## GInputStream

GInputStream — Base class for implementing streaming input

## Functions

gssize | g_input_stream_read ()
gboolean | g_input_stream_read_all ()
void | g_input_stream_read_all_async ()
gboolean | g_input_stream_read_all_finish ()
gssize | g_input_stream_skip ()
gboolean | g_input_stream_close ()
void | g_input_stream_read_async ()
gssize | g_input_stream_read_finish ()
void | g_input_stream_skip_async ()
gssize | g_input_stream_skip_finish ()
void | g_input_stream_close_async ()
gboolean | g_input_stream_close_finish ()
gboolean | g_input_stream_is_closed ()
gboolean | g_input_stream_has_pending ()
gboolean | g_input_stream_set_pending ()
void | g_input_stream_clear_pending ()
GBytes * | g_input_stream_read_bytes ()
void | g_input_stream_read_bytes_async ()
GBytes * | g_input_stream_read_bytes_finish ()

## Types and Values

| GInputStream

## Object Hierarchy

        GObject
        ╰── GInputStream
            ├── GFilterInputStream
            ├── GFileInputStream
            ├── GMemoryInputStream
            ╰── GUnixInputStream

## Known Derived Interfaces

GInputStream is required by GPollableInputStream.

## Includes

    #include <gio/gio.h>

## Description

GInputStream has functions to read from a stream (`g_input_stream_read()`), to close a stream (`g_input_stream_close()`) and to skip some content (`g_input_stream_skip()`).

To copy the content of an input stream to an output stream without manually handling the reads and writes, use `g_output_stream_splice()`.

See the documentation for GIOStream for details of thread safety of streaming APIs.

All of these functions have async variants too.

## Functions

### g_input_stream_read ()

    gssize
    g_input_stream_read (GInputStream *stream,
                         void *buffer,
                         gsize count,
                         GCancellable *cancellable,
                         GError **error);

Tries to read `count` bytes from the stream into the buffer starting at `buffer` . Will block during this read.

If count is zero returns zero and does nothing. A value of `count` larger than `G_MAXSSIZE` will cause a `G_IO_ERROR_INVALID_ARGUMENT` error.

On success, the number of bytes read into the buffer is returned. It is not an error if this is not the same as the requested size, as it can happen e.g. near the end of a file. Zero is returned on end of file (or if `count` is zero), but never otherwise.

The returned `buffer` is not a nul-terminated string, it can contain nul bytes at any position, and this function doesn't nul-terminate the `buffer` .

If `cancellable` is not `NULL`, then the operation can be cancelled by triggering the cancellable object from another thread. If the operation was cancelled, the error `G_IO_ERROR_CANCELLED` will be returned. If an operation was partially finished when the operation was cancelled the partial result will be returned, without an error.

On error -1 is returned and `error` is set accordingly.

#### Parameters

stream | a GInputStream. |
buffer | a buffer to read data into (which should be at least count bytes long). | [array length=count][element-type guint8]
count | the number of bytes that will be read from the stream |
cancellable | optional GCancellable object, `NULL` to ignore. | [nullable]
error | location to store the error occurring, or `NULL` to ignore |

#### Returns

Number of bytes read, or -1 on error, or 0 on end of file.

### g_input_stream_read_all ()

    gboolean
    g_input_stream_read_all (GInputStream *stream,
                             void *buffer,
                             gsize count,
                             gsize *bytes_read,
                             GCancellable *cancellable,
                             GError **error);

Tries to read `count` bytes from the stream into the buffer starting at `buffer` . Will block during this read.

This function is similar to `g_input_stream_read()`, except it tries to read as many bytes as requested, only stopping on an error or end of stream.

On a successful read of `count` bytes, or if we reached the end of the stream, `TRUE` is returned, and `bytes_read` is set to the number of bytes read into `buffer` .

If there is an error during the operation `FALSE` is returned and `error` is set to indicate the error status.

As a special exception to the normal conventions for functions that use GError, if this function returns `FALSE` (and sets `error` ) then `bytes_read` will be set to the number of bytes that were successfully read before the error was encountered. This functionality is only available from C. If you need it from another language then you must write your own loop around `g_input_stream_read()`.

#### Parameters

stream | a GInputStream. |
buffer | a buffer to read data into (which should be at least count bytes long). | [array length=count][element-type guint8]
count | the number of bytes that will be read from the stream |
bytes_read | location to store the number of bytes that was read from the stream. | [out]
cancellable | optional GCancellable object, `NULL` to ignore. | [nullable]
error | location to store the error occurring, or `NULL` to ignore |

#### Returns

`TRUE` on success, `FALSE` if there was an error

### g_input_stream_read_all_async ()

    void
    g_input_stream_read_all_async (GInputStream *stream,
                                   void *buffer,
                                   gsize count,
                                   int io_priority,
                                   GCancellable *cancellable,
                                   GAsyncReadyCallback callback,
                                   gpointer user_data);

Request an asynchronous read of `count` bytes from the stream into the buffer starting at `buffer` .

