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@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
<!--
* t
****************************************************************************
- * Copyright 2018-2023,2024 Thomas E. Dickey *
+ * Copyright 2018-2024,2025 Thomas E. Dickey *
* Copyright 1998-2016,2017 Free Software Foundation, Inc. *
* *
* Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a *
@@ -28,37 +28,35 @@
* sale, use or other dealings in this Software without prior written *
* authorization. *
****************************************************************************
- * @Id: curs_getch.3x,v 1.87 2024/04/20 19:18:18 tom Exp @
+ * @Id: curs_getch.3x,v 1.134 2025/11/12 01:06:36 tom Exp @
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-<TITLE>curs_getch 3x 2024-04-20 ncurses 6.5 Library calls</TITLE>
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-<H1 class="no-header">curs_getch 3x 2024-04-20 ncurses 6.5 Library calls</H1>
+<H1 class="no-header">curs_getch 3x 2025-11-11 ncurses 6.6 Library calls</H1>
<PRE>
<STRONG><A HREF="curs_getch.3x.html">curs_getch(3x)</A></STRONG> Library calls <STRONG><A HREF="curs_getch.3x.html">curs_getch(3x)</A></STRONG>
-
-
</PRE><H2><a name="h2-NAME">NAME</a></H2><PRE>
<STRONG>getch</STRONG>, <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG>, <STRONG>mvgetch</STRONG>, <STRONG>mvwgetch</STRONG>, <STRONG>ungetch</STRONG>, <STRONG>has_key</STRONG> - get (or push back)
- characters from <EM>curses</EM> terminal keyboard
+ characters from <EM>curses</EM> terminal keyboard buffer
</PRE><H2><a name="h2-SYNOPSIS">SYNOPSIS</a></H2><PRE>
<STRONG>#include</STRONG> <STRONG>&lt;curses.h&gt;</STRONG>
<STRONG>int</STRONG> <STRONG>getch(void);</STRONG>
- <STRONG>int</STRONG> <STRONG>wgetch(WINDOW</STRONG> <STRONG>*</STRONG><EM>win</EM><STRONG>);</STRONG>
+ <STRONG>int</STRONG> <STRONG>wgetch(WINDOW</STRONG> <STRONG>*</STRONG> <EM>win</EM><STRONG>);</STRONG>
<STRONG>int</STRONG> <STRONG>mvgetch(int</STRONG> <EM>y</EM><STRONG>,</STRONG> <STRONG>int</STRONG> <EM>x</EM><STRONG>);</STRONG>
- <STRONG>int</STRONG> <STRONG>mvwgetch(WINDOW</STRONG> <STRONG>*</STRONG><EM>win</EM><STRONG>,</STRONG> <STRONG>int</STRONG> <EM>y</EM><STRONG>,</STRONG> <STRONG>int</STRONG> <EM>x</EM><STRONG>);</STRONG>
+ <STRONG>int</STRONG> <STRONG>mvwgetch(WINDOW</STRONG> <STRONG>*</STRONG> <EM>win</EM><STRONG>,</STRONG> <STRONG>int</STRONG> <EM>y</EM><STRONG>,</STRONG> <STRONG>int</STRONG> <EM>x</EM><STRONG>);</STRONG>
<STRONG>int</STRONG> <STRONG>ungetch(int</STRONG> <EM>c</EM><STRONG>);</STRONG>
@@ -69,92 +67,114 @@
</PRE><H2><a name="h2-DESCRIPTION">DESCRIPTION</a></H2><PRE>
</PRE><H3><a name="h3-Reading-Characters">Reading Characters</a></H3><PRE>
- <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> gathers a key stroke from the terminal keyboard associated with
- a <EM>curses</EM> window <EM>win</EM>. <STRONG><A HREF="ncurses.3x.html">ncurses(3x)</A></STRONG> describes the variants of this
+ <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> gathers a key event from the terminal keyboard associated with a
+ <EM>curses</EM> window <EM>win</EM>. <STRONG><A HREF="ncurses.3x.html">ncurses(3x)</A></STRONG> describes the variants of this
function.
When input is pending, <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> returns an integer identifying the key
- stroke; for alphanumeric and punctuation keys, this value corresponds
- to the character encoding used by the terminal. Use of the control key
- as a modifier often results in a distinct code. The behavior of other
- keys depends on whether <EM>win</EM> is in keypad mode; see subsection "Keypad
- Mode" below.
