Element: channel.poll

Type

numeric

Description

A value indicating whether polling is currently active on channel. This element applies only to external process channels which have been opened for read or read/write, socket channels open for read or read/write, or to text file channels open for read-only. A text file within an application library cannot be polled.

A value of 1 activates polling, a value of 0 deactivates polling. On newly-opened channels, this element has a 0 value.

During polling, whenever data is available to be read from channel, a line is read, and the following procedures are adopted:

1. If the channel.exec element is set, the procedure is executed with the data passed to it as a parameter.

2. If the channel.exec element has not been set, the data line is executed as a bona-fide command.

When the external process terminates, or a socket channel has its connection severed, or at end-of-file on a text file channel, the channel.done procedure element (if defined) is executed.

This element is valid only for external process channels open for read or read/write and server channels.