This is the asynchronous equivalent of `g_input_stream_read_all()`.

Call `g_input_stream_read_all_finish()` to collect the result.

Any outstanding I/O request with higher priority (lower numerical value) will be executed before an outstanding request with lower priority. Default priority is `G_PRIORITY_DEFAULT`.

#### Parameters

stream | A GInputStream |
buffer | a buffer to read data into (which should be at least count bytes long). | [array length=count][element-type guint8]
count | the number of bytes that will be read from the stream |
io_priority | the I/O priority of the request |
cancellable | optional GCancellable object, `NULL` to ignore. | [nullable]
callback | callback to call when the request is satisfied. | [scope async]
user_data | the data to pass to callback function. | [closure]

Since: 2.44

### g_input_stream_read_all_finish ()

    gboolean
    g_input_stream_read_all_finish (GInputStream *stream,
                                    GAsyncResult *result,
                                    gsize *bytes_read,
                                    GError **error);

Finishes an asynchronous stream read operation started with `g_input_stream_read_all_async()`.

As a special exception to the normal conventions for functions that use GError, if this function returns `FALSE` (and sets `error` ) then `bytes_read` will be set to the number of bytes that were successfully read before the error was encountered. This functionality is only available from C. If you need it from another language then you must write your own loop around `g_input_stream_read_async()`.

#### Parameters

stream | a GInputStream |
result | a GAsyncResult |
bytes_read | location to store the number of bytes that was read from the stream. | [out]
error | a GError location to store the error occurring, or `NULL` to ignore |

#### Returns

`TRUE` on success, `FALSE` if there was an error

Since: 2.44

### g_input_stream_skip ()

    gssize
    g_input_stream_skip (GInputStream *stream,
                         gsize count,
                         GCancellable *cancellable,
                         GError **error);

Tries to skip `count` bytes from the stream. Will block during the operation.

This is identical to `g_input_stream_read()`, from a behaviour standpoint, but the bytes that are skipped are not returned to the user. Some streams have an implementation that is more efficient than reading the data.

This function is optional for inherited classes, as the default implementation emulates it using read.

If `cancellable` is not `NULL`, then the operation can be cancelled by triggering the cancellable object from another thread. If the operation was cancelled, the error `G_IO_ERROR_CANCELLED` will be returned. If an operation was partially finished when the operation was cancelled the partial result will be returned, without an error.

#### Parameters

stream | a GInputStream. |
count | the number of bytes that will be skipped from the stream |
cancellable | optional GCancellable object, `NULL` to ignore. | [nullable]
error | location to store the error occurring, or `NULL` to ignore |

#### Returns

Number of bytes skipped, or -1 on error

### g_input_stream_close ()

    gboolean
    g_input_stream_close (GInputStream *stream,
                          GCancellable *cancellable,
                          GError **error);

Closes the stream, releasing resources related to it.

Once the stream is closed, all other operations will return `G_IO_ERROR_CLOSED`. Closing a stream multiple times will not return an error.

Streams will be automatically closed when the last reference is dropped, but you might want to call this function to make sure resources are released as early as possible.

Some streams might keep the backing store of the stream (e.g. a file descriptor) open after the stream is closed. See the documentation for the individual stream for details.

On failure the first error that happened will be reported, but the close operation will finish as much as possible. A stream that failed to close will still return `G_IO_ERROR_CLOSED` for all operations. Still, it is important to check and report the error to the user.

If `cancellable` is not `NULL`, then the operation can be cancelled by triggering the cancellable object from another thread. If the operation was cancelled, the error `G_IO_ERROR_CANCELLED` will be returned. Cancelling a close will still leave the stream closed, but some streams can use a faster close that doesn't block to e.g. check errors.

#### Parameters

stream | A GInputStream. |
cancellable | optional GCancellable object, `NULL` to ignore. | [nullable]
error | location to store the error occurring, or `NULL` to ignore |

#### Returns

`TRUE` on success, `FALSE` on failure

### g_input_stream_read_async ()

    void
    g_input_stream_read_async (GInputStream *stream,
                               void *buffer,
                               gsize count,
                               int io_priority,
                               GCancellable *cancellable,
                               GAsyncReadyCallback callback,
                               gpointer user_data);

Request an asynchronous read of `count` bytes from the stream into the buffer starting at `buffer` . When the operation is finished `callback` will be called. You can then call `g_input_stream_read_finish()` to get the result of the operation.

During an async request no other sync and async calls are allowed on `stream` , and will result in `G_IO_ERROR_PENDING` errors.

