# kio Library API Documentation

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# KDirWatch Class Reference

Watch directories and files for changes. Class for watching directory and file changes. More...

`#include <kdirwatch.h>`

Inheritance diagram for KDirWatch:

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Collaboration diagram for KDirWatch:

[legend]
List of all members.

## Signals

void | dirty (const QString &)
| Emitted when a watched object is changed.
void | created (const QString &)
| Emitted when a file or directory is created.
void | deleted (const QString &)
| Emitted when a file or directory is deleted.

## Public Member Functions

| KDirWatch (QObject *parent=0, const char *name=0)
| Constructor.
| ~KDirWatch ()
| Destructor.
void | addDir (const QString &path, bool watchFiles=false, bool recursive=false)
| Adds a directory to be watched.
void | addFile (const QString &file)
| Adds a file to be watched.
QDateTime | ctime (const QString &path)
| Returns the time the directory/file was last changed.
void | removeDir (const QString &path)
| Removes a directory from the list of scanned directories.
void | removeFile (const QString &file)
| Removes a file from the list of watched files.
bool | stopDirScan (const QString &path)
| Stops scanning the specified path.
bool | restartDirScan (const QString &path)
| Restarts scanning for specified path.
void | startScan (bool notify=false, bool skippedToo=false)
| Starts scanning of all dirs in list.
void | stopScan ()
| Stops scanning of all directories in internal list.
bool | isStopped ()
| Is scanning stopped? After creation of a KDirWatch instance, this is false.
bool | contains (const QString &path) const
| Check if a directory is being watched by this KDirWatch instance.
void | setCreated (const QString &)
| created()
void | setDirty (const QString &)
| dirty()
void | setDeleted (const QString &)
| deleted()

## Static Public Member Functions

void | statistics ()
| Dump statistic information about all KDirWatch instances.
KDirWatch * | self ()
| The KDirWatch instance usually globally used in an application.
bool | exists ()

Return true if KDirWatch::self() exists

Since:
  3.1.

## Detailed Description

Watch directories and files for changes. Class for watching directory and file changes.

The watched directories or files doesn't have to exist yet.

When a watched directory is changed, i.e. when files therein are created or deleted, KDirWatch will emit the signal dirty().

When a watched, but previously not existing directory gets created, KDirWatch will emit the signal created().

When a watched directory gets deleted, KDirWatch will emit the signal deleted(). The directory is still watched for new creation.

When a watched file is changed, i.e. attributes changed or written to, KDirWatch will emit the signal dirty().

Scanning of particular directories or files can be stopped temporarily and restarted. The whole class can be stopped and restarted. Directories and files can be added/removed from list in any state.

The implementation uses the FAM service when available; if FAM is not available, the DNOTIFY functionality is used on LINUX. As a last resort, a regular polling for change of modification times is done; the polling interval is a global config option: DirWatch/PollInterval and DirWatch/NFSPollInterval for NFS mounted directories.

Author:
  Sven Radej <sven@lisa.exp.univie.ac.at>

Definition at line 60 of file kdirwatch.h.

## Constructor & Destructor Documentation

KDirWatch::KDirWatch | ( | QObject * | parent = 0,
|  | const char * | name = 0
| ) |

| Constructor. Scanning begins immediatly when a dir/file watch is added. Definition at line 1264 of file kdirwatch.cpp. References QObject::name(), KStdAccel::name(), and QObject::setName().

KDirWatch::~KDirWatch | ( |  | ) |

| Destructor. Stops scanning and cleans up. Definition at line 1282 of file kdirwatch.cpp.

## Member Function Documentation

void KDirWatch::addDir | ( | const QString & | path,
|  | bool | watchFiles = false,
|  | bool | recursive = false
| ) |

Adds a directory to be watched.

The directory does not have to exist. When `watchFiles` is false (the default), the signals dirty(), created(), deleted() can be emitted, all for the watched directory. When `watchFiles` is true, all files in the watched directory are looked for changes, too. Thus, the signals fileDirty(), fileCreated(), fileDeleted() can be emitted. are looked for changes, too. Thus, the signals dirty(), created(), deleted() can be emitted.

When `recursive` is true, also all sub directories are watched.

Definition at line 1295 of file kdirwatch.cpp.

void KDirWatch::addFile | ( | const QString & | file | ) |

| Adds a file to be watched. Definition at line 1305 of file kdirwatch.cpp.

