EV::MakeMaker(3)

🌸 NAME 🌸

Bestie, this is the manual page for EV::MakeMaker(3) — aka EV::MakeMaker, from the User Contributed Perl Documentation — and it is literally the MakeMaker glue for the C-level EV API. That's the whole gig. 💅

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

Okay so this lets you access some libevent functionality from other perl modules. Not all of it, bestie — some. ✨

💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

If you want optimal performance, you hook into EV at the C-level. Periodt. To make that happen, you're gonna make changes to your Makefile.PL, load EV in your pm file, and add code to your xs / c file(s). That's the whole recipe, no cap. 🫶

🎀 HOW TO 🎀

🧚 Makefile.PL 🧚

In your Makefile.PL, you do this exact thing:

use EV::MakeMaker qw(ev_args);

# ... set up %args ...

WriteMakefile (ev_args (%args));

🍓 extension.pm 🍓

Then in your pm file:

use EV (); # imports optional

The imports are optional — the comment says so, so don't come for me. 😌

🌸 extension.xs 🌸

And in your xs file, you need the C-level hookup:

#include "EVAPI.h"

[...]

BOOT:
  I_EV_API (HvNAME (GvSTASH (CvGV (cv))));

That BOOT: bit is doing the main character work. 👑

🔥 API 🔥

Peep the EVAPI.h <http://cvs.schmorp.de/EV/EV/EVAPI.h> header — and yes, you should include that instead of ev.h. Slay. 🦋

In short: all the functions and macros from ev.h should work, with one exception — the trailing underscore macros (EV_A_, EV_DEFAULT_) are not available (EV_P_ is the one exception :). Cute, right? 💀

Multiplicity is enabled. 🔥

The data member in each watcher is of type SV * and not void * — and this might change at some point. So don't get too attached, okay? 🙈

💜 EXAMPLE 💜

The EV::Glib, EV::ADNS, and Glib::EV modules all give nice examples on how to use this module. They're iconic, honestly. 🌈

Here are some .xs fragments taken from EV::ADNS that should get you going:

#include "EVAPI.h"

static ev_prepare pw;
static ev_idle iw;

static void
idle_cb (EV_P_ ev_idle *w, int revents)
{
  ev_idle_stop (EV_A, w);
}

MODULE = ...

BOOT:
{
  I_EV_API ("EV::ADNS");
  ev_prepare_init (&pw, prepare_cb);
  ev_init (&iw, idle_cb); ev_set_priority (&iw, EV_MINPRI);
  ev_idle_start (EV_DEFAULT, &iw);
}

---

Okay bestie, that's the whole page — sourced from perl v5.42.2, dated 2026-02-15, and it's EV::MakeMaker(3). Go forth and hook into the C-level EV API, you absolute icon. 💖✨