FSEvents

The FSEvents framework in Mac OS X allows applications to register for notifications of changes to a given directory tree. [cite web|url=http://developer.apple.com/leopard/overview/osfoundations.html|title=Leopard Technology Series for Developers: OS Foundations|date=2007-10-26|accessdate=2008-08-21] Whenever the filesystem is changed, the kernel passes notifications via the special device file /dev/fsevents to a userspace process called fseventsd. This process combines multiple changes to a single directory tree that occur within a short period of time, then notifies applications that have registered for changes to the affected directory. [cite web|url= http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Darwin/Conceptual/FSEvents_ProgGuide/Introduction/chapter_2_section_1.html|title=File System Events Programming Guide|date=2008-03-11|accessdate=2008-08-21]

Unlike other methods for "watching" the filesystem, such as Linux's inotify, the FSEvents API provides no notifications for changes to individual files. An application may register to receive changes to a given directory, and must then determine for itself which file or files were changed.

ee also

* inotify
* File Alteration Monitor

References

External links

* [http://arstechnica.com/reviews/os/mac-os-x-10-5.ars/7 Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard: the Ars Technica review (page 7)]