-
- If no input is pending, then if the no-delay flag is set in the window
- (see <STRONG><A HREF="nodelay.3x.html">nodelay(3x)</A></STRONG>), the function returns <STRONG>ERR</STRONG>; otherwise, <EM>curses</EM> waits
- until the terminal has input. If <STRONG><A HREF="curs_inopts.3x.html">cbreak(3x)</A></STRONG> has been called, this
- happens after one character is read. If <STRONG><A HREF="curs_inopts.3x.html">nocbreak(3x)</A></STRONG> has been called,
- it occurs when the next newline is read. If <STRONG><A HREF="curs_inopts.3x.html">halfdelay(3x)</A></STRONG> has been
- called, <EM>curses</EM> waits until a character is typed or the specified delay
- elapses.
+ event; for alphanumeric and punctuation keys, the space bar, and
+ (usually) the Backspace, Tab, Return, and Escape keys, this value
+ corresponds to the character encoding used by the terminal. Use of the
+ control key as a modifier, by holding it down while pressing and
+ releasing another key, often results in a distinct code. The behavior
+ of other keys depends on whether <EM>win</EM> is in keypad mode; see subsection
+ "Keypad Mode" below.
+
+ If no input is pending, then if the no-delay flag is set in the window
+ (see <STRONG><A HREF="nodelay.3x.html">nodelay(3x)</A></STRONG>), the function returns <STRONG>ERR</STRONG>; otherwise, <EM>curses</EM> waits
+ until the terminal has input. If <STRONG><A HREF="curs_inopts.3x.html">cbreak(3x)</A></STRONG> or <STRONG><A HREF="curs_inopts.3x.html">raw(3x)</A></STRONG> has been
+ called, this happens after <EM>curses</EM> reads one key event. If <STRONG><A HREF="curs_inopts.3x.html">nocbreak(3x)</A></STRONG>
+ or <STRONG><A HREF="curs_inopts.3x.html">noraw(3x)</A></STRONG> has been called, it occurs when <EM>curses</EM> reads a newline.
+ (Because the terminal's canonical or "cooked" mode is line-buffered,
+ multiple <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> calls may then be necessary to empty the input queue.)
+ If <STRONG><A HREF="curs_inopts.3x.html">halfdelay(3x)</A></STRONG> has been called, <EM>curses</EM> waits until input is available
+ or the specified delay elapses.
If <STRONG><A HREF="curs_inopts.3x.html">echo(3x)</A></STRONG> has been called, and the window is not a pad, <EM>curses</EM> writes
the returned character <EM>c</EM> to the window (at the cursor position) per the
following rules.
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> If <EM>c</EM> matches the terminal's erase character, the cursor moves
- leftward one position and the new position is erased as if
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> If <EM>c</EM> matches the terminal's erase character (see <STRONG><A HREF="curs_termattrs.3x.html">erasechar(3x)</A></STRONG>),
+ and the cursor is not at the window's leftmost column, the cursor
+ moves leftward one position and the new position is erased as if
<STRONG><A HREF="curs_move.3x.html">wmove(3x)</A></STRONG> and then <STRONG><A HREF="curs_delch.3x.html">wdelch(3x)</A></STRONG> were called. When the window's
keypad mode is enabled (see below), <STRONG>KEY_LEFT</STRONG> and <STRONG>KEY_BACKSPACE</STRONG> are
handled the same way.
<STRONG>o</STRONG> <EM>curses</EM> writes any other <EM>c</EM> to the window, as with <STRONG><A HREF="curs_addch.3x.html">wechochar(3x)</A></STRONG>.
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> If the window has been moved or modified since the last call to
- <STRONG><A HREF="curs_refresh.3x.html">wrefresh(3x)</A></STRONG>, <EM>curses</EM> calls <STRONG>wrefresh</STRONG>.
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> If the window <EM>win</EM> has been moved or modified since the last call to
+ <STRONG><A HREF="curs_refresh.3x.html">wrefresh(3x)</A></STRONG>, <EM>curses</EM> calls <STRONG>wrefresh</STRONG> on it.
- If <EM>c</EM> is a carriage return and <STRONG><A HREF="curs_inopts.3x.html">nl(3x)</A></STRONG> has been called, <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> returns
+ If <EM>c</EM> is a carriage return and <STRONG><A HREF="curs_inopts.3x.html">nl(3x)</A></STRONG> has been called, <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> returns
the character code for line feed instead.
</PRE><H3><a name="h3-Keypad-Mode">Keypad Mode</a></H3><PRE>
- To <EM>curses</EM>, key strokes not from the alphabetic section of the keyboard
- (those corresponding to the ECMA-6 character set--see
- <STRONG>ascii(7)</STRONG>--optionally modified by either the control or shift keys) are
- treated as <EM>function</EM> keys. (In <EM>curses</EM>, the term "function key" includes
- but is not limited to keycaps engraved with "F1", "PF1", and so on.)
