Index of Section 3 Manual Pages

Interix / SUACrtChannel.3Interix / SUA

Tcl_CreateChannel(3)  Tcl Library Procedures Tcl_CreateChannel(3)



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NAME
       Tcl_CreateChannel,             Tcl_GetChannelInstanceData,
       Tcl_GetChannelType, Tcl_GetChannelName, Tcl_GetChannelHan-
       dle,     Tcl_GetChannelMode,     Tcl_GetChannelBufferSize,
       Tcl_SetChannelBufferSize, Tcl_NotifyChannel,  Tcl_BadChan-
       nelOption,  Tcl_ChannelName, Tcl_ChannelVersion, Tcl_Chan-
       nelBlockModeProc,    Tcl_ChannelCloseProc,    Tcl_Channel-
       Close2Proc,  Tcl_ChannelInputProc,  Tcl_ChannelOutputProc,
       Tcl_ChannelSeekProc,  Tcl_ChannelWideSeekProc,   Tcl_Chan-
       nelSetOptionProc,  Tcl_ChannelGetOptionProc,  Tcl_Channel-
       WatchProc, Tcl_ChannelGetHandleProc, Tcl_ChannelFlushProc,
       Tcl_ChannelHandlerProc,  Tcl_IsChannelShared,  Tcl_IsChan-
       nelRegistered,     Tcl_CutChannel,      Tcl_SpliceChannel,
       Tcl_IsChannelExisting,           Tcl_ClearChannelHandlers,
       Tcl_GetChannelThread, Tcl_ChannelBuffered - procedures for
       creating and manipulating channels

SYNOPSIS
       #include 

       Tcl_Channel
       Tcl_CreateChannel(typePtr, channelName, instanceData, mask)

       ClientData
       Tcl_GetChannelInstanceData(channel)

       Tcl_ChannelType *
       Tcl_GetChannelType(channel)

       CONST char *
       Tcl_GetChannelName(channel)

       int
       Tcl_GetChannelHandle(channel, direction, handlePtr)

       Tcl_ThreadId                                               |
       Tcl_GetChannelThread(channel)                              |

       int
       Tcl_GetChannelBufferSize(channel)

       Tcl_SetChannelBufferSize(channel, size)

       Tcl_NotifyChannel(channel, mask)

       int
       Tcl_BadChannelOption(interp, optionName, optionList)

       int                                                        |
       Tcl_IsChannelShared(channel)                               |

       int                                                        |
       Tcl_IsChannelRegistered(interp, channel)                   |

       int                                                        |
       Tcl_IsChannelExisting(channelName)                         |

       void                                                       |
       Tcl_CutChannel(channel)                                    |

       void                                                       |
       Tcl_SpliceChannel(channel)                                 |

       void                                                       |
       Tcl_ClearChannelHandlers(channel)                          |

       int
       Tcl_ChannelBuffered(channel)

       CONST char *
       Tcl_ChannelName(typePtr)

       Tcl_ChannelTypeVersion
       Tcl_ChannelVersion(typePtr)

       Tcl_DriverBlockModeProc *
       Tcl_ChannelBlockModeProc(typePtr)

       Tcl_DriverCloseProc *
       Tcl_ChannelCloseProc(typePtr)

       Tcl_DriverClose2Proc *
       Tcl_ChannelClose2Proc(typePtr)

       Tcl_DriverInputProc *
       Tcl_ChannelInputProc(typePtr)

       Tcl_DriverOutputProc *
       Tcl_ChannelOutputProc(typePtr)

       Tcl_DriverSeekProc *
       Tcl_ChannelSeekProc(typePtr)

       Tcl_DriverWideSeekProc *                                   |
       Tcl_ChannelWideSeekProc(typePtr)                           |

       Tcl_DriverSetOptionProc *
       Tcl_ChannelSetOptionProc(typePtr)

       Tcl_DriverGetOptionProc *
       Tcl_ChannelGetOptionProc(typePtr)

       Tcl_DriverWatchProc *
       Tcl_ChannelWatchProc(typePtr)

       Tcl_DriverGetHandleProc *
       Tcl_ChannelGetHandleProc(typePtr)

       Tcl_DriverFlushProc *
       Tcl_ChannelFlushProc(typePtr)

       Tcl_DriverHandlerProc *
       Tcl_ChannelHandlerProc(typePtr)


ARGUMENTS
       Tcl_ChannelType   *typePtr       (in)      Points   to   a
                                                  structure  con-
                                                  taining     the
                                                  addresses    of
                                                  procedures that
                                                  can  be  called
                                                  to  perform I/O
                                                  and other func-
                                                  tions   on  the
                                                  channel.

