typedef void Tcl_ChannelProc( void *clientData, int mask);
The clientData argument is the same as the value passed to Tcl_CreateChannelHandler when the handler was created. Typically, clientData points to a data structure containing application-specific information about the channel. Mask is an integer mask indicating which of the requested conditions actually exists for the channel; it will contain a subset of the bits from the mask argument to Tcl_CreateChannelHandler when the handler was created.
Each channel handler is identified by a unique combination of channel, proc and clientData. There may be many handlers for a given channel as long as they do not have the same channel, proc, and clientData. If Tcl_CreateChannelHandler is invoked when there is already a handler for channel, proc, and clientData, then no new handler is created; instead, the mask is changed for the existing handler.
Tcl_DeleteChannelHandler deletes a channel handler identified by channel, proc and clientData; if no such handler exists, the call has no effect.
Channel handlers are invoked via the Tcl event mechanism, so they are only useful in applications that are event-driven. Note also that the conditions specified in the mask argument to proc may no longer exist when proc is invoked: for example, if there are two handlers for TCL_READABLE on the same channel, the first handler could consume all of the available input so that the channel is no longer readable when the second handler is invoked. For this reason it may be useful to use nonblocking I/O on channels for which there are event handlers.