xref: /freebsd/lib/libc/gen/ualarm.3 (revision af23369a6deaaeb612ab266eb88b8bb8d560c322)
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28.\"     From: @(#)ualarm.3	8.2 (Berkeley) 4/19/94
29.\" $FreeBSD$
30.\"
31.Dd April 19, 1994
32.Dt UALARM 3
33.Os
34.Sh NAME
35.Nm ualarm
36.Nd schedule signal after specified time
37.Sh LIBRARY
38.Lb libc
39.Sh SYNOPSIS
40.In unistd.h
41.Ft useconds_t
42.Fn ualarm "useconds_t microseconds" "useconds_t interval"
43.Sh DESCRIPTION
44.Bf -symbolic
45This is a simplified interface to
46.Xr setitimer 2 .
47.Ef
48.Pp
49The
50.Fn ualarm
51function
52waits a count of
53.Fa microseconds
54before asserting the terminating signal
55.Dv SIGALRM .
56System activity or time used in processing the call may cause a slight
57delay.
58.Pp
59If the
60.Fa interval
61argument is non-zero, the
62.Dv SIGALRM
63signal will be sent
64to the process every
65.Fa interval
66microseconds after the timer expires (e.g.\& after
67.Fa microseconds
68number of microseconds have passed).
69.Pp
70Due to
71.Xr setitimer 2
72restriction the maximum number of
73.Fa microseconds
74and
75.Fa interval
76is limited to 100000000000000
77(in case this value fits in the unsigned integer).
78.Sh RETURN VALUES
79When the signal has successfully been caught,
80.Fn ualarm
81returns the amount of time left on the clock.
82.Sh NOTES
83A microsecond is 0.000001 seconds.
84.Sh SEE ALSO
85.Xr getitimer 2 ,
86.Xr setitimer 2 ,
87.Xr sigaction 2 ,
88.Xr sigsuspend 2 ,
89.Xr alarm 3 ,
90.Xr signal 3 ,
91.Xr sleep 3 ,
92.Xr usleep 3
93.Sh HISTORY
94The
95.Fn ualarm
96function appeared in
97.Bx 4.3 .
98