curs_getstr(3) UNIX Programmer's Manual curs_getstr(3)
getstr, getnstr, wgetstr, wgetnstr, mvgetstr, mvgetnstr,
mvwgetstr, mvwgetnstr - accept character strings from curses
terminal keyboard
#include <curses.h>
int getstr(char *str);
int getnstr(char *str, int n);
int wgetstr(WINDOW *win, char *str);
int wgetnstr(WINDOW *win, char *str, int n);
int mvgetstr(int y, int x, char *str);
int mvwgetstr(WINDOW *win, int y, int x, char *str);
int mvgetnstr(int y, int x, char *str, int n);
int mvwgetnstr(WINDOW *, int y, int x, char *str, int n);
The function getstr is equivalent to a series of calls to
getch, until a newline or carriage return is received (the
terminating character is not included in the returned
string). The resulting value is placed in the area pointed
to by the character pointer str.
wgetnstr reads at most n characters, thus preventing a pos-
sible overflow of the input buffer. Any attempt to enter
more characters (other than the terminating newline or car-
riage return) causes a beep. Function keys also cause a
beep and are ignored. The getnstr function reads from the
stdscr default window.
The user's erase and kill characters are interpreted. If
keypad mode is on for the window, KEY_LEFT and KEY_BACKSPACE
are both considered equivalent to the user's kill character.
Characters input are echoed only if echo is currently on.
In that case, backspace is echoed as deletion of the previ-
ous character (typically a left motion).
All routines return the integer ERR upon failure and an OK
(SVr4 specifies only "an integer value other than ERR") upon
successful completion.
X/Open defines no error conditions.
In this implementation, these functions return an error if
the window pointer is null, or if its timeout expires
without having any data.
Note that getstr, mvgetstr, and mvwgetstr may be macros.
MirBSD #10-current Printed 2022-12-23 1
curs_getstr(3) UNIX Programmer's Manual curs_getstr(3)
These functions are described in the XSI Curses standard,
Issue 4. They read single-byte characters only. The standard
does not define any error conditions. This implementation
returns ERR if the window pointer is null, or if the lower-
level wgetch call returns an ERR.
SVr3 and early SVr4 curses implementations did not reject
function keys; the SVr4.0 documentation claimed that "spe-
cial keys" (such as function keys, "home" key, "clear" key,
etc.) are "interpreted", without giving details. It lied.
In fact, the `character' value appended to the string by
those implementations was predictable but not useful (being,
in fact, the low-order eight bits of the key's KEY_ value).
The functions getnstr, mvgetnstr, and mvwgetnstr were
present but not documented in SVr4.
curses(3), curs_getch(3).
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