A value of `count` larger than `G_MAXSSIZE` will cause a `G_IO_ERROR_INVALID_ARGUMENT` error.

On success, the number of bytes read into the buffer will be passed to the callback. It is not an error if this is not the same as the requested size, as it can happen e.g. near the end of a file, but generally we try to read as many bytes as requested. Zero is returned on end of file (or if `count` is zero), but never otherwise.

Any outstanding i/o request with higher priority (lower numerical value) will be executed before an outstanding request with lower priority. Default priority is `G_PRIORITY_DEFAULT`.

The asynchronous methods have a default fallback that uses threads to implement asynchronicity, so they are optional for inheriting classes. However, if you override one you must override all.

#### Parameters

stream | A GInputStream. |
buffer | a buffer to read data into (which should be at least count bytes long). | [array length=count][element-type guint8]
count | the number of bytes that will be read from the stream |
io_priority | the I/O priority of the request. |
cancellable | optional GCancellable object, `NULL` to ignore. | [nullable]
callback | callback to call when the request is satisfied. | [scope async]
user_data | the data to pass to callback function. | [closure]

### g_input_stream_read_finish ()

    gssize
    g_input_stream_read_finish (GInputStream *stream,
                                GAsyncResult *result,
                                GError **error);

Finishes an asynchronous stream read operation.

#### Parameters

stream | a GInputStream. |
result | a GAsyncResult. |
error | a GError location to store the error occurring, or `NULL` to ignore. |

#### Returns

number of bytes read in, or -1 on error, or 0 on end of file.

### g_input_stream_skip_async ()

    void
    g_input_stream_skip_async (GInputStream *stream,
                               gsize count,
                               int io_priority,
                               GCancellable *cancellable,
                               GAsyncReadyCallback callback,
                               gpointer user_data);

Request an asynchronous skip of `count` bytes from the stream. When the operation is finished `callback` will be called. You can then call `g_input_stream_skip_finish()` to get the result of the operation.

During an async request no other sync and async calls are allowed, and will result in `G_IO_ERROR_PENDING` errors.

A value of `count` larger than `G_MAXSSIZE` will cause a `G_IO_ERROR_INVALID_ARGUMENT` error.

On success, the number of bytes skipped will be passed to the callback. It is not an error if this is not the same as the requested size, as it can happen e.g. near the end of a file, but generally we try to skip as many bytes as requested. Zero is returned on end of file (or if `count` is zero), but never otherwise.

Any outstanding i/o request with higher priority (lower numerical value) will be executed before an outstanding request with lower priority. Default priority is `G_PRIORITY_DEFAULT`.

The asynchronous methods have a default fallback that uses threads to implement asynchronicity, so they are optional for inheriting classes. However, if you override one, you must override all.

#### Parameters

stream | A GInputStream. |
count | the number of bytes that will be skipped from the stream |
io_priority | the I/O priority of the request |
cancellable | optional GCancellable object, `NULL` to ignore. | [nullable]
callback | callback to call when the request is satisfied. | [scope async]
user_data | the data to pass to callback function. | [closure]

### g_input_stream_skip_finish ()

    gssize
    g_input_stream_skip_finish (GInputStream *stream,
                                GAsyncResult *result,
                                GError **error);

Finishes a stream skip operation.

#### Parameters

stream | a GInputStream. |
result | a GAsyncResult. |
error | a GError location to store the error occurring, or `NULL` to ignore. |

#### Returns

the size of the bytes skipped, or `-1` on error.

### g_input_stream_close_async ()

    void
    g_input_stream_close_async (GInputStream *stream,
                                int io_priority,
                                GCancellable *cancellable,
                                GAsyncReadyCallback callback,
                                gpointer user_data);

Requests an asynchronous closes of the stream, releasing resources related to it. When the operation is finished `callback` will be called. You can then call `g_input_stream_close_finish()` to get the result of the operation.

For behaviour details see `g_input_stream_close()`.

The asynchronous methods have a default fallback that uses threads to implement asynchronicity, so they are optional for inheriting classes. However, if you override one you must override all.

#### Parameters

stream | A GInputStream. |
io_priority | the I/O priority of the request |
cancellable | optional cancellable object. | [nullable]
callback | callback to call when the request is satisfied. | [scope async]
user_data | the data to pass to callback function. | [closure]

### g_input_stream_close_finish ()

    gboolean
    g_input_stream_close_finish (GInputStream *stream,
                                 GAsyncResult *result,
                                 GError **error);

Finishes closing a stream asynchronously, started from `g_input_stream_close_async()`.

#### Parameters

stream | a GInputStream. |
result | a GAsyncResult. |
error | a GError location to store the error occurring, or `NULL` to ignore. |

#### Returns

`TRUE` if the stream was closed successfully.

