1 @c -*- mode: texinfo -*-
2 @deftypefn Extension {struct pex_obj *} pex_init (int @var{flags}, @
3 const char *@var{pname}, const char *@var{tempbase})
5 Prepare to execute one or more programs, with standard output of each
6 program fed to standard input of the next. This is a system
7 independent interface to execute a pipeline.
9 @var{flags} is a bitwise combination of the following:
13 @vindex PEX_RECORD_TIMES
14 @item PEX_RECORD_TIMES
15 Record subprocess times if possible.
19 Use pipes for communication between processes, if possible.
21 @vindex PEX_SAVE_TEMPS
23 Don't delete temporary files used for communication between
28 @var{pname} is the name of program to be executed, used in error
29 messages. @var{tempbase} is a base name to use for any required
30 temporary files; it may be @code{NULL} to use a randomly chosen name.
34 @deftypefn Extension {const char *} pex_run (struct pex_obj *@var{obj}, @
35 int @var{flags}, const char *@var{executable}, char * const *@var{argv}, @
36 const char *@var{outname}, const char *@var{errname}, int *@var{err})
38 Execute one program in a pipeline. On success this returns
39 @code{NULL}. On failure it returns an error message, a statically
42 @var{obj} is returned by a previous call to @code{pex_init}.
44 @var{flags} is a bitwise combination of the following:
50 This must be set on the last program in the pipeline. In particular,
51 it should be set when executing a single program. The standard output
52 of the program will be sent to @var{outname}, or, if @var{outname} is
53 @code{NULL}, to the standard output of the calling program. Do @emph{not}
54 set this bit if you want to call @code{pex_read_output}
55 (described below). After a call to @code{pex_run} with this bit set,
56 @var{pex_run} may no longer be called with the same @var{obj}.
60 Search for the program using the user's executable search path.
64 @var{outname} is a suffix. See the description of @var{outname},
67 @vindex PEX_STDERR_TO_STDOUT
68 @item PEX_STDERR_TO_STDOUT
69 Send the program's standard error to standard output, if possible.
71 @vindex PEX_BINARY_INPUT
72 @vindex PEX_BINARY_OUTPUT
73 @vindex PEX_BINARY_ERROR
74 @item PEX_BINARY_INPUT
75 @itemx PEX_BINARY_OUTPUT
76 @itemx PEX_BINARY_ERROR
77 The standard input (output or error) of the program should be read (written) in
78 binary mode rather than text mode. These flags are ignored on systems
79 which do not distinguish binary mode and text mode, such as Unix. For
80 proper behavior these flags should match appropriately---a call to
81 @code{pex_run} using @code{PEX_BINARY_OUTPUT} should be followed by a
82 call using @code{PEX_BINARY_INPUT}.
84 @vindex PEX_STDERR_TO_PIPE
85 @item PEX_STDERR_TO_PIPE
86 Send the program's standard error to a pipe, if possible. This flag
87 cannot be specified together with @code{PEX_STDERR_TO_STDOUT}. This
88 flag can be specified only on the last program in pipeline.
92 @var{executable} is the program to execute. @var{argv} is the set of
93 arguments to pass to the program; normally @code{@var{argv}[0]} will
94 be a copy of @var{executable}.
96 @var{outname} is used to set the name of the file to use for standard
97 output. There are two cases in which no output file will be used:
101 if @code{PEX_LAST} is not set in @var{flags}, and @code{PEX_USE_PIPES}
102 was set in the call to @code{pex_init}, and the system supports pipes
105 if @code{PEX_LAST} is set in @var{flags}, and @var{outname} is
110 Otherwise the code will use a file to hold standard
111 output. If @code{PEX_LAST} is not set, this file is considered to be
112 a temporary file, and it will be removed when no longer needed, unless
113 @code{PEX_SAVE_TEMPS} was set in the call to @code{pex_init}.
115 There are two cases to consider when setting the name of the file to
116 hold standard output.