- If the window is in keypad mode, these produce a numeric code
- corresponding to the <STRONG>KEY_</STRONG> symbols listed in subsection "Predefined Key
- Codes" below; otherwise, they transmit a sequence of codes typically
- starting with the escape character, and which must be collected with
- multiple <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> calls.
-
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> The <EM>curses.h</EM> header file declares many <EM>predefined</EM> <EM>function</EM> <EM>keys</EM>
- whose names begin with <STRONG>KEY_</STRONG>; these object-like macros have values
+ Call <STRONG><A HREF="curs_inopts.3x.html">keypad(3x)</A></STRONG> on a window to configure keypad mode when reading input
+ from it. In <EM>keypad</EM> <EM>mode</EM>, <EM>curses</EM> treats key strokes not from the
+ alphabetic section of the keyboard (those corresponding to the ECMA-6
+ character set -- see <STRONG>ascii(7)</STRONG> -- optionally modified by either the
+ control or shift keys) as <EM>function</EM> keys. (In <EM>curses</EM>, the term
+ "function key" includes but is not limited to keycaps engraved with
+ "F1", "PF1", and so on.) If a window is in keypad mode, <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG>
+ translates these key strokes to a numeric code corresponding to the
+ <STRONG>KEY_</STRONG> symbols listed in subsection "Key Codes" below. If the window is
+ not in keypad mode, the input queue populates with the characters of
+ the function key's escape sequence, which the application must collect
+ individually with multiple <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> calls.
+
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> The <EM>curses.h</EM> header file declares many <EM>function</EM> <EM>keys</EM> whose names
+ begin with <STRONG>KEY_</STRONG>; these object-like macros have integer values
outside the range of eight-bit character codes.
<STRONG>o</STRONG> In <EM>ncurses</EM>, <EM>user-defined</EM> <EM>function</EM> <EM>keys</EM> are configured with
<STRONG><A HREF="define_key.3x.html">define_key(3x)</A></STRONG>; they have no names, but are also expected to have
- values outside the range of eight-bit codes.
+ integer values outside the range of eight-bit character codes.
A variable intended to hold a function key code must thus be of type
<EM>short</EM> or larger.
Most terminals one encounters follow the ECMA-48 standard insofar as
their function keys produce character sequences prefixed with the
- escape character ESC. This fact implies that <EM>curses</EM> cannot know
- whether the terminal has sent an ESC key stroke or the beginning of a
- function key's character sequence without waiting to see if, and how
- soon, further input arrives. When <EM>curses</EM> reads such an ambiguous
- character, it sets a timer. If the remainder of the sequence does not
- arrive within the designated time, <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> returns the prefix character;
- otherwise, it returns the function key code corresponding to the unique
- sequence defined by the terminal. Consequently, a user of a <EM>curses</EM>
- application may experience a delay after pressing ESC while <EM>curses</EM>
- disambiguates the input; see section "EXTENSIONS" below. If the window
- is in "no time-out" mode, the timer does not expire; it is an infinite
- (or very large) value. See <STRONG><A HREF="notimeout.3x.html">notimeout(3x)</A></STRONG>. Because function key
- sequences usually begin with an escape character, the terminal may
- appear to hang in no time-out mode after the user has pressed ESC.
- Generally, further typing "awakens" <EM>curses</EM>.
+ escape character ESC. This fact implies that <EM>curses</EM> cannot distinguish
+ a user's press of the escape key (assuming it sends ESC) from the
+ beginning of a function key's character sequence without waiting to see
+ if, and how soon, further input arrives.
+
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> If the escape sequence matches a string capability defining a
+ function key for the terminal type (such as <STRONG>key_home</STRONG> (<STRONG>khome</STRONG>) or
+ <STRONG>key_up</STRONG> (<STRONG>kuu1</STRONG>)), <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> returns the function key code corresponding
+ to the unique sequence defined by the terminal.
+
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> If the escape sequence matches no function keys defined for the
+ terminal type, call <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> repeatedly to obtain the codes of the
+ individual characters of the sequence, in the order they occurred
+ in the input.
