glibc/manual/top-menu.texi

@menu
* Introduction::                 Purpose of the GNU C Library.
* Error Reporting::              How library functions report errors.
* Memory Allocation::            Allocating memory dynamically and
                                   manipulating it via pointers.
* Character Handling::           Character testing and conversion functions.
* String and Array Utilities::   Utilities for copying and comparing strings
                                   and arrays.
* Extended Characters::          Support for extended character sets.
* Locales::                      The country and language can affect the
                                   behavior of library functions.
* Message Translation::          How to make the program speak the user's
                                   language.
* Searching and Sorting::        General searching and sorting functions.
* Pattern Matching::             Matching shell ``globs'' and regular
                                   expressions.
* I/O Overview::                 Introduction to the I/O facilities.
* I/O on Streams::               Hign-level, portable I/O facilities.
* Low-Level I/O::                Low-level, less portable I/O.
* File System Interface::        Functions for manipulating files.
* Pipes and FIFOs::              A simple interprocess communication
                                   mechanism.
* Sockets::                      A more complicated IPC mechanism, with
                                   networking support.
* Low-Level Terminal Interface:: How to change the characteristics of a
                                   terminal device.
* Mathematics::                  Math functions, useful constants, random
                                   numbers.
* Arithmetic::                   Low level arithmetic functions.
* Date and Time::                Functions for getting the date and time and
                                   formatting them nicely.
* Non-Local Exits::              Jumping out of nested function calls.
* Signal Handling::              How to send, block, and handle signals.
* Process Startup::              Writing the beginning and end of your
                                   program.
* Processes::                    How to create processes and run other
                                   programs.
* Job Control::                  All about process groups and sessions.
* Name Service Switch::          Accessing system databases.
* Users and Groups::             How users are identified and classified.
* System Information::           Getting information about the hardware and
                                   operating system.
* System Configuration::         Parameters describing operating system
                                   limits.

Add-ons

* POSIX Threads::                The standard threads library.

Appendices

* Language Features::            C language features provided by the library.
* Library Summary::              A summary showing the syntax, header file,
                                   and derivation of each library feature.
* Installation::                 How to install the GNU C library.
* Maintenance::                  How to enhance and port the GNU C Library.
* Contributors::                 Who wrote what parts of the GNU C library.
* Copying::                      The GNU Library General Public License says
                                  how you can copy and share the GNU C Library.

Indices

* Concept Index::                Index of concepts and names.
* Type Index::                   Index of types and type qualifiers.
* Function Index::               Index of functions and function-like macros.
* Variable Index::               Index of variables and variable-like macros.
* File Index::                   Index of programs and files.

 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---

Introduction

* Getting Started::             What this manual is for and how to use it.
* Standards and Portability::   Standards and sources upon which the GNU
                                 C library is based.
* Using the Library::           Some practical uses for the library.
* Roadmap to the Manual::       Overview of the remaining chapters in
                                 this manual.

Error Reporting

* Checking for Errors::         How errors are reported by library functions.
* Error Codes::                 Error code macros; all of these expand
                                 into integer constant values.
* Error Messages::              Mapping error codes onto error messages.

Memory Allocation

* Memory Concepts::             An introduction to concepts and terminology.
* Dynamic Allocation and C::    How to get different kinds of allocation in C.
* Unconstrained Allocation::    The @code{malloc} facility allows fully general
		 		 dynamic allocation.
* Allocation Debugging::        Finding memory leaks and not freed memory.
* Obstacks::                    Obstacks are less general than malloc
				 but more efficient and convenient.
* Variable Size Automatic::     Allocation of variable-sized blocks
				 of automatic storage that are freed when the
				 calling function returns.
* Relocating Allocator::        Waste less memory, if you can tolerate
				 automatic relocation of the blocks you get.

Character Handling

* Classification of Characters::   Testing whether characters are
			            letters, digits, punctuation, etc.

* Case Conversion::                Case mapping, and the like.

String and Array Utilities

* Representation of Strings::   Introduction to basic concepts.
* String/Array Conventions::    Whether to use a string function or an
				 arbitrary array function.
* String Length::               Determining the length of a string.
* Copying and Concatenation::   Functions to copy the contents of strings
				 and arrays.
* String/Array Comparison::     Functions for byte-wise and character-wise
				 comparison.
* Collation Functions::         Functions for collating strings.
* Search Functions::            Searching for a specific element or substring.
* Finding Tokens in a String::  Splitting a string into tokens by looking
				 for delimiters.
* Encode Binary Data::          Encoding and Decoding of Binary Data.
* Argz and Envz Vectors::       Null-separated string vectors.

