in_wchstr(3NCURSES) Library calls in_wchstr(3NCURSES)
NAME
in_wchstr, in_wchnstr, win_wchstr, win_wchnstr, mvin_wchstr,
mvin_wchnstr, mvwin_wchstr, mvwin_wchnstr - get a curses complex charac-
ter string from a window
SYNOPSIS
#include <curses.h>
int in_wchstr(cchar_t *wchstr);
int win_wchstr(WINDOW *win, cchar_t *wchstr);
int mvin_wchstr(int y, int x, cchar_t *wchstr);
int mvwin_wchstr(WINDOW *win, int y, int x, cchar_t *wchstr);
int in_wchnstr(cchar_t *wchstr, int n);
int win_wchnstr(WINDOW *win, cchar_t *wchstr, int n);
int mvin_wchnstr(int y, int x, cchar_t *wchstr, int n);
int mvwin_wchnstr(WINDOW *win, int y, int x, cchar_t *wchstr, int n);
DESCRIPTION
These functions return an array of complex characters in wchstr, start-
ing at the current cursor position in the named window. Attributes
(rendition) are stored with the characters.
The four functions with n as the last argument return a leading sub-
string at most n characters long (exclusive of the trailing zeroed
cchar_t. Transfer stops at the end of the current line, or when n char-
acters have been stored at the location referenced by wchstr.
Constants defined in <curses.h> can be used with the & (logical “and”)
operator to extract the character or the attribute alone from any posi-
tion in the wchstr [see getcchar(3NCURSES)].
RETURN VALUE
Upon successful completion, these functions return OK. Otherwise, they
return ERR.
ncurses returns ERR
• if the win parameter is null or
• if the wchstr parameter is null.
Functions prefixed with “mv” first perform cursor movement and fail if
the position (y, x) is outside the window boundaries.
NOTES
All of these functions except win_wchnstr may be implemented as macros.
Reading a line that overflows the array pointed to by wchstr with
in_wchstr, mvin_wchstr, mvwin_wchstr or win_wchstr causes undefined re-
sults. Therefore, the use of in_wchnstr, mvin_wchnstr, mvwin_wchnstr,
or win_wchnstr is recommended.
PORTABILITY
X/Open Curses Issue 4 describes these functions. It specifies no error
conditions for them.
HISTORY
X/Open Curses Issue 4 (1995) initially specified these functions. The
System V Interface Definition Version 4 of the same year specified a
function named winwchstr (and the usual variants). This was a later ad-
dition to SVr4.x, not appearing in the first SVr4 (1989). It differed
from X/Open's later win_wchstr in that it took an argument of type
pointer-to-chtype instead of pointer-tocchar_t.
SEE ALSO
inchstr(3NCURSES) describes comparable functions of the ncurses library
in its non-wide-character configuration.
ncurses(3NCURSES), inwstr(3NCURSES), in_wch(3NCURSES)
ncurses 6.5 2025-02-01 in_wchstr(3NCURSES)
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