120 @code{PEX_SUFFIX} is set in @var{flags}. In this case
121 @var{outname} may not be @code{NULL}. If the @var{tempbase} parameter
122 to @code{pex_init} was not @code{NULL}, then the output file name is
123 the concatenation of @var{tempbase} and @var{outname}. If
124 @var{tempbase} was @code{NULL}, then the output file name is a random
125 file name ending in @var{outname}.
128 @code{PEX_SUFFIX} was not set in @var{flags}. In this
129 case, if @var{outname} is not @code{NULL}, it is used as the output
130 file name. If @var{outname} is @code{NULL}, and @var{tempbase} was
131 not NULL, the output file name is randomly chosen using
132 @var{tempbase}. Otherwise the output file name is chosen completely
136 @var{errname} is the file name to use for standard error output. If
137 it is @code{NULL}, standard error is the same as the caller's.
138 Otherwise, standard error is written to the named file.
140 On an error return, the code sets @code{*@var{err}} to an @code{errno}
141 value, or to 0 if there is no relevant @code{errno}.
145 @deftypefn Extension {const char *} pex_run_in_environment (struct pex_obj *@var{obj}, @
146 int @var{flags}, const char *@var{executable}, char * const *@var{argv}, @
147 char * const *@var{env}, int @var{env_size}, const char *@var{outname}, @
148 const char *@var{errname}, int *@var{err})
150 Execute one program in a pipeline, permitting the environment for the
151 program to be specified. Behaviour and parameters not listed below are
152 as for @code{pex_run}.
154 @var{env} is the environment for the child process, specified as an array of
155 character pointers. Each element of the array should point to a string of the
156 form @code{VAR=VALUE}, with the exception of the last element that must be
161 @deftypefn Extension {FILE *} pex_input_file (struct pex_obj *@var{obj}, @
162 int @var{flags}, const char *@var{in_name})
164 Return a stream for a temporary file to pass to the first program in
165 the pipeline as input.
167 The name of the input file is chosen according to the same rules
168 @code{pex_run} uses to choose output file names, based on
169 @var{in_name}, @var{obj} and the @code{PEX_SUFFIX} bit in @var{flags}.
171 Don't call @code{fclose} on the returned stream; the first call to
172 @code{pex_run} closes it automatically.
174 If @var{flags} includes @code{PEX_BINARY_OUTPUT}, open the stream in
175 binary mode; otherwise, open it in the default mode. Including
176 @code{PEX_BINARY_OUTPUT} in @var{flags} has no effect on Unix.
179 @deftypefn Extension {FILE *} pex_input_pipe (struct pex_obj *@var{obj}, @
182 Return a stream @var{fp} for a pipe connected to the standard input of
183 the first program in the pipeline; @var{fp} is opened for writing.
184 You must have passed @code{PEX_USE_PIPES} to the @code{pex_init} call
185 that returned @var{obj}.
187 You must close @var{fp} using @code{fclose} yourself when you have
188 finished writing data to the pipeline.
190 The file descriptor underlying @var{fp} is marked not to be inherited
193 On systems that do not support pipes, this function returns
194 @code{NULL}, and sets @code{errno} to @code{EINVAL}. If you would
195 like to write code that is portable to all systems the @code{pex}
196 functions support, consider using @code{pex_input_file} instead.
198 There are two opportunities for deadlock using
199 @code{pex_input_pipe}:
203 Most systems' pipes can buffer only a fixed amount of data; a process
204 that writes to a full pipe blocks. Thus, if you write to @file{fp}
205 before starting the first process, you run the risk of blocking when
206 there is no child process yet to read the data and allow you to
207 continue. @code{pex_input_pipe} makes no promises about the
208 size of the pipe's buffer, so if you need to write any data at all
209 before starting the first process in the pipeline, consider using
210 @code{pex_input_file} instead.
