ev_embed_set (ev_embed , callback, struct ev_loop embedded_loop)
		2054
		2055	Configures the watcher to embed the given loop, which must be
		2056	embeddable. If the callback is C<0>, then C<ev_embed_sweep> will be
		2057	invoked automatically, otherwise it is the responsibility of the callback
		2058	to invoke it (it will continue to be called until the sweep has been done,
		2059	if you do not want thta, you need to temporarily stop the embed watcher).
		2060
		2061	=item ev_embed_sweep (loop, ev_embed *)
		2062
		2063	Make a single, non-blocking sweep over the embedded loop. This works
		2064	similarly to C<ev_loop (embedded_loop, EVLOOP_NONBLOCK)>, but in the most
		2065	apropriate way for embedded loops.
		2066
		2067	=item struct ev_loop *other [read-only]
		2068
		2069	The embedded event loop.
		2070
		2071	=back
		2072
		2073	=head3 Examples
		2074
		2075	Example: Try to get an embeddable event loop and embed it into the default
		2076	event loop. If that is not possible, use the default loop. The default
		2077	loop is stored in C<loop_hi>, while the mebeddable loop is stored in
		2078	C<loop_lo> (which is C<loop_hi> in the acse no embeddable loop can be
		2079	used).
1605		2080
1606	struct ev_loop *loop_hi = ev_default_init (0);	2081	struct ev_loop *loop_hi = ev_default_init (0);
1607	struct ev_loop *loop_lo = 0;	2082	struct ev_loop *loop_lo = 0;
1608	struct ev_embed embed;	2083	struct ev_embed embed;
1609		2084
…		…
1620	ev_embed_start (loop_hi, &embed);	2095	ev_embed_start (loop_hi, &embed);
1621	}	2096	}
1622	else	2097	else
1623	loop_lo = loop_hi;	2098	loop_lo = loop_hi;
1624		2099
1625	=over 4	2100	Example: Check if kqueue is available but not recommended and create
		2101	a kqueue backend for use with sockets (which usually work with any
		2102	kqueue implementation). Store the kqueue/socket-only event loop in
		2103	C<loop_socket>. (One might optionally use C<EVFLAG_NOENV>, too).
1626		2104
1627	=item ev_embed_init (ev_embed , callback, struct ev_loop embedded_loop)	2105	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_init (0);
		2106	struct ev_loop *loop_socket = 0;
		2107	struct ev_embed embed;
		2108
		2109	if (ev_supported_backends () & ~ev_recommended_backends () & EVBACKEND_KQUEUE)
		2110	if ((loop_socket = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_KQUEUE))
		2111	{
		2112	ev_embed_init (&embed, 0, loop_socket);
		2113	ev_embed_start (loop, &embed);
		2114	}
1628		2115
1629	=item ev_embed_set (ev_embed , callback, struct ev_loop embedded_loop)	2116	if (!loop_socket)
		2117	loop_socket = loop;
1630		2118
1631	Configures the watcher to embed the given loop, which must be	2119	// now use loop_socket for all sockets, and loop for everything else
1632	embeddable. If the callback is C<0>, then C<ev_embed_sweep> will be
1633	invoked automatically, otherwise it is the responsibility of the callback
1634	to invoke it (it will continue to be called until the sweep has been done,
1635	if you do not want thta, you need to temporarily stop the embed watcher).
1636
1637	=item ev_embed_sweep (loop, ev_embed *)
1638
1639	Make a single, non-blocking sweep over the embedded loop. This works
1640	similarly to C<ev_loop (embedded_loop, EVLOOP_NONBLOCK)>, but in the most
1641	apropriate way for embedded loops.
1642
1643	=item struct ev_loop *loop [read-only]
1644
1645	The embedded event loop.
1646
1647	=back
1648		2120
1649		2121
1650	=head2 C<ev_fork> - the audacity to resume the event loop after a fork	2122	=head2 C<ev_fork> - the audacity to resume the event loop after a fork
1651		2123
1652	Fork watchers are called when a C<fork ()> was detected (usually because	2124	Fork watchers are called when a C<fork ()> was detected (usually because
…		…
1655	event loop blocks next and before C<ev_check> watchers are being called,	2127	event loop blocks next and before C<ev_check> watchers are being called,
1656	and only in the child after the fork. If whoever good citizen calling	2128	and only in the child after the fork. If whoever good citizen calling
1657	C<ev_default_fork> cheats and calls it in the wrong process, the fork	2129	C<ev_default_fork> cheats and calls it in the wrong process, the fork
1658	handlers will be invoked, too, of course.	2130	handlers will be invoked, too, of course.