### g_input_stream_is_closed ()

    gboolean
    g_input_stream_is_closed (GInputStream *stream);

Checks if an input stream is closed.

#### Parameters

stream | input stream. |

#### Returns

`TRUE` if the stream is closed.

### g_input_stream_has_pending ()

    gboolean
    g_input_stream_has_pending (GInputStream *stream);

Checks if an input stream has pending actions.

#### Parameters

stream | input stream. |

#### Returns

`TRUE` if `stream` has pending actions.

### g_input_stream_set_pending ()

    gboolean
    g_input_stream_set_pending (GInputStream *stream,
                                GError **error);

Sets `stream` to have actions pending. If the pending flag is already set or `stream` is closed, it will return `FALSE` and set `error` .

#### Parameters

stream | input stream |
error | a GError location to store the error occurring, or `NULL` to ignore. |

#### Returns

`TRUE` if pending was previously unset and is now set.

### g_input_stream_clear_pending ()

    void
    g_input_stream_clear_pending (GInputStream *stream);

Clears the pending flag on `stream` .

#### Parameters

stream | input stream |

### g_input_stream_read_bytes ()

    GBytes *
    g_input_stream_read_bytes (GInputStream *stream,
                               gsize count,
                               GCancellable *cancellable,
                               GError **error);

Like `g_input_stream_read()`, this tries to read `count` bytes from the stream in a blocking fashion. However, rather than reading into a user-supplied buffer, this will create a new GBytes containing the data that was read. This may be easier to use from language bindings.

If count is zero, returns a zero-length GBytes and does nothing. A value of `count` larger than `G_MAXSSIZE` will cause a `G_IO_ERROR_INVALID_ARGUMENT` error.

On success, a new GBytes is returned. It is not an error if the size of this object is not the same as the requested size, as it can happen e.g. near the end of a file. A zero-length GBytes is returned on end of file (or if `count` is zero), but never otherwise.

If `cancellable` is not `NULL`, then the operation can be cancelled by triggering the cancellable object from another thread. If the operation was cancelled, the error `G_IO_ERROR_CANCELLED` will be returned. If an operation was partially finished when the operation was cancelled the partial result will be returned, without an error.

On error `NULL` is returned and `error` is set accordingly.

#### Parameters

stream | a GInputStream. |
count | maximum number of bytes that will be read from the stream. Common values include 4096 and 8192. |
cancellable | optional GCancellable object, `NULL` to ignore. | [nullable]
error | location to store the error occurring, or `NULL` to ignore |

#### Returns

a new GBytes, or `NULL` on error.

[transfer full]

Since: 2.34

### g_input_stream_read_bytes_async ()

    void
    g_input_stream_read_bytes_async (GInputStream *stream,
                                     gsize count,
                                     int io_priority,
                                     GCancellable *cancellable,
                                     GAsyncReadyCallback callback,
                                     gpointer user_data);

Request an asynchronous read of `count` bytes from the stream into a new GBytes. When the operation is finished `callback` will be called. You can then call `g_input_stream_read_bytes_finish()` to get the result of the operation.

During an async request no other sync and async calls are allowed on `stream` , and will result in `G_IO_ERROR_PENDING` errors.

A value of `count` larger than `G_MAXSSIZE` will cause a `G_IO_ERROR_INVALID_ARGUMENT` error.

On success, the new GBytes will be passed to the callback. It is not an error if this is smaller than the requested size, as it can happen e.g. near the end of a file, but generally we try to read as many bytes as requested. Zero is returned on end of file (or if `count` is zero), but never otherwise.

Any outstanding I/O request with higher priority (lower numerical value) will be executed before an outstanding request with lower priority. Default priority is `G_PRIORITY_DEFAULT`.

#### Parameters

stream | A GInputStream. |
count | the number of bytes that will be read from the stream |
io_priority | the I/O priority of the request |
cancellable | optional GCancellable object, `NULL` to ignore. | [nullable]
callback | callback to call when the request is satisfied. | [scope async]
user_data | the data to pass to callback function. | [closure]

Since: 2.34

### g_input_stream_read_bytes_finish ()

    GBytes *
    g_input_stream_read_bytes_finish (GInputStream *stream,
                                      GAsyncResult *result,
                                      GError **error);

Finishes an asynchronous stream read-into-GBytes operation.

#### Parameters

stream | a GInputStream. |
result | a GAsyncResult. |
error | a GError location to store the error occurring, or `NULL` to ignore. |

#### Returns

the newly-allocated GBytes, or `NULL` on error.

[transfer full]

Since: 2.34

## Types and Values

### GInputStream

    typedef struct _GInputStream GInputStream;

Base class for streaming input operations.