Description The GIOChannel data type aims to provide a portable method for using file descriptors, pipes, and sockets, and integrating them into the main event loop. Currently full support is available on UNIX platforms, support for Windows is only partially complete. To create a new GIOChannel on UNIX systems use g_io_channel_unix_new(). This works for plain file descriptors, pipes and sockets. Alternatively, a channel can be created for a file in a system independent manner using g_io_channel_new_file(). Once a GIOChannel has been created, it can be used in a generic manner with the functions g_io_channel_read_chars(), g_io_channel_write_chars(), g_io_channel_seek_position(), and g_io_channel_shutdown(). To add a GIOChannel to the main event loop use g_io_add_watch() or g_io_add_watch_full(). Here you specify which events you are interested in on the GIOChannel, and provide a function to be called whenever these events occur. GIOChannel instances are created with an initial reference count of 1. g_io_channel_ref() and g_io_channel_unref() can be used to increment or decrement the reference count respectively. When the reference count falls to 0, the GIOChannel is freed. (Though it isn't closed automatically, unless it was created using g_io_channel_new_from_file().) Using g_io_add_watch() or g_io_add_watch_full() increments a channel's reference count. The new functions g_io_channel_read_chars(), g_io_channel_read_line(), g_io_channel_read_line_string(), g_io_channel_read_to_end(), g_io_channel_write_chars(), g_io_channel_seek_position(), and g_io_channel_flush() should not be mixed with the deprecated functions g_io_channel_read(), g_io_channel_write(), and g_io_channel_seek() on the same channel.