213 Using @code{pex_input_pipe} and @code{pex_read_output} together
214 may also cause deadlock. If the output pipe fills up, so that each
215 program in the pipeline is waiting for the next to read more data, and
216 you fill the input pipe by writing more data to @var{fp}, then there
217 is no way to make progress: the only process that could read data from
218 the output pipe is you, but you are blocked on the input pipe.
224 @deftypefn Extension {FILE *} pex_read_output (struct pex_obj *@var{obj}, @
227 Returns a @code{FILE} pointer which may be used to read the standard
228 output of the last program in the pipeline. When this is used,
229 @code{PEX_LAST} should not be used in a call to @code{pex_run}. After
230 this is called, @code{pex_run} may no longer be called with the same
231 @var{obj}. @var{binary} should be non-zero if the file should be
232 opened in binary mode. Don't call @code{fclose} on the returned file;
233 it will be closed by @code{pex_free}.
237 @deftypefn Extension {FILE *} pex_read_err (struct pex_obj *@var{obj}, @
240 Returns a @code{FILE} pointer which may be used to read the standard
241 error of the last program in the pipeline. When this is used,
242 @code{PEX_LAST} should not be used in a call to @code{pex_run}. After
243 this is called, @code{pex_run} may no longer be called with the same
244 @var{obj}. @var{binary} should be non-zero if the file should be
245 opened in binary mode. Don't call @code{fclose} on the returned file;
246 it will be closed by @code{pex_free}.
251 @deftypefn Extension int pex_get_status (struct pex_obj *@var{obj}, @
252 int @var{count}, int *@var{vector})
254 Returns the exit status of all programs run using @var{obj}.
255 @var{count} is the number of results expected. The results will be
256 placed into @var{vector}. The results are in the order of the calls
257 to @code{pex_run}. Returns 0 on error, 1 on success.
261 @deftypefn Extension int pex_get_times (struct pex_obj *@var{obj}, @
262 int @var{count}, struct pex_time *@var{vector})
264 Returns the process execution times of all programs run using
265 @var{obj}. @var{count} is the number of results expected. The
266 results will be placed into @var{vector}. The results are in the
267 order of the calls to @code{pex_run}. Returns 0 on error, 1 on
270 @code{struct pex_time} has the following fields of the type
271 @code{unsigned long}: @code{user_seconds},
272 @code{user_microseconds}, @code{system_seconds},
273 @code{system_microseconds}. On systems which do not support reporting
274 process times, all the fields will be set to @code{0}.
278 @deftypefn Extension void pex_free (struct pex_obj @var{obj})
280 Clean up and free all data associated with @var{obj}. If you have not
281 yet called @code{pex_get_times} or @code{pex_get_status}, this will
282 try to kill the subprocesses.
286 @deftypefn Extension {const char *} pex_one (int @var{flags}, @
287 const char *@var{executable}, char * const *@var{argv}, @
288 const char *@var{pname}, const char *@var{outname}, const char *@var{errname}, @
289 int *@var{status}, int *@var{err})
291 An interface to permit the easy execution of a
292 single program. The return value and most of the parameters are as
293 for a call to @code{pex_run}. @var{flags} is restricted to a
294 combination of @code{PEX_SEARCH}, @code{PEX_STDERR_TO_STDOUT}, and
295 @code{PEX_BINARY_OUTPUT}. @var{outname} is interpreted as if
296 @code{PEX_LAST} were set. On a successful return, @code{*@var{status}} will
297 be set to the exit status of the program.
301 @deftypefn Extension int pexecute (const char *@var{program}, @
302 char * const *@var{argv}, const char *@var{this_pname}, @
303 const char *@var{temp_base}, char **@var{errmsg_fmt}, @
304 char **@var{errmsg_arg}, int @var{flags})
306 This is the old interface to execute one or more programs. It is
307 still supported for compatibility purposes, but is no longer
312 @deftypefn Extension int pwait (int @var{pid}, int *@var{status}, int @var{flags})
314 Another part of the old execution interface.