1 .\" You can view this file with:
5 .TH curl_global_init 3 "11 May 2004" "libcurl 7.12" "libcurl Manual"
7 curl_global_init - Global libcurl initialisation
9 .B #include <curl/curl.h>
11 .BI "CURLcode curl_global_init(long " flags ");"
14 This function sets up the program environment that libcurl needs. Think
15 of it as an extension of the library loader.
17 This function must be called at least once within a program (a program is
18 all the code that shares a memory space) before the program calls any other
19 function in libcurl. The environment it sets up is constant for the life
20 of the program and is the same for every program, so multiple calls have
21 the same effect as one call.
23 The flags option is a bit pattern that tells libcurl exactly what features to
24 init, as described below. Set the desired bits by ORing the values together.
25 In normal operation, you must specify CURL_GLOBAL_ALL. Don't use any other
26 value unless you are familiar with and mean to control internal operations
29 \fBThis function is not thread safe.\fP You must not call it when any
30 other thread in the program (i.e. a thread sharing the same memory) is
31 running. This doesn't just mean no other thread that is using
32 libcurl. Because \fIcurl_global_init()\fP calls functions of other
33 libraries that are similarly thread unsafe, it could conflict with any
34 other thread that uses these other libraries.
36 See the description in \fBlibcurl\fP(3) of global environment
37 requirements for details of how to use this function.
42 Initialize everything possible. This sets all known bits.
48 Initialize the Win32 socket libraries.
50 .B CURL_GLOBAL_NOTHING
51 Initialise nothing extra. This sets no bit.
53 If this function returns non-zero, something went wrong and you cannot use the
56 .BR curl_global_init_mem "(3), "
57 .BR curl_global_cleanup "(3), "
58 .BR curl_easy_init "(3) "