       CONST char        *channelName   (in)      The   name   of
                                                  this   channel,
                                                  such as  file3;
                                                  must  not be in
                                                  use   by    any
                                                  other  channel.
                                                  Can be NULL, in
                                                  which  case the
                                                  channel is cre-
                                                  ated  without a
                                                  name.

       ClientData        instanceData   (in)      Arbitrary  one-
                                                  word  value  to
                                                  be   associated
                                                  with this chan-
                                                  nel.       This
                                                  value is passed
                                                  to   procedures
                                                  in typePtr when
                                                  they        are
                                                  invoked.

       int               mask           (in)      OR-ed  combina-
                                                  tion         of
                                                  TCL_READABLE
                                                  and
                                                  TCL_WRITABLE to
                                                  indicate
                                                  whether a chan-
                                                  nel is readable
                                                  and writable.

       Tcl_Channel       channel        (in)      The  channel to
                                                  operate on.

       int               direction      (in)      TCL_READABLE
                                                  means the input
                                                  handle       is
                                                  wanted;
                                                  TCL_WRITABLE
                                                  means  the out-
                                                  put  handle  is
                                                  wanted.

       ClientData        *handlePtr     (out)     Points  to  the
                                                  location  where
                                                  the desired OS-
                                                  specific handle
                                                  should       be
                                                  stored.

       int               size           (in)      The  size,   in
                                                  bytes,       of
                                                  buffers      to
                                                  allocate     in
                                                  this channel.

       int               mask           (in)      An OR-ed combi-
                                                  nation       of
                                                  TCL_READABLE,
                                                  TCL_WRITABLE
                                                  and  TCL_EXCEP-
                                                  TION that indi-
                                                  cates    events
                                                  that       have
                                                  occurred     on
                                                  this channel.

       Tcl_Interp        *interp        (in)      Current  inter-
                                                  preter. (can be
                                                  NULL)

       CONST char        *optionName    (in)      Name   of   the
                                                  invalid option.

       CONST char        *optionList    (in)      Specific
                                                  options    list
                                                  (space    sepa-
                                                  rated    words,
                                                  without "-") to
                                                  append  to  the
                                                  standard
                                                  generic options
                                                  list.   Can  be
                                                  NULL        for
                                                  generic options
                                                  error   message
                                                  only.

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DESCRIPTION
       Tcl uses a two-layered channel architecture. It provides a
       generic upper layer to enable C and Tcl programs  to  per-
       form input and output using the same APIs for a variety of
       files, devices,  sockets  etc.  The  generic  C  APIs  are
       described in the manual entry for Tcl_OpenFileChannel.

       The lower layer provides type-specific channel drivers for
       each type of device supported on each platform.  This man-
       ual entry describes the C APIs used to communicate between
       the generic layer and the type-specific  channel  drivers.
       It also explains how new types of channels can be added by
       providing new channel drivers.

       Channel drivers consist of a number of components:  First,
       each  channel  driver provides a Tcl_ChannelType structure
       containing pointers to functions implementing the  various
       operations  used  by the generic layer to communicate with
       the channel driver. The Tcl_ChannelType structure and  the
       functions  referenced  by  it are described in the section
       TCL_CHANNELTYPE, below.

       Second, channel drivers usually provide a Tcl  command  to
       create instances of that type of channel. For example, the
       Tcl open command creates channels that use  the  file  and
       command  channel  drivers, and the Tcl socket command cre-
       ates channels that use TCP sockets for network  communica-
       tion.

       Third,  a  channel driver optionally provides a C function
       to open channel  instances  of  that  type.  For  example,
       Tcl_OpenFileChannel  opens  a  channel  that uses the file
       channel driver, and Tcl_OpenTcpClient opens a channel that
       uses  the  TCP network protocol.  These creation functions
       typically use Tcl_CreateChannel  internally  to  open  the
       channel.

       To add a new type of channel you must implement a C API or
       a Tcl command that opens a channel by invoking Tcl_Create-
       Channel.   When  your  driver  calls  Tcl_CreateChannel it
       passes  in  a  Tcl_ChannelType  structure  describing  the
       driver's  I/O  procedures.   The  generic  layer will then
       invoke the functions referenced in that structure to  per-
       form operations on the channel.

       Tcl_CreateChannel  opens  a new channel and associates the
       supplied typePtr and instanceData with it. The channel  is
       opened in the mode indicated by mask.  For a discussion of
       channel drivers, their operations and the  Tcl_ChannelType
       structure, see the section TCL_CHANNELTYPE, below.

