NSPR 2.0: Table of contents

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NSPR Reference

Chapter 1: Introduction to NSPR

The Netscape Portable Runtime (NSPR) API allows compliant applications to use system facilities such as threads, thread synchronization, I/O, interval timing, atomic operations, and several other low-level services in a platform-independent manner. This chapter introduces key NSPR programming concepts and illustrates them with sample code.

NSPR Naming Conventions

NSPR Threads

Thread Scheduling

Setting Thread Priorities

Preempting Threads

Interrupting Threads

NSPR Thread Synchronization

Thread Synchronization Sample

Chapter 2: NSPR Types

This chapter describes the most common NSPR types. Other chapters describe more specialized types when describing the functions that use them.

Calling Convention Types

8-, 16-, and 32-bit Integer Types

Floating-Point Integer Type

Native OS Integer Types

Miscellaneous Types

Size Type

PRSize

Pointer Difference Types

Status Type for Return Values

PRStatus

Chapter 3: Threads

NSPR provides an execution environment that promotes the use of lightweight threads. Each thread is an execution entity that is scheduled independently from other threads in the same process. This chapter describes the basic NSPR threading API.

Threading Types and Constants

Creating, Joining, and Identifying Threads

PR_CreateThread

PR_JoinThread

PR_GetCurrentThread

Controlling Thread Priorities

PR_GetThreadPriority

PR_SetThreadPriority

Controlling Per-Thread Private Data

PR_NewThreadPrivateIndex

PR_SetThreadPrivate

PR_GetThreadPrivate

Interrupting and Yielding

PR_Interrupt

PR_ClearInterrupt

PR_Sleep

Setting Global Thread Concurrency

PR_SetConcurrency

Getting a Thread's Scope

PR_GetThreadScope

Chapter 4: Process Initialization

This chapter describes the NSPR API for versioning, process initialization, and shutdown of NSPR.

Identity and Versioning

Name and Version Constants

PR_VersionCheck

Initialization and Cleanup

PR_DisableClockInterrupts

PR_BlockClockInterrupts

PR_UnblockClockInterrupts

PR_SetConcurrency

PR_ProcessExit

PR_Abort

Module Initialization

PRCallOnce

PRCallOnceFN

PR_CallOnce

Chapter 5: Locks

This chapter describes the NSPR API for creation and manipulation of a mutex of type PRLock.

Chapter 6: Condition Variables

This chapter describes the API for creating and destroying condition variables, notifying condition variables of changes in monitored data, and making a thread wait on such notification.

Condition Variable Type

PRCondVar

Condition Variable Functions

Chapter 7: Monitors

In addition to the mutex type PRLock, NSPR provides a special type, PRMonitor, for use in Java programming. This chapter describes the NSPR API for creation and manipulation of a mutex of type PRMonitor.

Chapter 8: Cached Monitors

This chapter describes the functions you use when you work with cached monitors. Unlike a plain monitor, a cached monitor is associated with the address of a protected object, and the association is maintained only while the protection is needed. This arrangement allows a cached monitor to be associated with another object without preallocating a monitor for all objects. A hash table is used to quickly map addresses to their respective monitors. The system automatically enlarges the hash table as needed.

Cached Monitors Functions

Chapter 9: I/O Types

This chapter describes the most common NSPR types, enumerations, and structures used with the functions described in Chapter 10, "I/O Functions" and Chapter 11, "Network Addresses." These include the types used for system access, normal file I/O, and socket (network) I/O.

Directory Type

PRDir

File Descriptor Types

Network Address Types

PRNetAddr

PRIPv6Addr

Types Used with Socket Options Functions

Type Used with Memory-Mapped I/O

PRFileMap

Offset Interpretation for Seek Functions

PRSeekWhence

Chapter 10: I/O Functions

This chapter describes the NSPR functions used to perform operations such as system access, normal file I/O, and socket (network) I/O.

Functions that Operate on Pathnames

Functions that Act on File Descriptors

Directory I/O Functions

Socket Manipulation Functions

Converting Between Host and Network Addresses

Memory-Mapped I/O Functions

Anonymous Pipe Function

PR_GetNameForIdentity

PR_GetLayersIdentity

PR_GetIdentitiesLayer

PR_CreateIOLayerStub

PR_PushIOLayer

PR_PopIOLayer

PR_GetDefaultIOMethods

Chapter 11: Network Addresses

This chapter describes the NSPR types and functions used to manipulate network addresses.

Network Address Types and Constants

PRHostEnt

PRProtoEnt

PR_NETDB_BUF_SIZE

Network Address Functions

Initializing a Network Address

PR_InitializeNetAddr

Converting Between a String and a Network Address

PR_StringToNetAddr

PR_NetAddrToString

Getting Host Names and Addresses

PR_GetHostByName

PR_GetHostByAddr

PR_EnumerateHostEnt

Getting Protocol Entries

Chapter 12: Atomic Operations

This chapter describes the global functions you use to perform atomic operations. The functions define a portable API that may be reliably used in any environment. Since not all operating environments provide access to such functions, their performance may vary considerably.

Atomic Operations Functions

PR_AtomicIncrement

PR_AtomicDecrement

PR_AtomicSet

Chapter 13: Interval Timing

NSPR defines a platform-dependent type, PRIntervalTime, for timing intervals of fewer than 14 hours. This chapter describes PRIntervalTime and the functions that allow you to use it for timing purposes:

Interval Time Type and Constants

PRIntervalTime

Interval Functions

Getting the Current Interval and Ticks Per Second

PR_IntervalNow

PR_TicksPerSecond

Converting Standard Clock Units to Platform-Dependent Intervals

PR_SecondsToInterval

PR_MillisecondsToInterval

PR_MicrosecondsToInterval

Converting Platform-Dependent Intervals to Standard Clock Units

PR_IntervalToSeconds