1659		2131
		2132	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		2133
1660	=over 4	2134	=over 4
1661		2135
1662	=item ev_fork_init (ev_signal *, callback)	2136	=item ev_fork_init (ev_signal *, callback)
1663		2137
1664	Initialises and configures the fork watcher - it has no parameters of any	2138	Initialises and configures the fork watcher - it has no parameters of any
1665	kind. There is a C<ev_fork_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,	2139	kind. There is a C<ev_fork_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
1666	believe me.	2140	believe me.
		2141
		2142	=back
		2143
		2144
		2145	=head2 C<ev_async> - how to wake up another event loop
		2146
		2147	In general, you cannot use an C<ev_loop> from multiple threads or other
		2148	asynchronous sources such as signal handlers (as opposed to multiple event
		2149	loops - those are of course safe to use in different threads).
		2150
		2151	Sometimes, however, you need to wake up another event loop you do not
		2152	control, for example because it belongs to another thread. This is what
		2153	C<ev_async> watchers do: as long as the C<ev_async> watcher is active, you
		2154	can signal it by calling C<ev_async_send>, which is thread- and signal
		2155	safe.
		2156
		2157	This functionality is very similar to C<ev_signal> watchers, as signals,
		2158	too, are asynchronous in nature, and signals, too, will be compressed
		2159	(i.e. the number of callback invocations may be less than the number of
		2160	C<ev_async_sent> calls).
		2161
		2162	Unlike C<ev_signal> watchers, C<ev_async> works with any event loop, not
		2163	just the default loop.
		2164
		2165	=head3 Queueing
		2166
		2167	C<ev_async> does not support queueing of data in any way. The reason
		2168	is that the author does not know of a simple (or any) algorithm for a
		2169	multiple-writer-single-reader queue that works in all cases and doesn't
		2170	need elaborate support such as pthreads.
		2171
		2172	That means that if you want to queue data, you have to provide your own
		2173	queue. But at least I can tell you would implement locking around your
		2174	queue:
		2175
		2176	=over 4
		2177
		2178	=item queueing from a signal handler context
		2179
		2180	To implement race-free queueing, you simply add to the queue in the signal
		2181	handler but you block the signal handler in the watcher callback. Here is an example that does that for
		2182	some fictitiuous SIGUSR1 handler:
		2183
		2184	static ev_async mysig;
		2185
		2186	static void
		2187	sigusr1_handler (void)
		2188	{
		2189	sometype data;
		2190
		2191	// no locking etc.
		2192	queue_put (data);
		2193	ev_async_send (EV_DEFAULT_ &mysig);
		2194	}
		2195
		2196	static void
		2197	mysig_cb (EV_P_ ev_async *w, int revents)
		2198	{
		2199	sometype data;
		2200	sigset_t block, prev;
		2201
		2202	sigemptyset (&block);
		2203	sigaddset (&block, SIGUSR1);
		2204	sigprocmask (SIG_BLOCK, &block, &prev);
		2205
		2206	while (queue_get (&data))
		2207	process (data);
		2208
		2209	if (sigismember (&prev, SIGUSR1)
		2210	sigprocmask (SIG_UNBLOCK, &block, 0);
		2211	}
		2212
		2213	(Note: pthreads in theory requires you to use C<pthread_setmask>
		2214	instead of C<sigprocmask> when you use threads, but libev doesn't do it
		2215	either...).
		2216
		2217	=item queueing from a thread context
		2218
		2219	The strategy for threads is different, as you cannot (easily) block
		2220	threads but you can easily preempt them, so to queue safely you need to
		2221	employ a traditional mutex lock, such as in this pthread example:
		2222
		2223	static ev_async mysig;
		2224	static pthread_mutex_t mymutex = PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER;
		2225
		2226	static void
		2227	otherthread (void)
		2228	{
		2229	// only need to lock the actual queueing operation
		2230	pthread_mutex_lock (&mymutex);
		2231	queue_put (data);
		2232	pthread_mutex_unlock (&mymutex);
		2233
		2234	ev_async_send (EV_DEFAULT_ &mysig);
		2235	}
		2236
		2237	static void
		2238	mysig_cb (EV_P_ ev_async *w, int revents)
		2239	{
		2240	pthread_mutex_lock (&mymutex);
		2241
		2242	while (queue_get (&data))
		2243	process (data);
		2244
		2245	pthread_mutex_unlock (&mymutex);
		2246	}
		2247
		2248	=back
		2249
		2250
		2251	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		2252
		2253	=over 4
		2254
		2255	=item ev_async_init (ev_async *, callback)
		2256
		2257	Initialises and configures the async watcher - it has no parameters of any
		2258	kind. There is a C<ev_asynd_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
		2259	believe me.