       Tcl_CreateChannel  interacts  with  the  code managing the
       standard channels. Once a standard channel was initialized
       either  through  a  call to Tcl_GetStdChannel or a call to
       Tcl_SetStdChannel closing this standard channel will cause
       the next call to Tcl_CreateChannel to make the new channel
       the new standard channel too. See Tcl_StandardChannels for
       a   general  treatise  about  standard  channels  and  the
       behaviour of the Tcl library with regard to them.

       Tcl_GetChannelInstanceData returns the instance data asso-
       ciated  with  the  channel in channel. This is the same as
       the instanceData argument in the call to Tcl_CreateChannel
       that created this channel.

       Tcl_GetChannelType  returns  a pointer to the Tcl_Channel-
       Type structure used by the channel in  the  channel  argu-
       ment. This is the same as the typePtr argument in the call
       to Tcl_CreateChannel that created this channel.

       Tcl_GetChannelName returns a string  containing  the  name
       associated  with  the  channel, or NULL if the channelName
       argument to Tcl_CreateChannel was NULL.

       Tcl_GetChannelHandle places the OS-specific device  handle
       associated  with  channel  for  the given direction in the
       location specified by handlePtr and  returns  TCL_OK.   If
       the  channel  does not have a device handle for the speci-
       fied direction, then TCL_ERROR is returned instead.   Dif-
       ferent channel drivers will return different types of han-
       dle.  Refer to the  manual  entries  for  each  driver  to
       determine what type of handle is returned.                 |

       Tcl_GetChannelThread  returns  the  id  of the thread cur- |
       rently managing the specified channel. This allows channel |
       drivers  to  send  their  file events to the correct event |
       queue even for a multi-threaded core.

       Tcl_GetChannelMode  returns  an   OR-ed   combination   of
       TCL_READABLE  and  TCL_WRITABLE,  indicating  whether  the
       channel is open for input and output.

       Tcl_GetChannelBufferSize returns the size,  in  bytes,  of
       buffers  allocated to store input or output in channel. If
       the value was not set by a previous call  to  Tcl_SetChan-
       nelBufferSize,  described below, then the default value of
       4096 is returned.

       Tcl_SetChannelBufferSize  sets  the  size,  in  bytes,  of
       buffers that will be allocated in subsequent operations on
       the channel to store input or output.  The  size  argument
       should be between ten and one million, allowing buffers of
       ten bytes to one million bytes. If size  is  outside  this
       range,  Tcl_SetChannelBufferSize  sets  the buffer size to
       4096.

       Tcl_NotifyChannel is called by a channel driver  to  indi-
       cate  to  the  generic  layer that the events specified by
       mask have occurred on the channel.   Channel  drivers  are
       responsible  for invoking this function whenever the chan-
       nel handlers need to  be  called  for  the  channel.   See
       WATCHPROC below for more details.

       Tcl_BadChannelOption is called from driver specific set or
       get option procs to generate a complete error message.

       Tcl_ChannelBuffered returns the number of bytes  of  input
       currently buffered in the internal buffer (push back area)
       of the channel itself. It does not report about  the  data
       in  the overall buffers for the stack of channels the sup-
       plied channel is part of.

       Tcl_IsChannelShared checks the refcount of  the  specified |
       channel  and  returns whether the channel was shared among |
       multiple interpreters (result == 1) or not (result ==  0). |

       Tcl_IsChannelRegistered checks whether the specified chan- |
       nel is registered in the given interpreter (result  ==  1) |
       or not (result == 0).                                      |

       Tcl_IsChannelExisting  checks  whether  a channel with the |
       specified name is registered in the  (thread)-global  list |
       of all channels (result == 1) or not (result == 0).        |

       Tcl_CutChannel  removes  the  specified  channel  from the |
       (thread)global  list  of  all  channels  (of  the  current |
       thread).   Application  to  a  channel still registered in |
       some interpreter is not allowed.                           |

       Tcl_SpliceChannel  adds  the  specified  channel  to   the |
       (thread)global  list  of  all  channels  (of  the  current |
       thread).  Application to  a  channel  registered  in  some |
       interpreter is not allowed.                                |

       Tcl_ClearChannelHandlers  removes  all channelhandlers and |
       event scripts associated with the specified channel,  thus |
       shutting down all event processing for this channel.