+
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> If <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> cannot decide the validity of the input as a function key
+ because it has not read enough characters to disambiguate it, the
+ function waits until it has this information or the <EM>escape</EM> <EM>delay</EM>
+ elapses. Configure the escape delay with the global variable
+ <STRONG>ESCDELAY</STRONG>, an extension (see section "EXTENSIONS" below), or the
+ environment variable of the same name (see section "ENVIRONMENT" of
+ <STRONG><A HREF="ncurses.3x.html">ncurses(3x)</A></STRONG>), also an extension.
+
+ Consequently, a user of a <EM>curses</EM> application that employs keypad mode
+ may experience a pause or "hang" after pressing the escape key while
+ <EM>curses</EM> collects sufficient characters to disambiguate the input. If
+ the window is in "no time-out" mode, the escape delay is effectively
+ infinite; see <STRONG><A HREF="notimeout.3x.html">notimeout(3x)</A></STRONG>. In the event of such a pause, further
+ typing "awakens" <EM>curses</EM>.
</PRE><H3><a name="h3-Ungetting-Characters">Ungetting Characters</a></H3><PRE>
<STRONG>ungetch</STRONG> places <EM>c</EM> into the input queue to be returned by the next call
- to <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG>. A single input queue serves all windows.
+ to <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG>. A single input queue serves all windows associated with the
+ screen.
-</PRE><H3><a name="h3-Predefined-Key-Codes">Predefined Key Codes</a></H3><PRE>
+</PRE><H3><a name="h3-Key-Codes">Key Codes</a></H3><PRE>
The header file <EM>curses.h</EM> defines the following function key codes.
<STRONG>o</STRONG> Except for the special case of <STRONG>KEY_RESIZE</STRONG>, a window's keypad mode
@@ -180,7 +200,6 @@
<STRONG>KEY_BACKSPACE</STRONG> Backspace
<STRONG>KEY_F0</STRONG> Function keys; space for 64 keys is reserved
<STRONG>KEY_F(</STRONG><EM>n</EM><STRONG>)</STRONG> Function key <EM>n</EM> where 0 &lt;= <EM>n</EM> &lt;= 63
-
<STRONG>KEY_DL</STRONG> Delete line
<STRONG>KEY_IL</STRONG> Insert line
<STRONG>KEY_DC</STRONG> Delete character
@@ -246,7 +265,6 @@
<STRONG>KEY_SDL</STRONG> Shifted delete line key
<STRONG>KEY_SEND</STRONG> Shifted end key
<STRONG>KEY_SEOL</STRONG> Shifted clear line key
-
<STRONG>KEY_SEXIT</STRONG> Shifted exit key
<STRONG>KEY_SFIND</STRONG> Shifted find key
<STRONG>KEY_SHELP</STRONG> Shifted help key
@@ -269,70 +287,82 @@
Many keyboards feature a nine-key directional pad.
- +-----+------+-------+
- | A1 | up | A3 |
- +-----+------+-------+
- |left | B2 | right |
- +-----+------+-------+
- | C1 | down | C3 |
- +-----+------+-------+
+ +------+------+-------+
+ | A1 | up | A3 |
+ +------+------+-------+
+ | left | B2 | right |
+ +------+------+-------+
+ | C1 | down | C3 |
+ +------+------+-------+
+
Two of the symbols in the list above do <EM>not</EM> correspond to a physical
key.
<STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> returns <STRONG>KEY_RESIZE</STRONG>, even if the window's keypad mode is
- disabled, when <EM>ncurses</EM> handles a <STRONG>SIGWINCH</STRONG> signal; see <STRONG><A HREF="curs_initscr.3x.html">initscr(3x)</A></STRONG>
- and <STRONG><A HREF="resizeterm.3x.html">resizeterm(3x)</A></STRONG>.
+ disabled, if <EM>ncurses</EM> has handled a <EM>SIGWINCH</EM> signal since <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> was
+ called; see <STRONG><A HREF="curs_initscr.3x.html">initscr(3x)</A></STRONG> and <STRONG><A HREF="resizeterm.3x.html">resizeterm(3x)</A></STRONG>.
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> returns <STRONG>KEY_MOUSE</STRONG> to indicate that a mouse event is pending
- collection; see <STRONG><A HREF="curs_mouse.3x.html">curs_mouse(3x)</A></STRONG>. Receipt of this code requires a
- window's keypad mode to be enabled, because to interpret mouse
- input (as with with <STRONG>xterm(1)</STRONG>'s mouse prototocol), <EM>ncurses</EM> must read
- an escape sequence, as with a function key.