		2260
		2261	=item ev_async_send (loop, ev_async *)
		2262
		2263	Sends/signals/activates the given C<ev_async> watcher, that is, feeds
		2264	an C<EV_ASYNC> event on the watcher into the event loop. Unlike
		2265	C<ev_feed_event>, this call is safe to do in other threads, signal or
		2266	similar contexts (see the dicusssion of C<EV_ATOMIC_T> in the embedding
		2267	section below on what exactly this means).
		2268
		2269	This call incurs the overhead of a syscall only once per loop iteration,
		2270	so while the overhead might be noticable, it doesn't apply to repeated
		2271	calls to C<ev_async_send>.
1667		2272
1668	=back	2273	=back
1669		2274
1670		2275
1671	=head1 OTHER FUNCTIONS	2276	=head1 OTHER FUNCTIONS
…		…
1844		2449
1845	myclass obj;	2450	myclass obj;
1846	ev::io iow;	2451	ev::io iow;
1847	iow.set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb> (&obj);	2452	iow.set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb> (&obj);
1848		2453
1849	=item w->set (void (function)(watcher &w, int), void data = 0)	2454	=item w->set<function> (void *data = 0)
1850		2455
1851	Also sets a callback, but uses a static method or plain function as	2456	Also sets a callback, but uses a static method or plain function as
1852	callback. The optional C<data> argument will be stored in the watcher's	2457	callback. The optional C<data> argument will be stored in the watcher's
1853	C<data> member and is free for you to use.	2458	C<data> member and is free for you to use.
1854		2459
		2460	The prototype of the C<function> must be C<void (*)(ev::TYPE &w, int)>.
		2461
1855	See the method-C<set> above for more details.	2462	See the method-C<set> above for more details.
		2463
		2464	Example:
		2465
		2466	static void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents) { }
		2467	iow.set <io_cb> ();
1856		2468
1857	=item w->set (struct ev_loop *)	2469	=item w->set (struct ev_loop *)
1858		2470
1859	Associates a different C<struct ev_loop> with this watcher. You can only	2471	Associates a different C<struct ev_loop> with this watcher. You can only
1860	do this when the watcher is inactive (and not pending either).	2472	do this when the watcher is inactive (and not pending either).
…		…
1873		2485
1874	=item w->stop ()	2486	=item w->stop ()
1875		2487
1876	Stops the watcher if it is active. Again, no C<loop> argument.	2488	Stops the watcher if it is active. Again, no C<loop> argument.
1877		2489
1878	=item w->again () C<ev::timer>, C<ev::periodic> only	2490	=item w->again () (C<ev::timer>, C<ev::periodic> only)
1879		2491
1880	For C<ev::timer> and C<ev::periodic>, this invokes the corresponding	2492	For C<ev::timer> and C<ev::periodic>, this invokes the corresponding
1881	C<ev_TYPE_again> function.	2493	C<ev_TYPE_again> function.
1882		2494
1883	=item w->sweep () C<ev::embed> only	2495	=item w->sweep () (C<ev::embed> only)
1884		2496
1885	Invokes C<ev_embed_sweep>.	2497	Invokes C<ev_embed_sweep>.
1886		2498
1887	=item w->update () C<ev::stat> only	2499	=item w->update () (C<ev::stat> only)
1888		2500
1889	Invokes C<ev_stat_stat>.	2501	Invokes C<ev_stat_stat>.
1890		2502
1891	=back	2503	=back
1892		2504
…		…
1895	Example: Define a class with an IO and idle watcher, start one of them in	2507	Example: Define a class with an IO and idle watcher, start one of them in
1896	the constructor.	2508	the constructor.