TCL_CHANNELTYPE
       A channel driver provides a Tcl_ChannelType structure that
       contains pointers to functions that implement the  various
       operations  on  a channel; these operations are invoked as
       needed by the generic layer.  The structure was  versioned
       starting  in  Tcl  8.3.2/8.4  to  correct  a  problem with
       stacked channel drivers.  See the OLD CHANNEL  TYPES  sec-
       tion below for details about the old structure.

       The   Tcl_ChannelType  structure  contains  the  following
       fields:
              typedef struct Tcl_ChannelType {
                char *typeName;
                Tcl_ChannelTypeVersion version;
                Tcl_DriverCloseProc *closeProc;
                Tcl_DriverInputProc *inputProc;
                Tcl_DriverOutputProc *outputProc;
                Tcl_DriverSeekProc *seekProc;
                Tcl_DriverSetOptionProc *setOptionProc;
                Tcl_DriverGetOptionProc *getOptionProc;
                Tcl_DriverWatchProc *watchProc;
                Tcl_DriverGetHandleProc *getHandleProc;
                Tcl_DriverClose2Proc *close2Proc;
                Tcl_DriverBlockModeProc *blockModeProc;
                Tcl_DriverFlushProc *flushProc;
                Tcl_DriverHandlerProc *handlerProc;
                Tcl_DriverWideSeekProc *wideSeekProc;
              } Tcl_ChannelType;

       The driver must provide implementations for all  functions
       except  blockModeProc, seekProc, setOptionProc, getOption-
       Proc, and close2Proc, which  may  be  specified  as  NULL.
       Other  functions that can not be implemented for this type
       of device should return EINVAL when  invoked  to  indicate
       that  they  are  not  implemented,  except  in the case of
       flushProc and handlerProc, which should specified as  NULL
       if not otherwise defined.

       The user should only use the above structure for Tcl_Chan-
       nelType  instantiation.   When  referencing  fields  in  a
       Tcl_ChannelType  structure, the following functions should
       be used to obtain the values:  Tcl_ChannelName,  Tcl_Chan-
       nelVersion,   Tcl_ChannelBlockModeProc,  Tcl_ChannelClose-
       Proc,     Tcl_ChannelClose2Proc,     Tcl_ChannelInputProc,
       Tcl_ChannelOutputProc,  Tcl_ChannelSeekProc,  Tcl_Channel- |
       WideSeekProc, Tcl_ChannelSetOptionProc,  Tcl_ChannelGetOp-
       tionProc,  Tcl_ChannelWatchProc, Tcl_ChannelGetHandleProc,
       Tcl_ChannelFlushProc, or Tcl_ChannelHandlerProc.

       The change to the structures was made in such a  way  that
       standard  channel  types  are binary compatible.  However,
       channel types that use stacked  channels  (ie:  TLS,  Trf)
       have  new versions to correspond to the above change since
       the previous code for stacked channels had problems.


TYPENAME
       The typeName field contains a null-terminated string  that
       identifies  the  type  of  the  device implemented by this
       driver, e.g.  file or socket.

       This value can be retrieved  with  Tcl_ChannelName,  which
       returns a pointer to the string.


VERSION
       The  version field should be set to TCL_CHANNEL_VERSION_2.
       If it is not set to this value TCL_CHANNEL_VERSION_3, then
       this  Tcl_ChannelType  is assumed to have the older struc-
       ture.  See OLD CHANNEL TYPES for more details.  While  Tcl
       will recognize and function with either structure, stacked
       channels must be  of  at  least  TCL_CHANNEL_VERSION_2  to
       function correctly.

       This value can be retrieved with Tcl_ChannelVersion, which
       returns  one  of  TCL_CHANNEL_VERSION_3,  TCL_CHANNEL_VER- |
       SION_2 or TCL_CHANNEL_VERSION_1.


BLOCKMODEPROC
       The blockModeProc field contains the address of a function
       called by the generic layer to set blocking and  nonblock-
       ing  mode  on  the device.  BlockModeProc should match the
       following prototype:

              typedef int Tcl_DriverBlockModeProc(
                ClientData instanceData,
                int mode);

       The instanceData is  the  same  as  the  value  passed  to
       Tcl_CreateChannel when this channel was created.  The mode
       argument is either TCL_MODE_BLOCKING or TCL_MODE_NONBLOCK-
       ING  to  set the device into blocking or nonblocking mode.
       The function should return zero if the operation was  suc-
       cessful,  or  a  nonzero POSIX error code if the operation
       failed.

