getyx(3NCURSES) Library calls getyx(3NCURSES)
NAME
getyx, getparyx, getbegyx, getmaxyx - get curses cursor and window coor-
dinates
SYNOPSIS
#include <curses.h>
void getyx(WINDOW *win, int y, int x);
void getbegyx(WINDOW *win, int y, int x);
void getmaxyx(WINDOW *win, int y, int x);
void getparyx(WINDOW *win, int y, int x);
DESCRIPTION
These macros obtain the cursor position and bounds information of a
curses window win. getyx stores win's cursor position in the variables
y and x. getmaxyx stores win's maximum valid line and column numbers in
y and x, respectively. getbegyx similarly stores the position of win's
origin relative to that of the screen (for stdscr, these coordinates are
always 0).
If win is a subwindow (see subwin(3NCURSES)), the getparyx macro places
the coordinates of its origin relative to its parent window into y and
x, and -1 into both if it is not.
RETURN VALUE
No return values are defined for macros. Do not use them as the right-
hand side of assignment statements.
NOTES
All of these interfaces are implemented as macros. An “&” operator is
not necessary before the variables y and x.
PORTABILITY
These macros are described in X/Open Curses Issue 4.
ncurses also provides functions getbegy, getbegx, getcury, getcurx,
getmaxy, getmaxx, getpary, and getparx for compatibility with System V
curses that were not standardized; see legacy(3NCURSES).
Although X/Open Curses does not address the issue, many implementations
expose members of the WINDOW structure containing values corresponding
to these macros. Do not rely on their availability; some implementa-
tions make WINDOW opaque (that is, they do not allow direct access to
its members).
Besides the problem of opaque structures, the data stored in like-named
members may not have values of the same meaning across different imple-
mentations. For example, the values of WINDOW._maxx and WINDOW._maxy in
ncurses have long differed by one from some other implementations. The
getmaxyx macro hides this difference.
HISTORY
4BSD (1980) introduced getyx.
SVr3 (1987) added getbegyx and getmaxyx. SVr3.1 later that year sup-
plied getparyx.
SEE ALSO
ncurses(3NCURSES), legacy(3NCURSES), opaque(3NCURSES)
ncurses 6.5 2025-02-01 getyx(3NCURSES)
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