Extended Characters

* Extended Char Intro::         Multibyte codes versus wide characters.
* Locales and Extended Chars::  The locale selects the character codes.
* Multibyte Char Intro::        How multibyte codes are represented.
* Wide Char Intro::             How wide characters are represented.
* Wide String Conversion::      Converting wide strings to multibyte code
                                 and vice versa.
* Length of Char::              how many bytes make up one multibyte char.
* Converting One Char::         Converting a string character by character.
* Example of Conversion::       Example showing why converting
				 one character at a time may be useful.
* Shift State::                 Multibyte codes with "shift characters".

Locales

* Effects of Locale::           Actions affected by the choice of
                                 locale.
* Choosing Locale::             How the user specifies a locale.
* Locale Categories::           Different purposes for which you can
                                 select a locale.
* Setting the Locale::          How a program specifies the locale
                                 with library functions.
* Standard Locales::            Locale names available on all systems.
* Numeric Formatting::          How to format numbers according to the
                                 chosen locale.

Message Translation

* Message catalogs a la X/Open::  The @code{catgets} family of functions.
* The Uniforum approach::         The @code{gettext} family of functions.

Searching and Sorting

* Comparison Functions::        Defining how to compare two objects.
				 Since the sort and search facilities
                                 are general, you have to specify the
                                 ordering.
* Array Search Function::       The @code{bsearch} function.
* Array Sort Function::         The @code{qsort} function.
* Search/Sort Example::         An example program.
* Hash Search Function::        The @code{hsearch} function.
* Tree Search Function::        The @code{tsearch} function.

Pattern Matching

* Wildcard Matching::    Matching a wildcard pattern against a single string.
* Globbing::             Finding the files that match a wildcard pattern.
* Regular Expressions::  Matching regular expressions against strings.
* Word Expansion::       Expanding shell variables, nested commands,
			    arithmetic, and wildcards.
			    This is what the shell does with shell commands.

I/O Overview

* I/O Concepts::       Some basic information and terminology.
* File Names::         How to refer to a file.

I/O on Streams

* Streams::                     About the data type representing a stream.
* Standard Streams::            Streams to the standard input and output
                                 devices are created for you.
* Opening Streams::             How to create a stream to talk to a file.
* Closing Streams::             Close a stream when you are finished with it.
* Simple Output::               Unformatted output by characters and lines.
* Character Input::             Unformatted input by characters and words.
* Line Input::                  Reading a line or a record from a stream.
* Unreading::                   Peeking ahead/pushing back input just read.
* Block Input/Output::          Input and output operations on blocks of data.
* Formatted Output::            @code{printf} and related functions.
* Customizing Printf::          You can define new conversion specifiers for
                                 @code{printf} and friends.
* Formatted Input::             @code{scanf} and related functions.
* EOF and Errors::              How you can tell if an I/O error happens.
* Binary Streams::              Some systems distinguish between text files
                                 and binary files.
* File Positioning::            About random-access streams.
* Portable Positioning::        Random access on peculiar ISO C systems.
* Stream Buffering::            How to control buffering of streams.
* Other Kinds of Streams::      Streams that do not necessarily correspond
                                 to an open file.
* Formatted Messages::          Print strictly formatted messages.

Low-Level I/O

* Opening and Closing Files::           How to open and close file
                                         descriptors.
* Truncating Files::                    Change the size of a file.
* I/O Primitives::                      Reading and writing data.
* File Position Primitive::             Setting a descriptor's file
                                         position.
* Descriptors and Streams::             Converting descriptor to stream
                                         or vice-versa.
* Stream/Descriptor Precautions::       Precautions needed if you use both
                                         descriptors and streams.
* Waiting for I/O::                     How to check for input or output
					 on multiple file descriptors.
* Synchronizing I/O::                   Making sure all I/O actions completed.
* Asynchronous I/O::                    Perform I/O in parallel.
* Control Operations::                  Various other operations on file
					 descriptors.
* Duplicating Descriptors::             Fcntl commands for duplicating
                                         file descriptors.
* Descriptor Flags::                    Fcntl commands for manipulating
                                         flags associated with file
                                         descriptors.
* File Status Flags::                   Fcntl commands for manipulating
                                         flags associated with open files.
* File Locks::                          Fcntl commands for implementing
                                         file locking.
* Interrupt Input::                     Getting an asynchronous signal when
                                         input arrives.

File System Interface

* Working Directory::           This is used to resolve relative
				 file names.
* Accessing Directories::       Finding out what files a directory
				 contains.
* Working on Directory Trees::  Apply actions to all files or a selectable
                                 subset of a directory hierarchy.
* Hard Links::                  Adding alternate names to a file.
* Symbolic Links::              A file that ``points to'' a file name.
* Deleting Files::              How to delete a file, and what that means.
* Renaming Files::              Changing a file's name.
* Creating Directories::        A system call just for creating a directory.
* File Attributes::             Attributes of individual files.
* Making Special Files::        How to create special files.
* Temporary Files::             Naming and creating temporary files.