1897		2509
1898	class myclass	2510	class myclass
1899	{	2511	{
1900	ev_io io; void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents);	2512	ev::io io; void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents);
1901	ev_idle idle void idle_cb (ev::idle &w, int revents);	2513	ev:idle idle void idle_cb (ev::idle &w, int revents);
1902		2514
1903	myclass ();	2515	myclass (int fd)
1904	}
1905
1906	myclass::myclass (int fd)
1907	{	2516	{
1908	io .set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb > (this);	2517	io .set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb > (this);
1909	idle.set <myclass, &myclass::idle_cb> (this);	2518	idle.set <myclass, &myclass::idle_cb> (this);
1910		2519
1911	io.start (fd, ev::READ);	2520	io.start (fd, ev::READ);
		2521	}
1912	}	2522	};
		2523
		2524
		2525	=head1 OTHER LANGUAGE BINDINGS
		2526
		2527	Libev does not offer other language bindings itself, but bindings for a
		2528	numbe rof languages exist in the form of third-party packages. If you know
		2529	any interesting language binding in addition to the ones listed here, drop
		2530	me a note.
		2531
		2532	=over 4
		2533
		2534	=item Perl
		2535
		2536	The EV module implements the full libev API and is actually used to test
		2537	libev. EV is developed together with libev. Apart from the EV core module,
		2538	there are additional modules that implement libev-compatible interfaces
		2539	to C<libadns> (C<EV::ADNS>), C<Net::SNMP> (C<Net::SNMP::EV>) and the
		2540	C<libglib> event core (C<Glib::EV> and C<EV::Glib>).
		2541
		2542	It can be found and installed via CPAN, its homepage is found at
		2543	L<http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/EV>.
		2544
		2545	=item Ruby
		2546
		2547	Tony Arcieri has written a ruby extension that offers access to a subset
		2548	of the libev API and adds filehandle abstractions, asynchronous DNS and
		2549	more on top of it. It can be found via gem servers. Its homepage is at
		2550	L<http://rev.rubyforge.org/>.
		2551
		2552	=item D
		2553
		2554	Leandro Lucarella has written a D language binding (F<ev.d>) for libev, to
		2555	be found at L<http://git.llucax.com.ar/?p=software/ev.d.git;a=summary>.
		2556
		2557	=back
1913		2558
1914		2559
1915	=head1 MACRO MAGIC	2560	=head1 MACRO MAGIC
1916		2561
1917	Libev can be compiled with a variety of options, the most fundemantal is	2562	Libev can be compiled with a variety of options, the most fundamantal
1918	C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>. This option determines whether (most) functions and	2563	of which is C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>. This option determines whether (most)
1919	callbacks have an initial C<struct ev_loop *> argument.	2564	functions and callbacks have an initial C<struct ev_loop *> argument.
1920		2565
1921	To make it easier to write programs that cope with either variant, the	2566	To make it easier to write programs that cope with either variant, the
1922	following macros are defined:	2567	following macros are defined:
1923		2568
1924	=over 4	2569	=over 4
…		…
1978	Libev can (and often is) directly embedded into host	2623	Libev can (and often is) directly embedded into host
1979	applications. Examples of applications that embed it include the Deliantra	2624	applications. Examples of applications that embed it include the Deliantra
1980	Game Server, the EV perl module, the GNU Virtual Private Ethernet (gvpe)	2625	Game Server, the EV perl module, the GNU Virtual Private Ethernet (gvpe)
1981	and rxvt-unicode.	2626	and rxvt-unicode.
1982		2627
1983	The goal is to enable you to just copy the neecssary files into your	2628	The goal is to enable you to just copy the necessary files into your
1984	source directory without having to change even a single line in them, so	2629	source directory without having to change even a single line in them, so
1985	you can easily upgrade by simply copying (or having a checked-out copy of	2630	you can easily upgrade by simply copying (or having a checked-out copy of
1986	libev somewhere in your source tree).	2631	libev somewhere in your source tree).
1987		2632
1988	=head2 FILESETS	2633	=head2 FILESETS
…		…
2078		2723
2079	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the	2724	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the
2080	monotonic clock option at both compiletime and runtime. Otherwise no use	2725	monotonic clock option at both compiletime and runtime. Otherwise no use
2081	of the monotonic clock option will be attempted. If you enable this, you	2726	of the monotonic clock option will be attempted. If you enable this, you
2082	usually have to link against librt or something similar. Enabling it when	2727	usually have to link against librt or something similar. Enabling it when
2083	the functionality isn't available is safe, though, althoguh you have	2728	the functionality isn't available is safe, though, although you have
2084	to make sure you link against any libraries where the C<clock_gettime>	2729	to make sure you link against any libraries where the C<clock_gettime>
2085	function is hiding in (often F<-lrt>).	2730	function is hiding in (often F<-lrt>).