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> returns <STRONG>KEY_MOUSE</STRONG> to indicate that a mouse event is pending
+ collection; see <STRONG><A HREF="curs_mouse.3x.html">curs_mouse(3x)</A></STRONG>. Receipt of this code requires a
+ window's keypad mode to be enabled, because to interpret mouse
+ input (as with <STRONG>xterm(1)</STRONG>'s mouse protocol), <EM>ncurses</EM> must read an
+ escape sequence, as with a function key.
</PRE><H3><a name="h3-Testing-Key-Codes">Testing Key Codes</a></H3><PRE>
- In <EM>ncurses</EM>, <STRONG>has_key</STRONG> returns a Boolean value indicating whether the
- terminal type recognizes its parameter as a key code value. See also
+ In <EM>ncurses</EM>, <STRONG>has_key</STRONG> returns a Boolean value indicating whether the
+ terminal type recognizes its parameter as a key code value. See also
<STRONG><A HREF="define_key.3x.html">define_key(3x)</A></STRONG> and <STRONG><A HREF="key_defined.3x.html">key_defined(3x)</A></STRONG>.
</PRE><H2><a name="h2-RETURN-VALUE">RETURN VALUE</a></H2><PRE>
- Except for <STRONG>has_key</STRONG>, these functions return <STRONG>OK</STRONG> on success and <STRONG>ERR</STRONG> on
- failure.
+ <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> returns a key code identifying the key event as described above,
+ which may include <STRONG>KEY_RESIZE</STRONG> or <STRONG>KEY_MOUSE</STRONG> indicating non-key events, or
+ <STRONG>ERR</STRONG> on failure. <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> fails if its timeout expires without any data
+ arriving, which cannot happen if <STRONG><A HREF="nodelay.3x.html">nodelay(3x)</A></STRONG> is in effect on the
+ window.
+
+ In <EM>ncurses</EM>, <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> also fails if
+
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> the <EM>curses</EM> screen has not been initialized,
- Functions taking a <EM>WINDOW</EM> pointer argument fail if the pointer is <STRONG>NULL</STRONG>.
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> (for functions taking a <EM>WINDOW</EM> pointer argument) <EM>win</EM> is a null
+ pointer, or
+
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> execution was interrupted by a signal, in which case the library
+ sets <EM>errno</EM> to <EM>EINTR</EM>.
Functions prefixed with "mv" first perform cursor movement and fail if
the position (<EM>y</EM>, <EM>x</EM>) is outside the window boundaries.
- <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> also fails if
-
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> its timeout expires without any data arriving, or
+ <STRONG>ungetch</STRONG> returns <STRONG>OK</STRONG> on success and <STRONG>ERR</STRONG> on failure. In <EM>ncurses</EM>, <STRONG>ungetch</STRONG>
+ fails if
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> execution was interrupted by a signal, in which case <STRONG>errno</STRONG> is set
- to <STRONG>EINTR</STRONG>.
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> the <EM>curses</EM> screen has not been initialized, or
- <STRONG>ungetch</STRONG> fails if there is no more room in the input queue.
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> there is no more room in the input queue.
<STRONG>has_key</STRONG> returns <STRONG>TRUE</STRONG> or <STRONG>FALSE</STRONG>.
</PRE><H2><a name="h2-NOTES">NOTES</a></H2><PRE>
+ <STRONG>getch</STRONG>, <STRONG>mvgetch</STRONG>, and <STRONG>mvwgetch</STRONG> may be implemented as macros.
+
<EM>curses</EM> discourages assignment of the ESC key to a discrete function by
the programmer because the library requires a delay while it awaits the
potential remainder of a terminal escape sequence.
- Some key strokes are indistinguishable from control characters; for
- example, <STRONG>KEY_ENTER</STRONG> may be the same as <STRONG>^M</STRONG>, and <STRONG>KEY_BACKSPACE</STRONG> may be the
- same as <STRONG>^H</STRONG> or <STRONG>^?</STRONG>. Consult the terminal's <EM>terminfo</EM> entry to determine
- whether this is the case; see <STRONG><A HREF="infocmp.1m.html">infocmp(1)</A></STRONG>. Some <EM>curses</EM> implementations,
- including <EM>ncurses</EM>, honor the <EM>terminfo</EM> key definitions; others treat
- such control characters specially.
+ Some key strokes are indistinguishable from control characters; for
+ example, <STRONG>KEY_ENTER</STRONG> may be the same as <STRONG>^M</STRONG>, and <STRONG>KEY_BACKSPACE</STRONG> may be the
+ same as <STRONG>^H</STRONG> or <STRONG>^?</STRONG>. Consult the <EM>terminfo</EM> entry for the terminal type to
+ determine whether this is the case; see <STRONG><A HREF="infocmp.1m.html">infocmp(1)</A></STRONG>. Some <EM>curses</EM>
+ implementations, including <EM>ncurses</EM>, honor the <EM>terminfo</EM> key definitions;
+ others treat such control characters specially.
