5 IO::Handle - supply object methods for I/O handles
12 if ($io->fdopen(fileno(STDIN),"r")) {
18 if ($io->fdopen(fileno(STDOUT),"w")) {
19 $io->print("Some text\n");
22 # setvbuf is not available by default on Perls 5.8.0 and later.
23 use IO::Handle '_IOLBF';
24 $io->setvbuf($buffer_var, _IOLBF, 1024);
26 undef $io; # automatically closes the file if it's open
32 C<IO::Handle> is the base class for all other IO handle classes. It is
33 not intended that objects of C<IO::Handle> would be created directly,
34 but instead C<IO::Handle> is inherited from by several other classes
37 If you are reading this documentation, looking for a replacement for
38 the C<FileHandle> package, then I suggest you read the documentation
47 Creates a new C<IO::Handle> object.
49 =item new_from_fd ( FD, MODE )
51 Creates an C<IO::Handle> like C<new> does.
52 It requires two parameters, which are passed to the method C<fdopen>;
53 if the fdopen fails, the object is destroyed. Otherwise, it is returned
60 See L<perlfunc> for complete descriptions of each of the following
61 supported C<IO::Handle> methods, which are just front ends for the
62 corresponding built-in functions:
66 $io->fcntl( FUNCTION, SCALAR )
68 $io->format_write( [FORMAT_NAME] )
70 $io->ioctl( FUNCTION, SCALAR )
71 $io->read ( BUF, LEN, [OFFSET] )
73 $io->printf ( FMT, [ARGS] )
76 $io->sysread ( BUF, LEN, [OFFSET] )
77 $io->syswrite ( BUF, [LEN, [OFFSET]] )
80 See L<perlvar> for complete descriptions of each of the following
81 supported C<IO::Handle> methods. All of them return the previous
82 value of the attribute and takes an optional single argument that when
83 given will set the value. If no argument is given the previous value
84 is unchanged (except for $io->autoflush will actually turn ON
85 autoflush by default).
87 $io->autoflush ( [BOOL] ) $|
88 $io->format_page_number( [NUM] ) $%
89 $io->format_lines_per_page( [NUM] ) $=
90 $io->format_lines_left( [NUM] ) $-
91 $io->format_name( [STR] ) $~
92 $io->format_top_name( [STR] ) $^
93 $io->input_line_number( [NUM]) $.
95 The following methods are not supported on a per-filehandle basis.
97 IO::Handle->format_line_break_characters( [STR] ) $:
98 IO::Handle->format_formfeed( [STR]) $^L
99 IO::Handle->output_field_separator( [STR] ) $,
100 IO::Handle->output_record_separator( [STR] ) $\
102 IO::Handle->input_record_separator( [STR] ) $/
104 Furthermore, for doing normal I/O you might need these:
108 =item $io->fdopen ( FD, MODE )
110 C<fdopen> is like an ordinary C<open> except that its first parameter
111 is not a filename but rather a file handle name, an IO::Handle object,
112 or a file descriptor number. (For the documentation of the C<open>
113 method, see L<IO::File>.)
117 Returns true if the object is currently a valid file descriptor, false
122 This works like <$io> described in L<perlop/"I/O Operators">
123 except that it's more readable and can be safely called in a
124 list context but still returns just one line. If used as the conditional
125 +within a C<while> or C-style C<for> loop, however, you will need to
126 +emulate the functionality of <$io> with C<< defined($_ = $io->getline) >>.
130 This works like <$io> when called in a list context to read all
131 the remaining lines in a file, except that it's more readable.
132 It will also croak() if accidentally called in a scalar context.
134 =item $io->ungetc ( ORD )
136 Pushes a character with the given ordinal value back onto the given
137 handle's input stream. Only one character of pushback per handle is
140 =item $io->write ( BUF, LEN [, OFFSET ] )
142 This C<write> is like C<write> found in C, that is it is the
143 opposite of read. The wrapper for the perl C<write> function is
144 called C<format_write>.
148 Returns a true value if the given handle has experienced any errors
149 since it was opened or since the last call to C<clearerr>, or if the
150 handle is invalid. It only returns false for a valid handle with no
155 Clear the given handle's error indicator. Returns -1 if the handle is
156 invalid, 0 otherwise.
160 C<sync> synchronizes a file's in-memory state with that on the
161 physical medium. C<sync> does not operate at the perlio api level, but
162 operates on the file descriptor (similar to sysread, sysseek and
163 systell). This means that any data held at the perlio api level will not
164 be synchronized. To synchronize data that is buffered at the perlio api
165 level you must use the flush method. C<sync> is not implemented on all
166 platforms. Returns "0 but true" on success, C<undef> on error, C<undef>
167 for an invalid handle. See L<fsync(3c)>.