2086		2731
2087	=item EV_USE_REALTIME	2732	=item EV_USE_REALTIME
2088		2733
2089	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the	2734	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the
2090	realtime clock option at compiletime (and assume its availability at	2735	realtime clock option at compiletime (and assume its availability at
2091	runtime if successful). Otherwise no use of the realtime clock option will	2736	runtime if successful). Otherwise no use of the realtime clock option will
2092	be attempted. This effectively replaces C<gettimeofday> by C<clock_get	2737	be attempted. This effectively replaces C<gettimeofday> by C<clock_get
2093	(CLOCK_REALTIME, ...)> and will not normally affect correctness. See tzhe note about libraries	2738	(CLOCK_REALTIME, ...)> and will not normally affect correctness. See the
2094	in the description of C<EV_USE_MONOTONIC>, though.	2739	note about libraries in the description of C<EV_USE_MONOTONIC>, though.
		2740
		2741	=item EV_USE_NANOSLEEP
		2742
		2743	If defined to be C<1>, libev will assume that C<nanosleep ()> is available
		2744	and will use it for delays. Otherwise it will use C<select ()>.
2095		2745
2096	=item EV_USE_SELECT	2746	=item EV_USE_SELECT
2097		2747
2098	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the	2748	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the
2099	C<select>(2) backend. No attempt at autodetection will be done: if no	2749	C<select>(2) backend. No attempt at autodetection will be done: if no
…		…
2117	wants osf handles on win32 (this is the case when the select to	2767	wants osf handles on win32 (this is the case when the select to
2118	be used is the winsock select). This means that it will call	2768	be used is the winsock select). This means that it will call
2119	C<_get_osfhandle> on the fd to convert it to an OS handle. Otherwise,	2769	C<_get_osfhandle> on the fd to convert it to an OS handle. Otherwise,
2120	it is assumed that all these functions actually work on fds, even	2770	it is assumed that all these functions actually work on fds, even
2121	on win32. Should not be defined on non-win32 platforms.	2771	on win32. Should not be defined on non-win32 platforms.
		2772
		2773	=item EV_FD_TO_WIN32_HANDLE
		2774
		2775	If C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> is enabled, then libev needs a way to map
		2776	file descriptors to socket handles. When not defining this symbol (the
		2777	default), then libev will call C<_get_osfhandle>, which is usually
		2778	correct. In some cases, programs use their own file descriptor management,
		2779	in which case they can provide this function to map fds to socket handles.
2122		2780
2123	=item EV_USE_POLL	2781	=item EV_USE_POLL
2124		2782
2125	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the C<poll>(2)	2783	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the C<poll>(2)
2126	backend. Otherwise it will be enabled on non-win32 platforms. It	2784	backend. Otherwise it will be enabled on non-win32 platforms. It
…		…
2160		2818
2161	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux inotify	2819	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux inotify
2162	interface to speed up C<ev_stat> watchers. Its actual availability will	2820	interface to speed up C<ev_stat> watchers. Its actual availability will
2163	be detected at runtime.	2821	be detected at runtime.
2164		2822
		2823	=item EV_ATOMIC_T
		2824
		2825	Libev requires an integer type (suitable for storing C<0> or C<1>) whose
		2826	access is atomic with respect to other threads or signal contexts. No such
		2827	type is easily found in the C language, so you can provide your own type
		2828	that you know is safe for your purposes. It is used both for signal handler "locking"
		2829	as well as for signal and thread safety in C<ev_async> watchers.
		2830
		2831	In the absense of this define, libev will use C<sig_atomic_t volatile>
		2832	(from F<signal.h>), which is usually good enough on most platforms.
		2833
2165	=item EV_H	2834	=item EV_H
2166		2835
2167	The name of the F<ev.h> header file used to include it. The default if	2836	The name of the F<ev.h> header file used to include it. The default if
2168	undefined is C<< <ev.h> >> in F<event.h> and C<"ev.h"> in F<ev.c>. This	2837	undefined is C<"ev.h"> in F<event.h>, F<ev.c> and F<ev++.h>. This can be
2169	can be used to virtually rename the F<ev.h> header file in case of conflicts.	2838	used to virtually rename the F<ev.h> header file in case of conflicts.