       If the operation is successful, the  function  can  modify
       the  supplied  instanceData  to  record  that  the channel
       entered blocking or nonblocking mode and to implement  the
       blocking  or nonblocking behavior.  For some device types,
       the blocking and nonblocking behavior can  be  implemented
       by  the  underlying  operating  system;  for  other device
       types, the  behavior  must  be  emulated  in  the  channel
       driver.

       This value can be retrieved with Tcl_ChannelBlockModeProc,
       which returns a pointer to the function.


CLOSEPROC AND CLOSE2PROC
       The closeProc field contains the  address  of  a  function
       called  by  the  generic  layer to clean up driver-related
       information when the channel  is  closed.  CloseProc  must
       match the following prototype:

              typedef int Tcl_DriverCloseProc(
                ClientData instanceData,
                Tcl_Interp *interp);

       The  instanceData  argument  is the same as the value pro-
       vided to Tcl_CreateChannel when the channel  was  created.
       The  function should release any storage maintained by the
       channel driver for this channel, and close the  input  and
       output  devices  encapsulated  by this channel. All queued
       output will have been flushed to the  device  before  this
       function  is called, and no further driver operations will
       be invoked on this instance after calling  the  closeProc.
       If the close operation is successful, the procedure should
       return zero; otherwise it should return  a  nonzero  POSIX
       error  code. In addition, if an error occurs and interp is
       not NULL, the procedure should store an error  message  in
       the interpreter's result.

       Alternatively,  channels that support closing the read and
       write   sides   independently   may   set   closeProc   to
       TCL_CLOSE2PROC  and  set  close2Proc  to  the address of a
       function that matches the following prototype:

              typedef int Tcl_DriverClose2Proc(
                ClientData instanceData,
                Tcl_Interp *interp,
                int flags);

       The close2Proc will be called with flags set to  an  OR'ed
       combination  of TCL_CLOSE_READ or TCL_CLOSE_WRITE to indi-
       cate that the driver should close the  read  and/or  write
       side of the channel.  The channel driver may be invoked to
       perform  additional  operations  on  the   channel   after
       close2Proc  is  called  to  close one or both sides of the
       channel.  If flags is 0 (zero), the  driver  should  close
       the  channel  in the manner described above for closeProc.
       No further operations will be  invoked  on  this  instance
       after close2Proc is called with all flags cleared.  In all
       cases, the close2Proc function should return zero  if  the
       close operation was successful; otherwise it should return
       a nonzero POSIX error  code.  In  addition,  if  an  error
       occurs  and interp is not NULL, the procedure should store
       an error message in the interpreter's result.

       These value can be retrieved with Tcl_ChannelCloseProc  or
       Tcl_ChannelClose2Proc,  which  returns  a  pointer  to the
       respective function.


INPUTPROC
       The inputProc field contains the  address  of  a  function
       called  by the generic layer to read data from the file or
       device and store it in an internal buffer. InputProc  must
       match the following prototype:

              typedef int Tcl_DriverInputProc(
                ClientData instanceData,
                char *buf,
                int bufSize,
                int *errorCodePtr);

       InstanceData is the same as the value passed to Tcl_Creat-
       eChannel when the channel was created.  The  buf  argument
       points  to  an array of bytes in which to store input from
       the device, and the bufSize argument  indicates  how  many
       bytes are available at buf.

       The  errorCodePtr  argument  points to an integer variable
       provided by the generic layer. If  an  error  occurs,  the
       function  should  set  the  variable to a POSIX error code
       that identifies the error that occurred.

       The function should read data from the input device encap-
       sulated  by  the channel and store it at buf.  On success,
       the function should return a nonnegative integer  indicat-
       ing  how  many  bytes  were read from the input device and
       stored at buf. On error, the function should return -1. If
       an  error  occurs  after  some data has been read from the
       device, that data is lost.

       If inputProc can determine that the input device has  some
       data  available  but  less  than  requested by the bufSize
       argument, the function should only attempt to read as much
       data  as  is available and return without blocking. If the
       input device has no  data  available  whatsoever  and  the
       channel is in nonblocking mode, the function should return
       an EAGAIN error. If the input device has no data available
       whatsoever  and the channel is in blocking mode, the func-
       tion should block for the shortest possible time until  at
       least  one byte of data can be read from the device; then,
       it should return as much  data  as  it  can  read  without
       blocking.

       This  value  can  be  retrieved with Tcl_ChannelInputProc,
       which returns a pointer to the function.