171 C<flush> causes perl to flush any buffered data at the perlio api level.
172 Any unread data in the buffer will be discarded, and any unwritten data
173 will be written to the underlying file descriptor. Returns "0 but true"
174 on success, C<undef> on error.
176 =item $io->printflush ( ARGS )
178 Turns on autoflush, print ARGS and then restores the autoflush status of the
179 C<IO::Handle> object. Returns the return value from print.
181 =item $io->blocking ( [ BOOL ] )
183 If called with an argument C<blocking> will turn on non-blocking IO if
184 C<BOOL> is false, and turn it off if C<BOOL> is true.
186 C<blocking> will return the value of the previous setting, or the
187 current setting if C<BOOL> is not given.
189 If an error occurs C<blocking> will return undef and C<$!> will be set.
194 If the C functions setbuf() and/or setvbuf() are available, then
195 C<IO::Handle::setbuf> and C<IO::Handle::setvbuf> set the buffering
196 policy for an IO::Handle. The calling sequences for the Perl functions
197 are the same as their C counterparts--including the constants C<_IOFBF>,
198 C<_IOLBF>, and C<_IONBF> for setvbuf()--except that the buffer parameter
199 specifies a scalar variable to use as a buffer. You should only
200 change the buffer before any I/O, or immediately after calling flush.
202 WARNING: The IO::Handle::setvbuf() is not available by default on
203 Perls 5.8.0 and later because setvbuf() is rather specific to using
204 the stdio library, while Perl prefers the new perlio subsystem instead.
206 WARNING: A variable used as a buffer by C<setbuf> or C<setvbuf> B<must not
207 be modified> in any way until the IO::Handle is closed or C<setbuf> or
208 C<setvbuf> is called again, or memory corruption may result! Remember that
209 the order of global destruction is undefined, so even if your buffer
210 variable remains in scope until program termination, it may be undefined
211 before the file IO::Handle is closed. Note that you need to import the
212 constants C<_IOFBF>, C<_IOLBF>, and C<_IONBF> explicitly. Like C, setbuf
213 returns nothing. setvbuf returns "0 but true", on success, C<undef> on
216 Lastly, there is a special method for working under B<-T> and setuid/gid
223 Marks the object as taint-clean, and as such data read from it will also
224 be considered taint-clean. Note that this is a very trusting action to
225 take, and appropriate consideration for the data source and potential
226 vulnerability should be kept in mind. Returns 0 on success, -1 if setting
227 the taint-clean flag failed. (eg invalid handle)
233 An C<IO::Handle> object is a reference to a symbol/GLOB reference (see
234 the C<Symbol> package). Some modules that
235 inherit from C<IO::Handle> may want to keep object related variables
236 in the hash table part of the GLOB. In an attempt to prevent modules
237 trampling on each other I propose the that any such module should prefix
238 its variables with its own name separated by _'s. For example the IO::Socket
239 module keeps a C<timeout> variable in 'io_socket_timeout'.
244 L<perlop/"I/O Operators">,
249 Due to backwards compatibility, all filehandles resemble objects
250 of class C<IO::Handle>, or actually classes derived from that class.
251 They actually aren't. Which means you can't derive your own
252 class from C<IO::Handle> and inherit those methods.
256 Derived from FileHandle.pm by Graham Barr E<lt>F<gbarr@pobox.com>E<gt>
262 our($VERSION, @EXPORT_OK, @ISA);
266 use IO (); # Load the XS module
272 $VERSION = eval $VERSION;
276 output_field_separator
277 output_record_separator
278 input_record_separator
281 format_lines_per_page
285 format_line_break_characters
306 ################################################
307 ## Constructors, destructors.
311 my $class = ref($_[0]) || $_[0] || "IO::Handle";
312 @_ == 1 or croak "usage: new $class";
318 my $class = ref($_[0]) || $_[0] || "IO::Handle";
319 @_ == 3 or croak "usage: new_from_fd $class FD, MODE";
322 IO::Handle::fdopen($io, @_)
328 # There is no need for DESTROY to do anything, because when the
329 # last reference to an IO object is gone, Perl automatically
330 # closes its associated files (if any). However, to avoid any
331 # attempts to autoload DESTROY, we here define it to do nothing.
336 ################################################
340 sub _open_mode_string {
342 $mode =~ /^\+?(<|>>?)$/
343 or $mode =~ s/^r(\+?)$/$1</
344 or $mode =~ s/^w(\+?)$/$1>/
345 or $mode =~ s/^a(\+?)$/$1>>/
346 or croak "IO::Handle: bad open mode: $mode";
351 @_ == 3 or croak 'usage: $io->fdopen(FD, MODE)';
352 my ($io, $fd, $mode) = @_;
355 if (ref($fd) && "".$fd =~ /GLOB\(/o) {
356 # It's a glob reference; Alias it as we cannot get name of anon GLOBs
357 my $n = qualify(*GLOB);
360 } elsif ($fd =~ m#^\d+$#) {
361 # It's an FD number; prefix with "=".
