fsniper is a tool that monitors a given set of directories for new or modified files. Then, based on the file's type or name, it invokes a script to be run on that file. Directories are monitored using inotify, instead of simply continuously polling them for changes. Common uses include making a single download directory for all things from a Web browser and having semi-intelligent scripts figure out what to do with those files. You write the scripts yourself. License: GNU General Public License v3 Changes:
This release automatically watches new directories created in recursively watched directories, and fixes a configuration file parsing regression that resulted in comments causing crashes.
Sys::Gamin(3pm) User Contributed Perl Documentation Sys::Gamin(3pm)NAME
Sys::Gamin - Perl interface to Gamin (File Access Monitor implementation)
SYNOPSIS
use Sys::Gamin;
my $fm=new Sys::Gamin;
$fm->monitor('/foo');
$fm->monitor('/foo/bar.txt');
while(1) {
my $event=$fm->next_event; # Blocks
print "Pathname: ", $event->filename,
" Event: ", $event->type, "
";
}
Asynchronous mode:
while ($fm->pending) {
my $event=$fm->next_event; # Immediate
...
}
# Do something else
DESCRIPTION
Provides a somewhat higher-level and friendlier interface to the Gamin File Access Monitor API. This allows one to monitor both local and
remote (NFS-mounted) files and directories for common filesystem events. To do so, you must register "monitors" on specified pathnames and
wait for events to arrive pertaining to them.
Since FAM only deals with absolute pathnames, all paths are canonicalized internally and monitors are held on canonical paths. Whenever a
path is returned from this module, howvever, via which or monitored with no arguments, the originally specified path is given for
convenience.
MAIN METHODS
new [ appname ]
Create a new FAM connection. An application name may be given.
pending
True if there is an event waiting. Returns immediately.
next_event
Returns next event in queue, as an event object. Blocks if necessary until one is available.
monitor path [ unique [ type [ depth mask ] ] ]
Monitor the specified file or directory. Expect a slew of events immediately (exist and end_exist) which may not interest you.
unique, if specified and true, will produce a warning if the monitored path is not unique among those already being monitored. This can be
helpful for debugging, but normally this is harmless.
type may be file, dir or coll; it defaults to file or dir according to an existing filesystem entry. If you specify coll (collection), pass
additional depth and mask arguments, if you ever figure out what that does (SGI does not say).
cancel path
Stop monitoring this path.
monitored [ path ]
List all currently monitored paths, or check if a specific one is being monitored. Does not check if a monitor is suspended.
suspended path
True if the specified monitor is suspended.
suspend [ path ]
Suspend monitoring of a path, or all paths if unspecified.
resume [ path ]
Resume monitoring of a path, or all paths if unspecified.
which event
Gives the pathname for the monitor generating this event. Often this will be the same as "$event->filename", but will differ in some cases,
e.g. in create events where filename will yield the basename of the new file while the which method must be invoked to determine the
directory of creation, if more than one is being monitored.
EVENT METHODS
hostname
Host of event. Does not seem to work, actually.
filename
Path of event, according to FAM.
type
Type of event; one of the following strings: change, delete, start_exec, stop_exec, create, move, ack, exist, end_exist.
BUGS
Most of these can be observed with monitor.
Hostnames
Do not seem to be supplied at all.
Timing
Is somewhat erratic. For example, creating a file that had been monitored and deleted will signal a create event on it, after about a
second pause.
Execute Events
Are not sent, as far as the author can determine.
SEE ALSO
For the raw SGI interface (rather poorly documented), see fam(3x).
AUTHORS
J. Glick jglick@sig.bsh.com: Original SGI::FAM code, in which this module is based.
Carlos Garnacho carlosg@gnome.org.
REVISION
lib/SGI/FAM.pm last modified Thu, 04 Mar 2005 22:05:42 -0100 release 0.1. Original SGI::FAM module: Copyright (c) 1997 Strategic
Interactive Group. All rights reserved. This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as
Perl itself.
perl v5.14.2 2005-11-11 Sys::Gamin(3pm)