menu(3MENU) Library calls menu(3MENU)
NAME
menu - present menus in curses windows
SYNOPSIS
#include <menu.h>
DESCRIPTION
The menu library provides terminal-independent facilities for composing
menu systems on character-cell terminals. The library includes: item
routines, which create and modify menu items; and menu routines, which
group items into menus, display menus on the screen, and handle interac-
tion with the user.
The menu library uses the curses libraries, and a curses initialization
routine such as initscr must be called before using any of these func-
tions. To use the menu library, link with the options -lmenu -lcurses.
Current Default Values for Item Attributes
The menu library maintains a default value for item attributes. You can
get or set this default by calling the appropriate get_ or set_ routine
with a NULL item pointer. Changing this default with a set_ function
affects future item creations, but does not change the rendering of
items already created.
Routine Name Index
The following table lists each menu routine and the name of the manual
page on which it is described.
curses Routine Name Manual Page Name
───────────────────────────────────────────
current_item menu_current(3MENU)
free_item menu_new(3MENU)
free_menu new(3MENU)
item_count items(3MENU)
item_description menu_name(3MENU)
item_index menu_current(3MENU)
item_init hook(3MENU)
item_name menu_name(3MENU)
item_opts menu_opts(3MENU)
item_opts_off menu_opts(3MENU)
item_opts_on menu_opts(3MENU)
item_term hook(3MENU)
item_userptr menu_userptr(3MENU)
item_value menu_value(3MENU)
item_visible menu_visible(3MENU)
menu_back attributes(3MENU)
menu_driver driver(3MENU)
menu_fore attributes(3MENU)
menu_format format(3MENU)
menu_grey attributes(3MENU)
menu_init hook(3MENU)
menu_items items(3MENU)
menu_mark mark(3MENU)
menu_opts opts(3MENU)
menu_opts_off opts(3MENU)
menu_opts_on opts(3MENU)
menu_pad attributes(3MENU)
menu_pattern pattern(3MENU)
menu_request_by_name requestname(3MENU)
menu_request_name requestname(3MENU)
menu_spacing spacing(3MENU)
menu_sub win(3MENU)
menu_term hook(3MENU)
menu_userptr userptr(3MENU)
menu_win win(3MENU)
new_item menu_new(3MENU)
new_menu new(3MENU)
pos_menu_cursor cursor(3MENU)
post_menu post(3MENU)
scale_menu win(3MENU)
set_current_item menu_current(3MENU)
set_item_init hook(3MENU)
set_item_opts menu_opts(3MENU)
set_item_term hook(3MENU)
set_item_userptr menu_userptr(3MENU)
set_item_value menu_value(3MENU)
set_menu_back attributes(3MENU)
set_menu_fore attributes(3MENU)
set_menu_format format(3MENU)
set_menu_grey attributes(3MENU)
set_menu_init hook(3MENU)
set_menu_items items(3MENU)
set_menu_mark mark(3MENU)
set_menu_opts menu_opts(3MENU)
set_menu_pad attributes(3MENU)
set_menu_pattern pattern(3MENU)
set_menu_spacing spacing(3MENU)
set_menu_sub win(3MENU)
set_menu_term hook(3MENU)
set_menu_userptr userptr(3MENU)
set_menu_win win(3MENU)
set_top_row menu_current(3MENU)
top_row menu_current(3MENU)
unpost_menu post(3MENU)
RETURN VALUE
Routines that return pointers return NULL on error. Routines that re-
turn an integer return one of the following error codes:
E_OK The routine succeeded.
E_BAD_ARGUMENT
Routine detected an incorrect or out-of-range argument.
E_BAD_STATE
Routine was called from an initialization or termination function.
E_NO_MATCH
Character failed to match.
E_NO_ROOM
Menu is too large for its window.
E_NOT_CONNECTED
No items are connected to the menu.
E_NOT_POSTED
The menu has not been posted.
E_NOT_SELECTABLE
The designated item cannot be selected.
E_POSTED
The menu is already posted.
E_REQUEST_DENIED
The menu driver could not process the request.
E_SYSTEM_ERROR
System error occurred (see errno(3)).
E_UNKNOWN_COMMAND
The menu driver code saw an unknown request code.
NOTES
The header file menu.h itself includes the header file curses.h.
PORTABILITY
These routines emulate the System V menu library. They were not sup-
ported on Version 7 or BSD versions.
A menu facility was documented in SVr4.2's Character User Interface Pro-
gramming document.
It is not part of X/Open Curses.
Aside from ncurses, there are few implementations:
• systems based on SVr4 source code, e.g., Solaris.
• NetBSD curses.
AUTHORS
Juergen Pfeifer. Manual pages and adaptation for ncurses by Eric S.
Raymond.
SEE ALSO
ncurses(3NCURSES) and related pages whose names begin “menu_” for de-
tailed descriptions of the entry points.
ncurses 6.5 2024-12-28 menu(3MENU)
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