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author | Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org> | 2016-07-27 14:58:31 -0700 |
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committer | Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org> | 2016-07-27 14:58:31 -0700 |
commit | ff9a082fda424257976f08fce942609f358015e0 (patch) | |
tree | 478e6b449b19baaf842369a13923499ce83ef895 /Documentation/media/uapi/v4l/func-read.rst | |
parent | 6a492b0f23d28e1f946cdf08e54617484400dafb (diff) | |
parent | 85538b1ad145c67198cb55d02de14ba269cc323d (diff) | |
download | lwn-ff9a082fda424257976f08fce942609f358015e0.tar.gz lwn-ff9a082fda424257976f08fce942609f358015e0.zip |
Merge tag 'media/v4.8-4' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/mchehab/linux-media
Pull media documentation updates from Mauro Carvalho Chehab:
"This patch series does the conversion of all media documentation stuff
to Restrutured Text markup format and add them to the
Documentation/index.rst file.
The media documentation was grouped into 4 books:
- media uAPI
- media kAPI
- V4L driver-specific documentation
- DVB driver-specific documentation
It also contains several documentation improvements and one fixup
patch for a core issue with cropcap.
PS. After this patch series, the media DocBook is deprecated and
should be removed. I'll add such patch on a future pull request"
* tag 'media/v4.8-4' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/mchehab/linux-media: (322 commits)
[media] cx23885-cardlist.rst: add a new card
[media] doc-rst: add some needed escape codes
[media] doc-rst: kapi: use :c:func: instead of :cpp:func
doc-rst: kernel-doc: fix a change introduced by mistake
[media] v4l2-ioctl.h add debug info for struct v4l2_ioctl_ops
[media] dvb_ringbuffer.h: some documentation improvements
[media] v4l2-ctrls.h: fully document the header file
[media] doc-rst: Fix some typedef ugly warnings
[media] doc-rst: reorganize the kAPI v4l2 chapters
[media] rename v4l2-framework.rst to v4l2-intro.rst
[media] move V4L2 clocks to a separate .rst file
[media] v4l2-fh.rst: add cross references and markups
[media] v4l2-fh.rst: add fh contents from v4l2-framework.rst
[media] v4l2-fh.h: add documentation for it
[media] v4l2-event.rst: add cross-references and markups
[media] v4l2-event.h: document all functions
[media] v4l2-event.rst: add text from v4l2-framework.rst
[media] v4l2-framework.rst: remove videobuf quick chapter
[media] v4l2-dev: add cross-references and improve markup
[media] doc-rst: move v4l2-dev doc to a separate file
...
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/media/uapi/v4l/func-read.rst')
-rw-r--r-- | Documentation/media/uapi/v4l/func-read.rst | 131 |
1 files changed, 131 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/media/uapi/v4l/func-read.rst b/Documentation/media/uapi/v4l/func-read.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..9a2aa5210233 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/media/uapi/v4l/func-read.rst @@ -0,0 +1,131 @@ +.. -*- coding: utf-8; mode: rst -*- + +.. _func-read: + +*********** +V4L2 read() +*********** + +Name +==== + +v4l2-read - Read from a V4L2 device + + +Synopsis +======== + +.. code-block:: c + + #include <unistd.h> + + +.. cpp:function:: ssize_t read( int fd, void *buf, size_t count ) + + +Arguments +========= + +``fd`` + File descriptor returned by :ref:`open() <func-open>`. + +``buf`` +``count`` + + +Description +=========== + +:ref:`read() <func-read>` attempts to read up to ``count`` bytes from file +descriptor ``fd`` into the buffer starting at ``buf``. The layout of the +data in the buffer is discussed in the respective device interface +section, see ##. If ``count`` is zero, :ref:`read() <func-read>` returns zero +and has no other results. If ``count`` is greater than ``SSIZE_MAX``, +the result is unspecified. Regardless of the ``count`` value each +:ref:`read() <func-read>` call will provide at most one frame (two fields) +worth of data. + +By default :ref:`read() <func-read>` blocks until data becomes available. When +the ``O_NONBLOCK`` flag was given to the :ref:`open() <func-open>` +function it returns immediately with an ``EAGAIN`` error code when no data +is available. The :ref:`select() <func-select>` or +:ref:`poll() <func-poll>` functions can always be used to suspend +execution until data becomes available. All drivers supporting the +:ref:`read() <func-read>` function must also support :ref:`select() <func-select>` and +:ref:`poll() <func-poll>`. + +Drivers can implement read functionality in different ways, using a +single or multiple buffers and discarding the oldest or newest frames +once the internal buffers are filled. + +:ref:`read() <func-read>` never returns a "snapshot" of a buffer being filled. +Using a single buffer the driver will stop capturing when the +application starts reading the buffer until the read is finished. Thus +only the period of the vertical blanking interval is available for +reading, or the capture rate must fall below the nominal frame rate of +the video standard. + +The behavior of :ref:`read() <func-read>` when called during the active picture +period or the vertical blanking separating the top and bottom field +depends on the discarding policy. A driver discarding the oldest frames +keeps capturing into an internal buffer, continuously overwriting the +previously, not read frame, and returns the frame being received at the +time of the :ref:`read() <func-read>` call as soon as it is complete. + +A driver discarding the newest frames stops capturing until the next +:ref:`read() <func-read>` call. The frame being received at :ref:`read() <func-read>` +time is discarded, returning the following frame instead. Again this +implies a reduction of the capture rate to one half or less of the +nominal frame rate. An example of this model is the video read mode of +the bttv driver, initiating a DMA to user memory when :ref:`read() <func-read>` +is called and returning when the DMA finished. + +In the multiple buffer model drivers maintain a ring of internal +buffers, automatically advancing to the next free buffer. This allows +continuous capturing when the application can empty the buffers fast +enough. Again, the behavior when the driver runs out of free buffers +depends on the discarding policy. + +Applications can get and set the number of buffers used internally by +the driver with the :ref:`VIDIOC_G_PARM <VIDIOC_G_PARM>` and +:ref:`VIDIOC_S_PARM <VIDIOC_G_PARM>` ioctls. They are optional, +however. The discarding policy is not reported and cannot be changed. +For minimum requirements see :ref:`devices`. + + +Return Value +============ + +On success, the number of bytes read is returned. It is not an error if +this number is smaller than the number of bytes requested, or the amount +of data required for one frame. This may happen for example because +:ref:`read() <func-read>` was interrupted by a signal. On error, -1 is +returned, and the ``errno`` variable is set appropriately. In this case +the next read will start at the beginning of a new frame. Possible error +codes are: + +EAGAIN + Non-blocking I/O has been selected using O_NONBLOCK and no data was + immediately available for reading. + +EBADF + ``fd`` is not a valid file descriptor or is not open for reading, or + the process already has the maximum number of files open. + +EBUSY + The driver does not support multiple read streams and the device is + already in use. + +EFAULT + ``buf`` references an inaccessible memory area. + +EINTR + The call was interrupted by a signal before any data was read. + +EIO + I/O error. This indicates some hardware problem or a failure to + communicate with a remote device (USB camera etc.). + +EINVAL + The :ref:`read() <func-read>` function is not supported by this driver, not + on this device, or generally not on this type of device. |