OUTPUTPROC
       The outputProc field contains the address  of  a  function
       called  by  the  generic  layer  to  transfer data from an
       internal buffer to the  output  device.   OutputProc  must
       match the following prototype:

              typedef int Tcl_DriverOutputProc(
                ClientData instanceData,
                CONST char *buf,
                int toWrite,
                int *errorCodePtr);

       InstanceData is the same as the value passed to Tcl_Creat-
       eChannel when the channel was created.  The  buf  argument
       contains  an  array  of bytes to be written to the device,
       and the toWrite argument indicates how many bytes  are  to
       be written from the buf argument.

       The  errorCodePtr  argument  points to an integer variable
       provided by the generic layer. If  an  error  occurs,  the
       function  should  set  this variable to a POSIX error code
       that identifies the error.

       The function should write the data at buf  to  the  output
       device  encapsulated by the channel. On success, the func-
       tion should return a nonnegative  integer  indicating  how
       many  bytes were written to the output device.  The return
       value is normally the same as toWrite, but may be less  in
       some  cases such as if the output operation is interrupted
       by a signal. If an error occurs the function should return
       -1.   In case of error, some data may have been written to
       the device.

       If the channel is nonblocking and  the  output  device  is
       unable  to absorb any data whatsoever, the function should
       return -1 with an EAGAIN error without writing any data.

       This value can be  retrieved  with  Tcl_ChannelOutputProc,
       which returns a pointer to the function.


SEEKPROC AND WIDESEEKPROC
       The  seekProc  field  contains  the  address of a function
       called by the generic layer to move the  access  point  at
       which  subsequent  input  or  output  operations  will  be
       applied. SeekProc must match the following prototype:

              typedef int Tcl_DriverSeekProc(
                ClientData instanceData,
                long offset,
                int seekMode,
                int *errorCodePtr);

       The instanceData argument is the same as the  value  given
       to  Tcl_CreateChannel when this channel was created.  Off-
       set and seekMode have the same meaning as for the Tcl_Seek
       procedure  (described  in  the  manual entry for Tcl_Open-
       FileChannel).

       The errorCodePtr argument points to  an  integer  variable
       provided  by  the generic layer for returning errno values
       from the function.  The function should set this  variable
       to  a  POSIX  error code if an error occurs.  The function
       should store an EINVAL error code if the channel type does
       not implement seeking.

       The  return value is the new access point or -1 in case of
       error. If an error occurred, the function should not  move
       the access point.

       If  there  is  a non-NULL seekProc field, the wideSeekProc |
       field may contain the address of an  alternative  function |
       to  use  which handles wide (i.e. larger than 32-bit) off- |
       sets, so allowing seeks within files larger than 2GB.  The |
       wideSeekProc will be called in preference to the seekProc, |
       but both must be defined if the wideSeekProc  is  defined. |
       WideSeekProc must match the following prototype:           |

              typedef Tcl_WideInt Tcl_DriverWideSeekProc(         |
                ClientData instanceData,                          |
                Tcl_WideInt offset,                               |
                int seekMode,                                     |
                int *errorCodePtr);                               |

       The  arguments  and  return  values mean the same thing as |
       with seekProc above, except that the type of  offsets  and |
       the return type are different.                             |

       The   seekProc  value  can  be  retrieved  with  Tcl_Chan- |
       nelSeekProc, which returns a pointer to the function,  and |
       similarly the wideSeekProc can be retrieved with Tcl_Chan- |
       nelWideSeekProc.


SETOPTIONPROC
       The setOptionProc field contains the address of a function
       called by the generic layer to set a channel type specific
       option on a channel.  setOptionProc must match the follow-
       ing prototype:

              typedef int Tcl_DriverSetOptionProc(
                ClientData instanceData,
                Tcl_Interp *interp,
                CONST char *optionName,
                CONST char *newValue);

       optionName  is  the name of an option to set, and newValue
       is the new  value  for  that  option,  as  a  string.  The
       instanceData is the same as the value given to Tcl_Create-
       Channel when this channel was created. The function should
       do  whatever  channel  type specific action is required to
       implement the new value of the option.

       Some options are handled by  the  generic  code  and  this
       function  is  never  called  to set them, e.g. -blockmode.
       Other options are specific to each channel  type  and  the
       setOptionProc  procedure  of  the  channel driver will get
       called to implement them. The setOptionProc field  can  be
       NULL,  which  indicates that this channel type supports no
       type specific options.

