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libcurl-multi - how to use the multi interface
</PRE>
<H2>DESCRIPTION</H2><PRE>
This is an overview on how to use the libcurl multi inter-
face in your C programs. There are specific man pages for
each function mentioned in here. There's also the libcurl-
the-guide document for a complete tutorial to programming
with libcurl and the <I>libcurl(3)</I> man page for an overview
of the libcurl easy interface.
All functions in the multi interface are prefixed with
curl_multi.
</PRE>
<H2>PLEASE NOTICE</H2><PRE>
The multi interface is a rather new member of the libcurl
family. It has not yet been very widely used. It may still
be a few more bugs lurking in there than we are used to.
That said, it might also just work in every aspect you try
it. Please report all bugs and oddities you see.
</PRE>
<H2>OBJECTIVES</H2><PRE>
The multi interface introduces several new abilities that
the easy interface refuses to offer. They are mainly:
1. Enable a "pull" interface. The application that uses
libcurl decides where and when to ask libcurl to get/send
data.
2. Enable multiple simultaneous transfers in the same
thread without making it complicated for the application.
3. Enable the application to select() on its own file
descriptors and curl's file descriptors simultaneous eas-
ily.
</PRE>
<H2>ONE MULTI HANDLE MANY EASY HANDLES</H2><PRE>
To use the multi interface, you must first create a 'multi
handle' with <I>curl</I><B>_</B><I>multi</I><B>_</B><I>init</I>. This handle is then used as
input to all further curl_multi_* functions.
Each single transfer is built up with an easy handle. You
must create them, and setup the appropriate options for
each easy handle, as outlined in the <I>libcurl(3)</I> man page,
using <I>curl</I><B>_</B><I>easy</I><B>_</B><I>setopt(3)</I>.
When the easy handle is setup for a transfer, then instead
of using <I>curl</I><B>_</B><I>easy</I><B>_</B><I>perform</I> (as when using the easy inter-
face for transfers), you should instead add the easy han-
dle to the multi handle using <I>curl</I><B>_</B><I>easy</I><B>_</B><I>add</I><B>_</B><I>handl</I>. The
multi handle is sometimes referred to as a 'multi stack'
because of the fact that it may hold a large amount of
easy handles.
removed from the multi stack using <I>curl</I><B>_</B><I>multi</I><B>_</B><I>remove</I><B>_</B><I>han-</I>
<I>dle</I>. Once removed from the multi handle, you can again use
other easy interface functions like <I>curl</I><B>_</B><I>easy</I><B>_</B><I>perform</I> on
the handle or whatever you think is necessary.
Adding the easy handle to the multi handle does not start
the transfer. Remember that one of the main ideas with
this interface is to let your application drive. You drive
the transfers by invoking <I>curl</I><B>_</B><I>multi</I><B>_</B><I>perform</I>. libcurl will
then transfer data if there is anything available to
transfer. It'll use the callbacks and everything else you
have setup in the individual easy handles. It'll transfer
data on all current transfers in the multi stack that are
ready to transfer anything. It may be all, it may be none.
Your application can acquire knowledge from libcurl when
it would like to get invoked to transfer data, so that you
don't have to busy-loop and call that <I>curl</I><B>_</B><I>multi</I><B>_</B><I>perform</I>
like crazy. <I>curl</I><B>_</B><I>multi</I><B>_</B><I>fdset</I> offers an interface using
which you can extract fd_sets from libcurl to use in
select() or poll() calls in order to get to know when the
transfers in the multi stack might need attention. This
also makes it very easy for your program to wait for input
on your own private file descriptors at the same time or
perhaps timeout every now and then, should you want that.
A little note here about the return codes from the multi
functions, and especially the <I>curl</I><B>_</B><I>multi</I><B>_</B><I>perform</I>: if you
receive <I>CURLM</I><B>_</B><I>CALL</I><B>_</B><I>MULTI</I><B>_</B><I>PERFORM</I>, this basicly means that
you should call <I>curl</I><B>_</B><I>multi</I><B>_</B><I>perform</I> again, before you
select() on more actions. You don't have to do it immedi-
ately, but the return code means that libcurl may have
more data available to return or that there may be more
data to send off before it is "satisfied".
<I>curl</I><B>_</B><I>multi</I><B>_</B><I>perform</I> stores the number of still running
transfers in one of its input arguments, and by reading
that you can figure out when all the transfers in the
multi handles are done. 'done' does not mean successful.
One or more of the transfers may have failed. Tracking
when this number changes, you know when one or more trans-
fers are done.
To get information about completed transfers, to figure
out success or not and similar, <I>curl</I><B>_</B><I>multi</I><B>_</B><I>info</I><B>_</B><I>read</I>
should be called. It can return a message about a current
or previous transfer. Repeated invokes of the function get
more messages until the message queue is empty. The infor-
mation you receive there includes an easy handle pointer
which you may use to identify which easy handle the infor-
mation regards.
please note that you <B>MUST</B> invoke separate
<I>curl</I><B>_</B><I>easy</I><B>_</B><I>cleanup</I> calls on every single easy handle to
clean them up properly.
If you want to re-use an easy handle that was added to the
multi handle for transfer, you must first remove it from
the multi stack and then re-add it again (possbily after
having altered some options at your own choice).
</PRE>
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