<EM>curses</EM> distinguishes the Enter keys in the alphabetic and numeric
keypad sections of a keyboard because (most) terminals do. <STRONG>KEY_ENTER</STRONG>
refers to the key on the numeric keypad and, like other function keys,
- and is reliably recognized only if the window's keypad mode is enabled.
+ is reliably recognized only if the window's keypad mode is enabled.
<STRONG>o</STRONG> The <EM>terminfo</EM> <STRONG>key_enter</STRONG> (<STRONG>kent</STRONG>) capability describes the character
(sequence) sent by the Enter key of a terminal's numeric (or
@@ -346,85 +376,92 @@
<STRONG>o</STRONG> It usually produces a control code for carriage return (<STRONG>^M</STRONG>) or line
feed (<STRONG>^J</STRONG>).
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> Depending on the terminal mode (raw, cbreak, or "cooked"), and
- whether <STRONG><A HREF="curs_inopts.3x.html">nl(3x)</A></STRONG> or <STRONG><A HREF="curs_inopts.3x.html">nonl(3x)</A></STRONG> has been called, <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> may return
- either a carriage return or line feed upon an Enter or Return key
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> Depending on the terminal mode (raw, cbreak, or canonical), and
+ whether <STRONG><A HREF="curs_inopts.3x.html">nl(3x)</A></STRONG> or <STRONG><A HREF="curs_inopts.3x.html">nonl(3x)</A></STRONG> has been called, <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> may return
+ either a carriage return or line feed upon an Enter or Return key
stroke.
- Use of <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> with <STRONG><A HREF="curs_inopts.3x.html">echo(3x)</A></STRONG> and neither <STRONG><A HREF="curs_inopts.3x.html">cbreak(3x)</A></STRONG> nor <STRONG><A HREF="curs_inopts.3x.html">raw(3x)</A></STRONG> is not
+ Use of <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> with <STRONG><A HREF="curs_inopts.3x.html">echo(3x)</A></STRONG> and neither <STRONG><A HREF="curs_inopts.3x.html">cbreak(3x)</A></STRONG> nor <STRONG><A HREF="curs_inopts.3x.html">raw(3x)</A></STRONG> is not
well-defined.
- Historically, the list of key code macros above was influenced by the
- function-key-rich keyboard of the AT&amp;T 7300 (also known variously as
- the "3B1", "Safari 4", and "UNIX PC"), a 1985 machine. Today's
- computer keyboards are based that of the IBM PC/AT and tend to have
+ Historically, the list of key code macros above was influenced by the
+ keyboard of the AT&amp;T 7300 (also known variously as the "3B1", "Safari
+ 4", and "UNIX PC"), a 1985 machine rich in function keys. Today's
+ computer keyboards are based on that of the IBM PC/AT and tend to have
fewer. A <EM>curses</EM> application can expect such a keyboard to transmit key
codes <STRONG>KEY_UP</STRONG>, <STRONG>KEY_DOWN</STRONG>, <STRONG>KEY_LEFT</STRONG>, <STRONG>KEY_RIGHT</STRONG>, <STRONG>KEY_HOME</STRONG>, <STRONG>KEY_END</STRONG>,
<STRONG>KEY_PPAGE</STRONG> (Page Up), <STRONG>KEY_NPAGE</STRONG> (Page Down), <STRONG>KEY_IC</STRONG> (Insert), <STRONG>KEY_DC</STRONG>
- (Delete), and <STRONG>KEY_F(</STRONG><EM>n</EM><STRONG>)</STRONG> for 1 &lt;= <EM>n</EM> &lt;= 12.
-
- <STRONG>getch</STRONG>, <STRONG>mvgetch</STRONG>, and <STRONG>mvwgetch</STRONG> may be implemented as macros.
+ (Delete), <STRONG>KEY_A1</STRONG>, <STRONG>KEY_A3</STRONG>, <STRONG>KEY_B2</STRONG>, <STRONG>KEY_C1</STRONG>, <STRONG>KEY_C3</STRONG>, and <STRONG>KEY_F(</STRONG><EM>n</EM><STRONG>)</STRONG> for 1 &lt;=
+ <EM>n</EM> &lt;= 12.
