NAME

Time::HiRes - High resolution ualarm, usleep, and gettimeofday

SUPPORTED PLATFORMS

Linux
Solaris
Windows

This module is not included with the standard ActivePerl distribution. It is available as a separate download using PPM.

SYNOPSIS

  use Time::HiRes qw( usleep ualarm gettimeofday tv_interval );

  usleep ($microseconds);

  ualarm ($microseconds);
  ualarm ($microseconds, $interval_microseconds);

  $t0 = [gettimeofday];
  ($seconds, $microseconds) = gettimeofday;

  $elapsed = tv_interval ( $t0, [$seconds, $microseconds]);
  $elapsed = tv_interval ( $t0, [gettimeofday]);
  $elapsed = tv_interval ( $t0 );

  use Time::HiRes qw ( time alarm sleep );
  $now_fractions = time;
  sleep ($floating_seconds);
  alarm ($floating_seconds);
  alarm ($floating_seconds, $floating_interval);

DESCRIPTION

The Time::HiRes module implements a Perl interface to the usleep, ualarm, and gettimeofday system calls. See the EXAMPLES section below and the test scripts for usage; see your system documentation for the description of the underlying gettimeofday, usleep, and ualarm calls.

If your system lacks gettimeofday(2) you don't get gettimeofday() or the one-arg form of tv_interval(). If you don't have usleep(3) or select(2) you don't get usleep() or sleep(). If your system don't have ualarm(3) or setitimer(2) you don't get ualarm() or alarm(). If you try to import an unimplemented function in the use statement it will fail at compile time.

The following functions can be imported from this module. No functions are exported by default.

gettimeofday (): In array context it returns a 2 element array with the seconds and microseconds since the epoch. In scalar context it returns floating seconds like Time::HiRes::time() (see below).
usleep ( $useconds ): Issues a usleep for the number of microseconds specified. See also Time::HiRes::sleep() below.
ualarm ( $useconds [, $interval_useconds ] ): Issues a ualarm call; interval_useconds is optional and will be 0 if unspecified, resulting in alarm-like behaviour.
tv_interval ( $ref_to_gettimeofday [, $ref_to_later_gettimeofday] ): Returns the floating seconds between the two times, which should have been returned by gettimeofday(). If the second argument is omitted, then the current time is used.
time (): Returns a floating seconds since the epoch. This function can be imported, resulting in a nice drop-in replacement for the time provided with perl, see the EXAMPLES below.
sleep ( $floating_seconds ): Converts $floating_seconds to microseconds and issues a usleep for the result. This function can be imported, resulting in a nice drop-in replacement for the sleep provided with perl, see the EXAMPLES below.
alarm ( $floating_seconds [, $interval_floating_seconds ] ): Converts $floating_seconds and $interval_floating_seconds and issues a ualarm for the results. The $interval_floating_seconds argument is optional and will be 0 if unspecified, resulting in alarm-like behaviour. This function can be imported, resulting in a nice drop-in replacement for the alarm provided with perl, see the EXAMPLES below.

EXAMPLES

  use Time::HiRes qw(usleep ualarm gettimeofday tv_interval);

  $microseconds = 750_000;
  usleep $microseconds;

  # signal alarm in 2.5s & every .1s thereafter
  ualarm 2_500_000, 100_000;

  # get seconds and microseconds since the epoch
  ($s, $usec) = gettimeofday;

  # measure elapsed time 
  # (could also do by subtracting 2 gettimeofday return values)
  $t0 = [gettimeofday];
  # do bunch of stuff here
  $t1 = [gettimeofday];
  # do more stuff here
  $t0_t1 = tv_interval $t0, $t1;


  $elapsed = tv_interval ($t0, [gettimeofday]);
  $elapsed = tv_interval ($t0); # equivalent code

  #
  # replacements for time, alarm and sleep that know about
  # floating seconds
  #
  use Time::HiRes;
  $now_fractions = Time::HiRes::time;
  Time::HiRes::sleep (2.5);
  Time::HiRes::alarm (10.6666666);


  use Time::HiRes qw ( time alarm sleep );
  $now_fractions = time;
  sleep (2.5);
  alarm (10.6666666);

C API

In addition to the perl API described above, a C API is available for extension writers. The following C functions are available in the modglobal hash:

  name             C prototype
  ---------------  ----------------------
  Time::NVtime     double (*)()
  Time::U2time     void (*)(UV ret[2])

Both functions return equivalent information (like gettimeofday) but with different representations. The names NVtime and U2time were selected mainly because they are operating system independent. (gettimeofday is Un*x-centric.)

Here is an example of using NVtime from C:

  double (*myNVtime)();
  SV **svp = hv_fetch(PL_modglobal, "Time::NVtime", 12, 0);
  if (!svp)         croak("Time::HiRes is required");
  if (!SvIOK(*svp)) croak("Time::NVtime isn't a function pointer");
  myNVtime = (double(*)()) SvIV(*svp);
  printf("The current time is: %f\n", (*myNVtime)());

AUTHORS

D. Wegscheid <wegscd@whirlpool.com> R. Schertler <roderick@argon.org> J. Hietaniemi <jhi@iki.fi> G. Aas <gisle@aas.no>

REVISION

$Id: HiRes.pm,v 1.20 1999/03/16 02:26:13 wegscd Exp $

$Log: HiRes.pm,v $ Revision 1.20 1999/03/16 02:26:13 wegscd Add documentation for NVTime and U2Time.

Revision 1.19 1998/09/30 02:34:42 wegscd No changes, bump version.

Revision 1.18 1998/07/07 02:41:35 wegscd No changes, bump version.

Revision 1.17 1998/07/02 01:45:13 wegscd Bump version to 1.17

Revision 1.16 1997/11/13 02:06:36 wegscd version bump to accomodate HiRes.xs fix.

Revision 1.15 1997/11/11 02:17:59 wegscd POD editing, courtesy of Gisle Aas.

Revision 1.14 1997/11/06 03:14:35 wegscd Update version # for Makefile.PL and HiRes.xs changes.

Revision 1.13 1997/11/05 05:36:25 wegscd change version # for Makefile.pl and HiRes.xs changes.

Revision 1.12 1997/10/13 20:55:33 wegscd Force a new version for Makefile.PL changes.

Revision 1.11 1997/09/05 19:59:33 wegscd New version to bump version for README and Makefile.PL fixes. Fix bad RCS log.

Revision 1.10 1997/05/23 01:11:38 wegscd Conditional compilation; EXPORT_FAIL fixes.

Revision 1.2 1996/12/30 13:28:40 wegscd Update documentation for what to do when missing ualarm() and friends.

Revision 1.1 1996/10/17 20:53:31 wegscd Fix =head1 being next to __END__ so pod2man works

Revision 1.0 1996/09/03 18:25:15 wegscd Initial revision

COPYRIGHT

Time::HiRes - High resolution ualarm, usleep, and gettimeofday