2170		2839
2171	=item EV_CONFIG_H	2840	=item EV_CONFIG_H
2172		2841
2173	If C<EV_STANDALONE> isn't C<1>, this variable can be used to override	2842	If C<EV_STANDALONE> isn't C<1>, this variable can be used to override
2174	F<ev.c>'s idea of where to find the F<config.h> file, similarly to	2843	F<ev.c>'s idea of where to find the F<config.h> file, similarly to
2175	C<EV_H>, above.	2844	C<EV_H>, above.
2176		2845
2177	=item EV_EVENT_H	2846	=item EV_EVENT_H
2178		2847
2179	Similarly to C<EV_H>, this macro can be used to override F<event.c>'s idea	2848	Similarly to C<EV_H>, this macro can be used to override F<event.c>'s idea
2180	of how the F<event.h> header can be found.	2849	of how the F<event.h> header can be found, the default is C<"event.h">.
2181		2850
2182	=item EV_PROTOTYPES	2851	=item EV_PROTOTYPES
2183		2852
2184	If defined to be C<0>, then F<ev.h> will not define any function	2853	If defined to be C<0>, then F<ev.h> will not define any function
2185	prototypes, but still define all the structs and other symbols. This is	2854	prototypes, but still define all the structs and other symbols. This is
…		…
2236	=item EV_FORK_ENABLE	2905	=item EV_FORK_ENABLE
2237		2906
2238	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then fork watchers are supported. If	2907	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then fork watchers are supported. If
2239	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.	2908	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
2240		2909
		2910	=item EV_ASYNC_ENABLE
		2911
		2912	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then async watchers are supported. If
		2913	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
		2914
2241	=item EV_MINIMAL	2915	=item EV_MINIMAL
2242		2916
2243	If you need to shave off some kilobytes of code at the expense of some	2917	If you need to shave off some kilobytes of code at the expense of some
2244	speed, define this symbol to C<1>. Currently only used for gcc to override	2918	speed, define this symbol to C<1>. Currently only used for gcc to override
2245	some inlining decisions, saves roughly 30% codesize of amd64.	2919	some inlining decisions, saves roughly 30% codesize of amd64.
…		…
2251	than enough. If you need to manage thousands of children you might want to	2925	than enough. If you need to manage thousands of children you might want to
2252	increase this value (I<must> be a power of two).	2926	increase this value (I<must> be a power of two).
2253		2927
2254	=item EV_INOTIFY_HASHSIZE	2928	=item EV_INOTIFY_HASHSIZE
2255		2929
2256	C<ev_staz> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by	2930	C<ev_stat> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by
2257	inotify watch id. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_MINIMAL>),	2931	inotify watch id. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_MINIMAL>),
2258	usually more than enough. If you need to manage thousands of C<ev_stat>	2932	usually more than enough. If you need to manage thousands of C<ev_stat>
2259	watchers you might want to increase this value (I<must> be a power of	2933	watchers you might want to increase this value (I<must> be a power of
2260	two).	2934	two).
2261		2935
…		…
2278		2952
2279	=item ev_set_cb (ev, cb)	2953	=item ev_set_cb (ev, cb)
2280		2954
2281	Can be used to change the callback member declaration in each watcher,	2955	Can be used to change the callback member declaration in each watcher,
2282	and the way callbacks are invoked and set. Must expand to a struct member	2956	and the way callbacks are invoked and set. Must expand to a struct member
2283	definition and a statement, respectively. See the F<ev.v> header file for	2957	definition and a statement, respectively. See the F<ev.h> header file for
2284	their default definitions. One possible use for overriding these is to	2958	their default definitions. One possible use for overriding these is to
2285	avoid the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument in all cases, or to use	2959	avoid the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument in all cases, or to use
2286	method calls instead of plain function calls in C++.	2960	method calls instead of plain function calls in C++.
		2961
		2962	=head2 EXPORTED API SYMBOLS
		2963
		2964	If you need to re-export the API (e.g. via a dll) and you need a list of
		2965	exported symbols, you can use the provided F<Symbol.*> files which list
		2966	all public symbols, one per line:
		2967
		2968	Symbols.ev for libev proper
		2969	Symbols.event for the libevent emulation
		2970
		2971	This can also be used to rename all public symbols to avoid clashes with
		2972	multiple versions of libev linked together (which is obviously bad in
		2973	itself, but sometimes it is inconvinient to avoid this).