       If the option value is successfully modified  to  the  new
       value,  the  function  returns  TCL_OK.   It  should  call
       Tcl_BadChannelOption which itself returns TCL_ERROR if the
       optionName is unrecognized.  If newValue specifies a value
       for the option that is not supported or if a  system  call
       error  occurs,  the function should leave an error message
       in the result field of interp if interp is not  NULL.  The
       function  should also call Tcl_SetErrno to store an appro-
       priate POSIX error code.

       This value can be retrieved with Tcl_ChannelSetOptionProc,
       which returns a pointer to the function.


GETOPTIONPROC
       The getOptionProc field contains the address of a function
       called by the generic layer to get the value of a  channel
       type  specific  option  on  a  channel. getOptionProc must
       match the following prototype:

              typedef int Tcl_DriverGetOptionProc(
                ClientData instanceData,
                Tcl_Interp *interp,
                CONST char *optionName,
                Tcl_DString *optionValue);

       OptionName is the name of an option supported by this type
       of  channel.  If the option name is not NULL, the function
       stores its current value, as a string, in the Tcl  dynamic
       string  optionValue.   If optionName is NULL, the function
       stores in optionValue an alternating list of all supported
       options  and  their current values.  On success, the func-
       tion returns TCL_OK.  It should call  Tcl_BadChannelOption
       which itself returns TCL_ERROR if the optionName is unrec-
       ognized. If a  system  call  error  occurs,  the  function
       should  leave  an error message in the result of interp if
       interp  is  not  NULL.  The  function  should  also   call
       Tcl_SetErrno to store an appropriate POSIX error code.

       Some  options  are  handled  by  the generic code and this
       function is never called to  retrieve  their  value,  e.g.
       -blockmode.  Other  options  are  specific to each channel
       type and the getOptionProc procedure of the channel driver
       will get called to implement them. The getOptionProc field
       can be NULL, which indicates that this channel  type  sup-
       ports no type specific options.

       This value can be retrieved with Tcl_ChannelGetOptionProc,
       which returns a pointer to the function.


WATCHPROC
       The watchProc field contains the  address  of  a  function
       called  by the generic layer to initialize the event noti-
       fication mechanism to notice events of  interest  on  this
       channel.  WatchProc should match the following prototype:

              typedef void Tcl_DriverWatchProc(
                ClientData instanceData,
                int mask);

       The  instanceData  is  the  same  as  the  value passed to
       Tcl_CreateChannel when this channel was created. The  mask
       argument   is   an   OR-ed  combination  of  TCL_READABLE,
       TCL_WRITABLE and TCL_EXCEPTION; it  indicates  events  the
       caller is interested in noticing on this channel.

       The function should initialize device type specific mecha-
       nisms to notice when an event of interest  is  present  on
       the  channel.   When  one or more of the designated events
       occurs on the channel, the channel driver  is  responsible
       for  calling Tcl_NotifyChannel to inform the generic chan-
       nel module.  The driver should take  care  not  to  starve
       other  channel drivers or sources of callbacks by invoking
       Tcl_NotifyChannel too frequently.  Fairness can be insured
       by using the Tcl event queue to allow the channel event to
       be scheduled in  sequence  with  other  events.   See  the
       description  of Tcl_QueueEvent for details on how to queue
       an event.

       This value can  be  retrieved  with  Tcl_ChannelWatchProc,
       which returns a pointer to the function.


GETHANDLEPROC
       The getHandleProc field contains the address of a function
       called by the generic layer to retrieve a  device-specific
       handle  from  the channel.  GetHandleProc should match the
       following prototype:

              typedef int Tcl_DriverGetHandleProc(
                ClientData instanceData,
                int direction,
                ClientData *handlePtr);

       InstanceData is the same as the value passed to Tcl_Creat-
       eChannel  when  this  channel  was  created. The direction
       argument is either TCL_READABLE  to  retrieve  the  handle
       used  for  input,  or  TCL_WRITABLE to retrieve the handle
       used for output.

       If the channel implementation has device-specific handles,
       the  function should retrieve the appropriate handle asso-
       ciated with the channel, according the direction argument.
       The handle should be stored in the location referred to by
       handlePtr, and TCL_OK should be returned.  If the  channel
       is not open for the specified direction, or if the channel
       implementation does not use device handles,  the  function
       should return TCL_ERROR.

       This value can be retrieved with Tcl_ChannelGetHandleProc,
       which returns a pointer to the function.


FLUSHPROC
       The flushProc field is currently reserved for future  use.
       It should be set to NULL.  FlushProc should match the fol-
       lowing prototype:

              typedef int Tcl_DriverFlushProc(
                ClientData instanceData);

       This value can  be  retrieved  with  Tcl_ChannelFlushProc,
       which returns a pointer to the function.


