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Diffstat (limited to 'vcs-svn/line_buffer.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | vcs-svn/line_buffer.txt | 77 |
1 files changed, 77 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/vcs-svn/line_buffer.txt b/vcs-svn/line_buffer.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..8e139eb22d --- /dev/null +++ b/vcs-svn/line_buffer.txt @@ -0,0 +1,77 @@ +line_buffer API +=============== + +The line_buffer library provides a convenient interface for +mostly-line-oriented input. + +Each line is not permitted to exceed 10000 bytes. The provided +functions are not thread-safe or async-signal-safe, and like +`fgets()`, they generally do not function correctly if interrupted +by a signal without SA_RESTART set. + +Calling sequence +---------------- + +The calling program: + + - initializes a `struct line_buffer` to LINE_BUFFER_INIT + - specifies a file to read with `buffer_init` + - processes input with `buffer_read_line`, `buffer_skip_bytes`, + and `buffer_copy_bytes` + - closes the file with `buffer_deinit`, perhaps to start over and + read another file. + +When finished, the caller can use `buffer_reset` to deallocate +resources. + +Using temporary files +--------------------- + +Temporary files provide a place to store data that should not outlive +the calling program. A program + + - initializes a `struct line_buffer` to LINE_BUFFER_INIT + - requests a temporary file with `buffer_tmpfile_init` + - acquires an output handle by calling `buffer_tmpfile_rewind` + - uses standard I/O functions like `fprintf` and `fwrite` to fill + the temporary file + - declares writing is over with `buffer_tmpfile_prepare_to_read` + - can re-read what was written with `buffer_read_line`, + `buffer_copy_bytes`, and so on + - can reuse the temporary file by calling `buffer_tmpfile_rewind` + again + - removes the temporary file with `buffer_deinit`, perhaps to + reuse the line_buffer for some other file. + +When finished, the calling program can use `buffer_reset` to deallocate +resources. + +Functions +--------- + +`buffer_init`, `buffer_fdinit`:: + Open the named file or file descriptor for input. + buffer_init(buf, NULL) prepares to read from stdin. + On failure, returns -1 (with errno indicating the nature + of the failure). + +`buffer_deinit`:: + Stop reading from the current file (closing it unless + it was stdin). Returns nonzero if `fclose` fails or + the error indicator was set. + +`buffer_read_line`:: + Read a line and strip off the trailing newline. + On failure or end of file, returns NULL. + +`buffer_copy_bytes`:: + Read `len` bytes of input and dump them to the standard output + stream. Returns early for error or end of file. + +`buffer_skip_bytes`:: + Discards `len` bytes from the input stream (stopping early + if necessary because of an error or eof). Return value is + the number of bytes successfully read. + +`buffer_reset`:: + Deallocates non-static buffers. |