Pipes and FIFOs

* Creating a Pipe::             Making a pipe with the @code{pipe} function.
* Pipe to a Subprocess::        Using a pipe to communicate with a
				 child process.
* FIFO Special Files::          Making a FIFO special file.
* Pipe Atomicity::		When pipe (or FIFO) I/O is atomic.

Sockets

* Socket Concepts::	Basic concepts you need to know about.
* Communication Styles::Stream communication, datagrams, and other styles.
* Socket Addresses::	How socket names (``addresses'') work.
* Interface Naming::	Identifying specific network interfaces.
* Local Namespace::	Details about the local namespace.
* Internet Namespace::	Details about the Internet namespace.
* Misc Namespaces::	Other namespaces not documented fully here.
* Open/Close Sockets::  Creating sockets and destroying them.
* Connections::		Operations on sockets with connection state.
* Datagrams::		Operations on datagram sockets.
* Inetd::		Inetd is a daemon that starts servers on request.
			   The most convenient way to write a server
			   is to make it work with Inetd.
* Socket Options::	Miscellaneous low-level socket options.
* Networks Database::   Accessing the database of network names.

Low-Level Terminal Interface

* Is It a Terminal::            How to determine if a file is a terminal
			         device, and what its name is.
* I/O Queues::                  About flow control and typeahead.
* Canonical or Not::            Two basic styles of input processing.
* Terminal Modes::              How to examine and modify flags controlling
			         details of terminal I/O: echoing,
                                 signals, editing.
* Line Control::                Sending break sequences, clearing
                                 terminal buffers @dots{}
* Noncanon Example::            How to read single characters without echo.
* Pseudo-Terminals::            How to open a pseudo-terminal.

Mathematics

* Mathematical Constants::      Precise numeric values for often-used
                                 constants.
* Trig Functions::              Sine, cosine, tangent, and friends.
* Inverse Trig Functions::      Arcsine, arccosine, etc.
* Exponents and Logarithms::    Also pow and sqrt.
* Hyperbolic Functions::        sinh, cosh, tanh, etc.
* Special Functions::           Bessel, gamma, erf.
* Pseudo-Random Numbers::       Functions for generating pseudo-random
				 numbers.
* FP Function Optimizations::   Fast code or small code.

Arithmetic

* Floating Point Numbers::      Basic concepts.  IEEE 754.
* Floating Point Classes::      The five kinds of floating-point number.
* Floating Point Errors::       When something goes wrong in a calculation.
* Rounding::                    Controlling how results are rounded.
* Control Functions::           Saving and restoring the FPU's state.
* Arithmetic Functions::        Fundamental operations provided by the library.
* Complex Numbers::             The types.  Writing complex constants.
* Operations on Complex::       Projection, conjugation, decomposition.
* Integer Division::            Integer division with guaranteed rounding.
* Parsing of Numbers::          Converting strings to numbers.
* System V Number Conversion::  An archaic way to convert numbers to strings.

Date and Time

* Processor Time::              Measures processor time used by a program.
* Calendar Time::               Manipulation of ``real'' dates and times.
* Setting an Alarm::            Sending a signal after a specified time.
* Sleeping::                    Waiting for a period of time.
* Resource Usage::		Measuring various resources used.
* Limits on Resources::		Specifying limits on resource usage.
* Priority::			Reading or setting process run priority.

Non-Local Exits

* Intro: Non-Local Intro.        When and how to use these facilities.
* Details: Non-Local Details.   Functions for nonlocal exits.
* Non-Local Exits and Signals::  Portability issues.

Signal Handling

* Concepts of Signals::         Introduction to the signal facilities.
* Standard Signals::            Particular kinds of signals with
                                 standard names and meanings.
* Signal Actions::              Specifying what happens when a
                                 particular signal is delivered.
* Defining Handlers::           How to write a signal handler function.
* Interrupted Primitives::	Signal handlers affect use of @code{open},
				 @code{read}, @code{write} and other functions.
* Generating Signals::          How to send a signal to a process.
* Blocking Signals::            Making the system hold signals temporarily.
* Waiting for a Signal::        Suspending your program until a signal
                                 arrives.
* Signal Stack::                Using a Separate Signal Stack.
* BSD Signal Handling::         Additional functions for backward
			         compatibility with BSD.

Process Startup

* Program Arguments::           Parsing your program's command-line arguments.
* Environment Variables::       How to access parameters inherited from
				 a parent process.
* Program Termination::         How to cause a process to terminate and
				 return status information to its parent.