		2974
		2975	A sed command like this will create wrapper C<#define>'s that you need to
		2976	include before including F<ev.h>:
		2977
		2978	<Symbols.ev sed -e "s/.*/#define & myprefix_&/" >wrap.h
		2979
		2980	This would create a file F<wrap.h> which essentially looks like this:
		2981
		2982	#define ev_backend myprefix_ev_backend
		2983	#define ev_check_start myprefix_ev_check_start
		2984	#define ev_check_stop myprefix_ev_check_stop
		2985	...
2287		2986
2288	=head2 EXAMPLES	2987	=head2 EXAMPLES
2289		2988
2290	For a real-world example of a program the includes libev	2989	For a real-world example of a program the includes libev
2291	verbatim, you can have a look at the EV perl module	2990	verbatim, you can have a look at the EV perl module
…		…
2332		3031
2333	=item Starting and stopping timer/periodic watchers: O(log skipped_other_timers)	3032	=item Starting and stopping timer/periodic watchers: O(log skipped_other_timers)
2334		3033
2335	This means that, when you have a watcher that triggers in one hour and	3034	This means that, when you have a watcher that triggers in one hour and
2336	there are 100 watchers that would trigger before that then inserting will	3035	there are 100 watchers that would trigger before that then inserting will
2337	have to skip those 100 watchers.	3036	have to skip roughly seven (C<ld 100>) of these watchers.
2338		3037
2339	=item Changing timer/periodic watchers (by autorepeat, again): O(log skipped_other_timers)	3038	=item Changing timer/periodic watchers (by autorepeat or calling again): O(log skipped_other_timers)
2340		3039
2341	That means that for changing a timer costs less than removing/adding them	3040	That means that changing a timer costs less than removing/adding them
2342	as only the relative motion in the event queue has to be paid for.	3041	as only the relative motion in the event queue has to be paid for.
2343		3042
2344	=item Starting io/check/prepare/idle/signal/child watchers: O(1)	3043	=item Starting io/check/prepare/idle/signal/child/fork/async watchers: O(1)
2345		3044
2346	These just add the watcher into an array or at the head of a list.	3045	These just add the watcher into an array or at the head of a list.
		3046
2347	=item Stopping check/prepare/idle watchers: O(1)	3047	=item Stopping check/prepare/idle/fork/async watchers: O(1)
2348		3048
2349	=item Stopping an io/signal/child watcher: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_(fd/signal/pid % EV_PID_HASHSIZE))	3049	=item Stopping an io/signal/child watcher: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_(fd/signal/pid % EV_PID_HASHSIZE))
2350		3050
2351	These watchers are stored in lists then need to be walked to find the	3051	These watchers are stored in lists then need to be walked to find the
2352	correct watcher to remove. The lists are usually short (you don't usually	3052	correct watcher to remove. The lists are usually short (you don't usually
2353	have many watchers waiting for the same fd or signal).	3053	have many watchers waiting for the same fd or signal).
2354		3054
2355	=item Finding the next timer per loop iteration: O(1)	3055	=item Finding the next timer in each loop iteration: O(1)
		3056
		3057	By virtue of using a binary heap, the next timer is always found at the
		3058	beginning of the storage array.
2356		3059
2357	=item Each change on a file descriptor per loop iteration: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_fd)	3060	=item Each change on a file descriptor per loop iteration: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_fd)
2358		3061
2359	A change means an I/O watcher gets started or stopped, which requires	3062	A change means an I/O watcher gets started or stopped, which requires
2360	libev to recalculate its status (and possibly tell the kernel).	3063	libev to recalculate its status (and possibly tell the kernel, depending
		3064	on backend and wether C<ev_io_set> was used).
2361		3065
2362	=item Activating one watcher: O(1)	3066	=item Activating one watcher (putting it into the pending state): O(1)
2363		3067
2364	=item Priority handling: O(number_of_priorities)	3068	=item Priority handling: O(number_of_priorities)
2365		3069
2366	Priorities are implemented by allocating some space for each	3070	Priorities are implemented by allocating some space for each
2367	priority. When doing priority-based operations, libev usually has to	3071	priority. When doing priority-based operations, libev usually has to
2368	linearly search all the priorities.	3072	linearly search all the priorities, but starting/stopping and activating
		3073	watchers becomes O(1) w.r.t. priority handling.
