xref: /freebsd/lib/libc/gen/ualarm.3 (revision bf5cbf35513d811c5829f8756a46eeb017a0a39b)
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32.\"     From: @(#)ualarm.3	8.2 (Berkeley) 4/19/94
33.\"     $Id: ualarm.3,v 1.7 1997/08/14 07:44:56 ache Exp $
34.\"
35.Dd April 19, 1994
36.Dt UALARM 3
37.Os BSD 4.3
38.Sh NAME
39.Nm ualarm
40.Nd schedule signal after specified time
41.Sh SYNOPSIS
42.Fd #include <unistd.h>
43.Ft u_int
44.Fn ualarm "u_int microseconds" "u_int interval"
45.Sh DESCRIPTION
46.Bf -symbolic
47This is a simplified interface to setitimer(2).
48.Ef
49.Pp
50The
51.Fn ualarm
52function
53waits a count of
54.Ar microseconds
55before asserting the terminating signal
56.Dv SIGALRM .
57System activity or time used in processing the call may cause a slight
58delay.
59.Pp
60If the
61.Fa interval
62argument is non-zero, the
63.Dv SIGALRM
64signal will be sent
65to the process every
66.Fa interval
67microseconds after the timer expires (e.g. after
68.Fa value
69microseconds have passed).
70.Pp
71Due to
72.Xr setitimer 2
73restriction the maximum number of
74.Ar microseconds
75and
76.Ar interval
77is limited to 100000000000000
78(in case this value fit in the unsigned integer).
79.Sh RETURN VALUES
80When the signal has successfully been caught,
81.Fn ualarm
82returns the amount of time left on the clock.
83.Sh NOTES
84.Pp
85A microsecond is 0.000001 seconds.
86.Sh SEE ALSO
87.Xr getitimer 2 ,
88.Xr setitimer 2 ,
89.Xr sigpause 2 ,
90.Xr sigvec 2 ,
91.Xr alarm 3 ,
92.Xr signal 3 ,
93.Xr sleep 3 ,
94.Xr usleep 3
95.Sh HISTORY
96The
97.Fn ualarm
98function appeared in
99.Bx 4.3 .
100