</PRE><H2><a name="h2-EXTENSIONS">EXTENSIONS</a></H2><PRE>
In <EM>ncurses</EM>, when a window's "no time-out" mode is <EM>not</EM> set, the <STRONG>ESCDELAY</STRONG>
- variable configures the duration of the timer used to disambiguate a
- function key character sequence from a series of key strokes beginning
+ variable configures the duration of the timer used to disambiguate a
+ function key character sequence from a series of key strokes beginning
with ESC typed by the user; see <STRONG><A HREF="curs_variables.3x.html">curs_variables(3x)</A></STRONG>.
- <STRONG>has_key</STRONG> was designed for <STRONG><A HREF="ncurses.3x.html">ncurses(3x)</A></STRONG>, and is not found in SVr4 <EM>curses</EM>,
- 4.4BSD <EM>curses</EM>, or any other previous curses implementation.
+ <STRONG>has_key</STRONG> is an <EM>ncurses</EM> extension, and is not found in SVr4 <EM>curses</EM>,
+ 4.4BSD <EM>curses</EM>, or any other previous <EM>curses</EM> implementation.
</PRE><H2><a name="h2-PORTABILITY">PORTABILITY</a></H2><PRE>
Applications employing <EM>ncurses</EM> extensions should condition their use on
the visibility of the <STRONG>NCURSES_VERSION</STRONG> preprocessor macro.
- X/Open Curses, Issue 4 describes <STRONG>getch</STRONG>, <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG>, <STRONG>mvgetch</STRONG>, <STRONG>mvwgetch</STRONG>, and
- <STRONG>ungetch</STRONG>. It specifies no error conditions for them.
+ Except as noted in section "EXTENSIONS" above, X/Open Curses Issue 4
+ describes these functions. It specifies no error conditions for them.
+
+ SVr4 describes a successful return value only as "an integer value
+ other than <EM>ERR</EM>".
- <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> reads only single-byte characters.
+ <EM>wgetch</EM> reads only single-byte characters.
- The echo behavior of these functions on input of <STRONG>KEY_</STRONG> or backspace
- characters was not specified in the SVr4 documentation. This
- description is adapted from X/Open Curses.
+ The echo behavior of these functions on input of <EM>KEY</EM><STRONG>_</STRONG> or backspace
+ characters is not documented in SVr4 <EM>curses</EM>.
- The behavior of <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> in the presence of signal handlers is
- unspecified in the SVr4 documentation and X/Open Curses. In historical
- <EM>curses</EM> implementations, it varied depending on whether the operating
- system's dispatch of a signal to a handler interrupting a <STRONG>read(2)</STRONG> call
- in progress, and also (in some implementations) whether an input
- timeout or non-blocking mode has been set. Programmers concerned about
- portability should be prepared for either of two cases: (a) signal
- receipt does not interrupt <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG>; or (b) signal receipt interrupts
- <STRONG>wgetch</STRONG> and causes it to return <STRONG>ERR</STRONG> with <STRONG>errno</STRONG> set to <STRONG>EINTR</STRONG>.
+ The behavior of <EM>wgetch</EM> in the presence of signal handlers is not
+ documented in SVr4 <EM>curses</EM> and is unspecified by X/Open Curses. In
+ historical <EM>curses</EM> implementations, it varied depending on whether the
+ operating system's dispatch of a signal to a handler interrupted a
+ <STRONG>read(2)</STRONG> call in progress, and also (in some implementations) whether an
+ input timeout or non-blocking mode had been set. A portable <EM>curses</EM>
+ application prepares for two cases: (a) signal receipt does not
+ interrupt <EM>wgetch</EM>; and (b) signal receipt interrupts <EM>wgetch</EM> and causes
+ it to return <EM>ERR</EM> with <EM>errno</EM> set to <EM>EINTR</EM>.
- <STRONG>KEY_MOUSE</STRONG> is mentioned in X/Open Curses, along with a few related <EM>term-</EM>
+ <EM>KEY</EM><STRONG>_</STRONG><EM>MOUSE</EM> is mentioned in X/Open Curses, along with a few related <EM>term-</EM>
<EM>info</EM> capabilities, but no higher-level functions use the feature. The
implementation in <EM>ncurses</EM> is an extension.
- <STRONG>KEY_RESIZE</STRONG> and <STRONG>has_key</STRONG> are extensions first implemented for <EM>ncurses</EM>.
+ <EM>KEY</EM><STRONG>_</STRONG><EM>RESIZE</EM> and <EM>has</EM><STRONG>_</STRONG><EM>key</EM> are extensions first implemented for <EM>ncurses</EM>.