365 open($io, _open_mode_string($mode) . '&' . $fd)
370 @_ == 1 or croak 'usage: $io->close()';
376 ################################################
377 ## Normal I/O functions.
384 @_ == 1 or croak 'usage: $io->opened()';
385 defined fileno($_[0]);
389 @_ == 1 or croak 'usage: $io->fileno()';
394 @_ == 1 or croak 'usage: $io->getc()';
399 @_ == 1 or croak 'usage: $io->eof()';
404 @_ or croak 'usage: $io->print(ARGS)';
410 @_ >= 2 or croak 'usage: $io->printf(FMT,[ARGS])';
416 @_ or croak 'usage: $io->say(ARGS)';
423 @_ == 1 or croak 'usage: $io->getline()';
425 return scalar <$this>;
428 *gets = \&getline; # deprecated
431 @_ == 1 or croak 'usage: $io->getlines()';
433 croak 'Can\'t call $io->getlines in a scalar context, use $io->getline';
439 @_ == 2 or croak 'usage: $io->truncate(LEN)';
440 truncate($_[0], $_[1]);
444 @_ == 3 || @_ == 4 or croak 'usage: $io->read(BUF, LEN [, OFFSET])';
445 read($_[0], $_[1], $_[2], $_[3] || 0);
449 @_ == 3 || @_ == 4 or croak 'usage: $io->sysread(BUF, LEN [, OFFSET])';
450 sysread($_[0], $_[1], $_[2], $_[3] || 0);
454 @_ >= 2 && @_ <= 4 or croak 'usage: $io->write(BUF [, LEN [, OFFSET]])';
456 $_[2] = length($_[1]) unless defined $_[2];
457 print { $_[0] } substr($_[1], $_[3] || 0, $_[2]);
461 @_ >= 2 && @_ <= 4 or croak 'usage: $io->syswrite(BUF [, LEN [, OFFSET]])';
462 if (defined($_[2])) {
463 syswrite($_[0], $_[1], $_[2], $_[3] || 0);
465 syswrite($_[0], $_[1]);
470 @_ == 1 or croak 'usage: $io->stat()';
474 ################################################
475 ## State modification functions.
479 my $old = new SelectSaver qualify($_[0], caller);
481 $| = @_ > 1 ? $_[1] : 1;
485 sub output_field_separator {
486 carp "output_field_separator is not supported on a per-handle basis"
489 $, = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
493 sub output_record_separator {
494 carp "output_record_separator is not supported on a per-handle basis"
497 $\ = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
501 sub input_record_separator {
502 carp "input_record_separator is not supported on a per-handle basis"
505 $/ = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
509 sub input_line_number {
511 () = tell qualify($_[0], caller) if ref($_[0]);
513 $. = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
517 sub format_page_number {
519 $old = new SelectSaver qualify($_[0], caller) if ref($_[0]);
521 $% = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
525 sub format_lines_per_page {
527 $old = new SelectSaver qualify($_[0], caller) if ref($_[0]);
529 $= = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
533 sub format_lines_left {
535 $old = new SelectSaver qualify($_[0], caller) if ref($_[0]);
537 $- = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
543 $old = new SelectSaver qualify($_[0], caller) if ref($_[0]);
545 $~ = qualify($_[1], caller) if @_ > 1;
549 sub format_top_name {
551 $old = new SelectSaver qualify($_[0], caller) if ref($_[0]);
553 $^ = qualify($_[1], caller) if @_ > 1;
557 sub format_line_break_characters {
558 carp "format_line_break_characters is not supported on a per-handle basis"
561 $: = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
565 sub format_formfeed {
566 carp "format_formfeed is not supported on a per-handle basis"
569 $^L = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
578 formline($picture, @_);
583 @_ < 3 || croak 'usage: $io->write( [FORMAT_NAME] )';
586 my $oldfmt = $io->format_name(qualify($fmt,caller));
588 $io->format_name($oldfmt);
595 @_ == 3 || croak 'usage: $io->fcntl( OP, VALUE );';
597 return fcntl($io, $op, $_[2]);
601 @_ == 3 || croak 'usage: $io->ioctl( OP, VALUE );';
603 return ioctl($io, $op, $_[2]);
606 # this sub is for compatibility with older releases of IO that used
607 # a sub called constant to determine if a constant existed -- GMB
609 # The SEEK_* and _IO?BF constants were the only constants at that time
610 # any new code should just chech defined(&CONSTANT_NAME)
615 (($name =~ /^(SEEK_(SET|CUR|END)|_IO[FLN]BF)$/) && defined &{$name})
616 ? &{$name}() : undef;
620 # so that flush.pl can be deprecated
625 $old = new SelectSaver qualify($io, caller) if ref($io);