Processes

* Running a Command::           The easy way to run another program.
* Process Creation Concepts::   An overview of the hard way to do it.
* Process Identification::      How to get the process ID of a process.
* Creating a Process::          How to fork a child process.
* Executing a File::            How to make a process execute another program.
* Process Completion::          How to tell when a child process has completed.
* Process Completion Status::   How to interpret the status value
                                 returned from a child process.
* BSD Wait Functions::  	More functions, for backward compatibility.
* Process Creation Example::    A complete example program.

Job Control

* Concepts of Job Control::     Jobs can be controlled by a shell.
* Job Control is Optional::     Not all POSIX systems support job control.
* Controlling Terminal::        How a process gets its controlling terminal.
* Access to the Terminal::      How processes share the controlling terminal.
* Orphaned Process Groups::     Jobs left after the user logs out.
* Implementing a Shell::        What a shell must do to implement job control.
* Functions for Job Control::   Functions to control process groups.

Name Service Switch

* NSS Basics::                  What is this NSS good for.
* NSS Configuration File::      Configuring NSS.
* NSS Module Internals::        How does it work internally.
* Extending NSS::               What to do to add services or databases.

Users and Groups

* User and Group IDs::          Each user has a unique numeric ID;
				 likewise for groups.
* Process Persona::             The user IDs and group IDs of a process.
* Why Change Persona::          Why a program might need to change
				 its user and/or group IDs.
* How Change Persona::          Changing the user and group IDs.
* Reading Persona::             How to examine the user and group IDs.

* Setting User ID::             Functions for setting the user ID.
* Setting Groups::              Functions for setting the group IDs.

* Enable/Disable Setuid::       Turning setuid access on and off.
* Setuid Program Example::      The pertinent parts of one sample program.
* Tips for Setuid::             How to avoid granting unlimited access.

* Who Logged In::               Getting the name of the user who logged in,
				 or of the real user ID of the current process.

* User Accounting Database::    Keeping information about users and various
                                 actions in databases.

* User Database::               Functions and data structures for
                        	 accessing the user database.
* Group Database::              Functions and data structures for
                        	 accessing the group database.
* Database Example::            Example program showing the use of database
				 inquiry functions.
* Netgroup Database::           Functions for accessing the netgroup database.

System Information

* Host Identification::         Determining the name of the machine.
* Hardware/Software Type ID::   Determining the hardware type of the
                                 machine and what operating system it is
                                 running.
* Filesystem handling::         Which is mounted and/or available?

System Configuration

* General Limits::           Constants and functions that describe
				various process-related limits that have
				one uniform value for any given machine.
* System Options::           Optional POSIX features.
* Version Supported::        Version numbers of POSIX.1 and POSIX.2.
* Sysconf::                  Getting specific configuration values
                                of general limits and system options.
* Minimums::                 Minimum values for general limits.

* Limits for Files::         Size limitations that pertain to individual files.
                                These can vary between file systems
                                or even from file to file.
* Options for Files::        Optional features that some files may support.
* File Minimums::            Minimum values for file limits.
* Pathconf::                 Getting the limit values for a particular file.

* Utility Limits::           Capacity limits of some POSIX.2 utility programs.
* Utility Minimums::         Minimum allowable values of those limits.

* String Parameters::        Getting the default search path.

POSIX Threads

* Basic Thread Operations::     Creating, terminating, and waiting for threads.
* Thread Attributes::           Tuning thread scheduling.
* Cancellation::                Stopping a thread before it's done.
* Cleanup Handlers::            Deallocating resources when a thread is
                                  cancelled.
* Mutexes::                     One way to synchronize threads.
* Condition Variables::         Another way.
* POSIX Semaphores::            And a third way.
* Thread-Specific Data::        Variables with different values in
                                  different threads.
* Threads and Signal Handling:: Why you should avoid mixing the two, and
                                  how to do it if you must.
* Miscellaneous Thread Functions:: A grab bag of utility routines.

Language Features

* Consistency Checking::        Using @code{assert} to abort if
				 something ``impossible'' happens.
* Variadic Functions::          Defining functions with varying numbers
                                 of args.
* Null Pointer Constant::       The macro @code{NULL}.
* Important Data Types::        Data types for object sizes.
* Data Type Measurements::      Parameters of data type representations.

Installation

* Tools for Installation::      We recommend using these tools to build.
* Supported Configurations::    What systems the GNU C library runs on.
* Tips for Installation::       Useful hints for the installation.
* Reporting Bugs::              How to report bugs (if you want to
                                get them fixed) and other troubles
                                you may have with the GNU C library.

Maintenance

* Source Layout::         How to add new functions or header files
                             to the GNU C library.
* Porting::               How to port the GNU C library to
                             a new machine or operating system.
@end menu