By 2022, <EM>PDCurses</EM> and NetBSD <EM>curses</EM> had added them along with
- <STRONG>KEY_MOUSE</STRONG>.
+ <EM>KEY</EM><STRONG>_</STRONG><EM>MOUSE</EM>.
-</PRE><H2><a name="h2-SEE-ALSO">SEE ALSO</a></H2><PRE>
- <STRONG><A HREF="curs_get_wch.3x.html">curs_get_wch(3x)</A></STRONG> describes comparable functions of the <EM>ncurses</EM> library
- in its wide-character configuration (<EM>ncursesw</EM>).
+</PRE><H2><a name="h2-HISTORY">HISTORY</a></H2><PRE>
+ 4BSD (1980) introduced <EM>wgetch</EM> and its variants.
- <STRONG><A HREF="ncurses.3x.html">curses(3x)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="curs_addch.3x.html">curs_addch(3x)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="curs_inopts.3x.html">curs_inopts(3x)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="curs_mouse.3x.html">curs_mouse(3x)</A></STRONG>,
- <STRONG><A HREF="curs_move.3x.html">curs_move(3x)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="curs_outopts.3x.html">curs_outopts(3x)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="curs_refresh.3x.html">curs_refresh(3x)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="curs_variables.3x.html">curs_variables(3x)</A></STRONG>,
- <STRONG><A HREF="resizeterm.3x.html">resizeterm(3x)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG>ascii(7)</STRONG>
+ SVr3 (1987) added <EM>ungetch</EM>.
+
+ <EM>ncurses</EM> 1.9.9g (1996) furnished the <EM>has</EM><STRONG>_</STRONG><EM>key</EM> extension.
- ECMA-6 "7-bit coded Character Set" &lt;https://ecma-international.org/
+
+</PRE><H2><a name="h2-SEE-ALSO">SEE ALSO</a></H2><PRE>
+ ECMA-6 "7-bit coded Character Set" &lt;https://ecma-international.org/
publications-and-standards/standards/ecma-6/&gt;
- ECMA-48 "Control Functions for Coded Character Sets" &lt;https://
+ ECMA-48 "Control Functions for Coded Character Sets" &lt;https://
ecma-international.org/publications-and-standards/standards/ecma-48/&gt;
+ <STRONG><A HREF="curs_get_wch.3x.html">curs_get_wch(3x)</A></STRONG> describes comparable functions of the <EM>ncurses</EM> library
+ in its wide-character configuration (<EM>ncursesw</EM>).
+ <STRONG><A HREF="ncurses.3x.html">curses(3x)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="curs_addch.3x.html">curs_addch(3x)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="curs_inopts.3x.html">curs_inopts(3x)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="curs_mouse.3x.html">curs_mouse(3x)</A></STRONG>,
+ <STRONG><A HREF="curs_move.3x.html">curs_move(3x)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="curs_outopts.3x.html">curs_outopts(3x)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="curs_refresh.3x.html">curs_refresh(3x)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="curs_variables.3x.html">curs_variables(3x)</A></STRONG>,
+ <STRONG><A HREF="resizeterm.3x.html">resizeterm(3x)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG>ascii(7)</STRONG>
-ncurses 6.5 2024-04-20 <STRONG><A HREF="curs_getch.3x.html">curs_getch(3x)</A></STRONG>
+ncurses 6.6 2025-11-11 <STRONG><A HREF="curs_getch.3x.html">curs_getch(3x)</A></STRONG>
</PRE>
<div class="nav">
<ul>
@@ -435,7 +472,7 @@ ncurses 6.5 2024-04-20 <STRONG><A HREF=
<li><a href="#h3-Reading-Characters">Reading Characters</a></li>
<li><a href="#h3-Keypad-Mode">Keypad Mode</a></li>
<li><a href="#h3-Ungetting-Characters">Ungetting Characters</a></li>
-<li><a href="#h3-Predefined-Key-Codes">Predefined Key Codes</a></li>
+<li><a href="#h3-Key-Codes">Key Codes</a></li>
<li><a href="#h3-Testing-Key-Codes">Testing Key Codes</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
@@ -443,6 +480,7 @@ ncurses 6.5 2024-04-20 <STRONG><A HREF=
<li><a href="#h2-NOTES">NOTES</a></li>
<li><a href="#h2-EXTENSIONS">EXTENSIONS</a></li>
<li><a href="#h2-PORTABILITY">PORTABILITY</a></li>
+<li><a href="#h2-HISTORY">HISTORY</a></li>
<li><a href="#h2-SEE-ALSO">SEE ALSO</a></li>
</ul>
</div>