HANDLERPROC
       The  handlerProc  field contains the address of a function
       called by the generic layer to notify the channel that  an
       event  occurred.  It should be defined for stacked channel
       drivers that wish to be notified of events that  occur  on
       the  underlying  (stacked)  channel.   HandlerProc  should
       match the following prototype:

              typedef int Tcl_DriverHandlerProc(
                ClientData instanceData,
                int interestMask);

       InstanceData is the same as the value passed to Tcl_Creat-
       eChannel  when this channel was created.  The interestMask
       is an OR-ed combination of TCL_READABLE  or  TCL_WRITABLE;
       it  indicates what type of event occurred on this channel.

       This value can be retrieved  with  Tcl_ChannelHandlerProc,
       which returns a pointer to the function.


TCL_BADCHANNELOPTION
       This  procedure  generates a "bad option" error message in
       an (optional) interpreter.  It is used by channel  drivers
       when a invalid Set/Get option is requested. Its purpose is
       to concatenate the generic options list  to  the  specific
       ones  and  factorize  the  generic  options  error message
       string.

       It always return TCL_ERROR

       An error message is generated in interp's result object to
       indicate  that a command was invoked with the a bad option
       The message has the form
                  bad option "blah": should be one of
                  <...generic options...>+<...specific options...>
              so you get for instance:
                  bad option "-blah": should be one of -blocking,
                  -buffering, -buffersize, -eofchar, -translation,
                  -peername, or -sockname
              when called with optionList="peername sockname"
       ``blah''  is  the  optionName  argument  and   ``''  is  a  space separated list of specific option
       words.  The function takes good care  of  inserting  minus
       signs  before  each  option,  commas  after, and an ``or''
       before the last option.


OLD CHANNEL TYPES
       The original (8.3.1 and below)  Tcl_ChannelType  structure
       contains the following fields:

              typedef struct Tcl_ChannelType {
                char *typeName;
                Tcl_DriverBlockModeProc *blockModeProc;
                Tcl_DriverCloseProc *closeProc;
                Tcl_DriverInputProc *inputProc;
                Tcl_DriverOutputProc *outputProc;
                Tcl_DriverSeekProc *seekProc;
                Tcl_DriverSetOptionProc *setOptionProc;
                Tcl_DriverGetOptionProc *getOptionProc;
                Tcl_DriverWatchProc *watchProc;
                Tcl_DriverGetHandleProc *getHandleProc;
                Tcl_DriverClose2Proc *close2Proc;
              } Tcl_ChannelType;

       It  is  still  possible  to  create channel with the above
       structure.  The internal channel code will  determine  the
       version.   It is imperative to use the new Tcl_ChannelType
       structure if you are creating a  stacked  channel  driver,
       due to problems with the earlier stacked channel implemen-
       tation (in 8.2.0 to 8.3.1).

       Prior to 8.4.0 (i.e. during the later releases of 8.3  and |
       early  part of the 8.4 development cycle) the Tcl_Channel- |
       Type structure contained the following fields:             |

              typedef struct Tcl_ChannelType {                    |
                char *typeName;                                   |
                Tcl_ChannelTypeVersion version;                   |
                Tcl_DriverCloseProc *closeProc;                   |
                Tcl_DriverInputProc *inputProc;                   |
                Tcl_DriverOutputProc *outputProc;                 |
                Tcl_DriverSeekProc *seekProc;                     |
                Tcl_DriverSetOptionProc *setOptionProc;           |
                Tcl_DriverGetOptionProc *getOptionProc;           |
                Tcl_DriverWatchProc *watchProc;                   |
                Tcl_DriverGetHandleProc *getHandleProc;           |
                Tcl_DriverClose2Proc *close2Proc;                 |
                Tcl_DriverBlockModeProc *blockModeProc;           |
                Tcl_DriverFlushProc *flushProc;                   |
                Tcl_DriverHandlerProc *handlerProc;               |
              } Tcl_ChannelType;                                  |

       When the above structure is registered as a channel  type, |
       the  version field should always be TCL_CHANNEL_VERSION_2.


SEE ALSO
       Tcl_Close(3),   Tcl_OpenFileChannel(3),   Tcl_SetErrno(3),
       Tcl_QueueEvent(3),   Tcl_StackChannel(3),  Tcl_GetStdChan-
       nel(3)


KEYWORDS
       blocking, channel driver,  channel  registration,  channel
       type, nonblocking



Tcl                            8.3           Tcl_CreateChannel(3)

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