QDateTime KDirWatch::ctime | ( | const QString & | path | ) |

| Returns the time the directory/file was last changed. Definition at line 1310 of file kdirwatch.cpp.

void KDirWatch::removeDir | ( | const QString & | path | ) |

| Removes a directory from the list of scanned directories. If specified path is not in the list this does nothing. Definition at line 1320 of file kdirwatch.cpp.

void KDirWatch::removeFile | ( | const QString & | file | ) |

| Removes a file from the list of watched files. If specified path is not in the list this does nothing. Definition at line 1325 of file kdirwatch.cpp.

bool KDirWatch::stopDirScan | ( | const QString & | path | ) |

| Stops scanning the specified path. The `path` is not deleted from the interal just, it is just skipped. Call this function when you perform an huge operation on this directory (copy/move big files or many files). When finished, call restartDirScan (path). Returns `false` if specified path is not in list, `true` otherwise. Definition at line 1330 of file kdirwatch.cpp.

bool KDirWatch::restartDirScan | ( | const QString & | path | ) |

| Restarts scanning for specified path. Resets ctime. It doesn't notify the change (by emitted a signal), since the ctime value is reset. Call it when you are finished with big operations on that path, and when you have refreshed that path. Returns `false` if specified path is not in list, `true` otherwise. Definition at line 1339 of file kdirwatch.cpp.

void KDirWatch::startScan | ( | bool | notify = false,
|  | bool | skippedToo = false
| ) |

Starts scanning of all dirs in list.

If notify is `true`, all changed directories (since stopScan() call) will be notified for refresh. If notify is `false`, all ctimes will be reset (except those who are stopped, but only if `skippedToo` is `false`) and changed dirs won't be notified. You can start scanning even if the list is empty. First call should be called with `false` or else all directories in list will be notified. If `skippedToo` is true, the skipped directoris (scanning of which was stopped with stopDirScan() ) will be reset and notified for change. Otherwise, stopped directories will continue to be unnotified.

Definition at line 1356 of file kdirwatch.cpp.

void KDirWatch::stopScan | ( |  | ) |

| Stops scanning of all directories in internal list. The timer is stopped, but the list is not cleared. Definition at line 1350 of file kdirwatch.cpp.

bool KDirWatch::isStopped | ( |  | ) | `[inline]`

| Is scanning stopped? After creation of a KDirWatch instance, this is false. Definition at line 174 of file kdirwatch.h.

bool KDirWatch::contains | ( | const QString & | path | ) | const

| Check if a directory is being watched by this KDirWatch instance. Definition at line 1363 of file kdirwatch.cpp.

void KDirWatch::statistics | ( |  | ) | `[static]`

| Dump statistic information about all KDirWatch instances. This checks for consistency, too. Definition at line 1376 of file kdirwatch.cpp.

void KDirWatch::setCreated | ( | const QString & |  | ) |

| created() Definition at line 1386 of file kdirwatch.cpp. References created(), and QObject::name().

void KDirWatch::setDirty | ( | const QString & |  | ) |

| dirty() Definition at line 1392 of file kdirwatch.cpp. References dirty(), and QObject::name().

void KDirWatch::setDeleted | ( | const QString & |  | ) |

| deleted() Definition at line 1398 of file kdirwatch.cpp. References deleted(), and QObject::name().

KDirWatch * KDirWatch::self | ( |  | ) | `[static]`

| The KDirWatch instance usually globally used in an application. It is automatically deleted when the application exits. However, you can create an arbitrary number of KDirWatch instances aside from this one - for those you have to take care of memory management. Definition at line 1250 of file kdirwatch.cpp.

bool KDirWatch::exists | ( |  | ) | `[static]`

Return true if KDirWatch::self() exists

Since:
  3.1.

Definition at line 1259 of file kdirwatch.cpp.

void KDirWatch::dirty | ( | const QString & |  | ) | `[signal]`

Emitted when a watched object is changed.

For a directory this signal is emitted when files therein are created or deleted. For a file this signal is emitted when its size or attributes change.

When you watch a directory, changes in the size or attributes of contained files may or may not trigger this signal to be emitted depending on which backend is used by KDirWatch.

The new ctime is set before the signal is emitted.

Referenced by setDirty().

void KDirWatch::created | ( | const QString & |  | ) | `[signal]`

| Emitted when a file or directory is created. Referenced by setCreated().

void KDirWatch::deleted | ( | const QString & |  | ) | `[signal]`

| Emitted when a file or directory is deleted. The object is still watched for new creation. Referenced by setDeleted().

The documentation for this class was generated from the following files:

- kdirwatch.h
- kdirwatch.cpp

This file is part of the documentation for kdelibs Version 3.1.5.
Documentation copyright © 1996-2002 the KDE developers.
Generated on Wed Jan 28 13:16:15 2004 by doxygen 1.3.4 written by Dimitri van Heesch, © 1997-2001