		3074
		3075	=item Sending an ev_async: O(1)
		3076
		3077	=item Processing ev_async_send: O(number_of_async_watchers)
		3078
		3079	=item Processing signals: O(max_signal_number)
		3080
		3081	Sending involves a syscall I<iff> there were no other C<ev_async_send>
		3082	calls in the current loop iteration. Checking for async and signal events
		3083	involves iterating over all running async watchers or all signal numbers.
2369		3084
2370	=back	3085	=back
2371		3086
2372		3087
		3088	=head1 Win32 platform limitations and workarounds
		3089
		3090	Win32 doesn't support any of the standards (e.g. POSIX) that libev
		3091	requires, and its I/O model is fundamentally incompatible with the POSIX
		3092	model. Libev still offers limited functionality on this platform in
		3093	the form of the C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> backend, and only supports socket
		3094	descriptors. This only applies when using Win32 natively, not when using
		3095	e.g. cygwin.
		3096
		3097	There is no supported compilation method available on windows except
		3098	embedding it into other applications.
		3099
		3100	Due to the many, low, and arbitrary limits on the win32 platform and the
		3101	abysmal performance of winsockets, using a large number of sockets is not
		3102	recommended (and not reasonable). If your program needs to use more than
		3103	a hundred or so sockets, then likely it needs to use a totally different
		3104	implementation for windows, as libev offers the POSIX model, which cannot
		3105	be implemented efficiently on windows (microsoft monopoly games).
		3106
		3107	=over 4
		3108
		3109	=item The winsocket select function
		3110
		3111	The winsocket C<select> function doesn't follow POSIX in that it requires
		3112	socket I<handles> and not socket I<file descriptors>. This makes select
		3113	very inefficient, and also requires a mapping from file descriptors
		3114	to socket handles. See the discussion of the C<EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET>,
		3115	C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> and C<EV_FD_TO_WIN32_HANDLE> preprocessor
		3116	symbols for more info.
		3117
		3118	The configuration for a "naked" win32 using the microsoft runtime
		3119	libraries and raw winsocket select is:
		3120
		3121	#define EV_USE_SELECT 1
		3122	#define EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET 1 /* forces EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET, too */
		3123
		3124	Note that winsockets handling of fd sets is O(n), so you can easily get a
		3125	complexity in the O(n²) range when using win32.
		3126
		3127	=item Limited number of file descriptors
		3128
		3129	Windows has numerous arbitrary (and low) limits on things. Early versions
		3130	of winsocket's select only supported waiting for a max. of C<64> handles
		3131	(probably owning to the fact that all windows kernels can only wait for
		3132	C<64> things at the same time internally; microsoft recommends spawning a
		3133	chain of threads and wait for 63 handles and the previous thread in each).
		3134
		3135	Newer versions support more handles, but you need to define C<FD_SETSIZE>
		3136	to some high number (e.g. C<2048>) before compiling the winsocket select
		3137	call (which might be in libev or elsewhere, for example, perl does its own
		3138	select emulation on windows).
		3139
		3140	Another limit is the number of file descriptors in the microsoft runtime
		3141	libraries, which by default is C<64> (there must be a hidden I<64> fetish
		3142	or something like this inside microsoft). You can increase this by calling
		3143	C<_setmaxstdio>, which can increase this limit to C<2048> (another
		3144	arbitrary limit), but is broken in many versions of the microsoft runtime
		3145	libraries.
		3146
		3147	This might get you to about C<512> or C<2048> sockets (depending on
		3148	windows version and/or the phase of the moon). To get more, you need to
		3149	wrap all I/O functions and provide your own fd management, but the cost of
		3150	calling select (O(n²)) will likely make this unworkable.
		3151
		3152	=back
		3153
		3154
2373	=head1 AUTHOR	3155	=head1 AUTHOR
2374		3156
2375	Marc Lehmann <libev@schmorp.de>.	3157	Marc Lehmann <libev@schmorp.de>.
2376		3158

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Comparing libev/ev.pod (file contents): Revision 1.74 by root, Sat Dec 8 14:12:08 2007 UTC vs. Revision 1.137 by root, Sun Mar 16 16:42:56 2008 UTC

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Comparing libev/ev.pod (file contents):
Revision 1.74 by root, Sat Dec 8 14:12:08 2007 UTC vs.
Revision 1.137 by root, Sun Mar 16 16:42:56 2008 UTC