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.\" $Id: curs_inchstr.3x,v 1.58 2025/02/15 14:55:35 tom Exp $
.TH curs_inchstr 3X 2025-02-15 "ncurses 6.5" "Library calls"
.ie \n(.g \{\
.ds `` \(lq
.ds '' \(rq
.\}
.el \{\
.ie t .ds `` ``
.el   .ds `` ""
.ie t .ds '' ''
.el   .ds '' ""
.\}
.
.de bP
.ie n  .IP \(bu 4
.el    .IP \(bu 2
..
.SH NAME
\fB\%inchstr\fP,
\fB\%inchnstr\fP,
\fB\%winchstr\fP,
\fB\%winchnstr\fP,
\fB\%mvinchstr\fP,
\fB\%mvinchnstr\fP,
\fB\%mvwinchstr\fP,
\fB\%mvwinchnstr\fP \-
get a \fIcurses\fR character string from a window
.SH SYNOPSIS
.nf
\fB#include <curses.h>
.PP
\fBint inchstr(chtype *\fIchstr\fP);
\fBint inchnstr(chtype *\fIchstr\fP, int \fIn\fP);
\fBint winchstr(WINDOW *\fIwin\fP, chtype *\fIchstr\fP);
\fBint winchnstr(WINDOW *\fIwin\fP, chtype *\fIchstr\fP, int \fIn\fP);
.PP
\fBint mvinchstr(int \fIy\fP, int \fIx\fP, chtype *\fIchstr\fP);
\fBint mvinchnstr(int \fIy\fP, int \fIx\fP, chtype *\fIchstr\fP, int \fIn\fP);
\fBint mvwinchstr(WINDOW *\fIwin\fP, int \fIy\fP, int \fIx\fP, chtype *\fIchstr\fP);
\fBint mvwinchnstr(WINDOW *\fIwin\fP, int \fIy\fP, int \fIx\fP, chtype *\fIchstr\fP, int \fIn\fP);
.fi
.SH DESCRIPTION
These routines return a
.IR NULL -terminated
array of \fBchtype\fP quantities,
starting at the current cursor position in the named window and ending at the
right margin of the window.
.PP
The four functions with \fIn\fP as the last argument, return
a leading substring at most \fIn\fP characters long
(exclusive of the trailing (chtype)0).
Transfer stops at the end of the current line, or when \fIn\fP characters have
been stored at the location referenced by \fIchstr\fP.
.PP
Constants defined in \fB<curses.h>\fP can be used with the \fB&\fP
(logical \*(``and\*('')
operator to extract the character or the attribute alone from any position
in the \fIchstr\fP [see \fBcurs_inch\fP(3X)].
.SH RETURN VALUE
All routines return the integer \fBERR\fP upon failure and an integer value
other than \fBERR\fP upon successful completion (the number of characters
retrieved, exclusive of the trailing 0).
.PP
X/Open Curses defines no error conditions.
This implementation returns
.B ERR
.bP
if the \fIwin\fP parameter is null or
.bP
if the \fIchstr\fP parameter is null.
.PP
Functions prefixed with \*(``mv\*('' first perform cursor movement and
fail if the position
.RI ( y ,
.IR x )
is outside the window boundaries.
.SH NOTES
All of these functions except
.B \%winchnstr
may be implemented as macros.
.PP
Reading a line that overflows the array pointed to by
\fIchstr\fP
with
\fBinchstr\fP,
\fBmvinchstr\fP,
\fBmvwinchstr\fP
or
\fBwinchstr\fP
causes undefined results.
Therefore, the use of
\fBinchnstr\fP,
\fBmvinchnstr\fP,
\fBmvwinchnstr\fP, or
\fBwinchnstr\fP
is recommended.
.SH PORTABILITY
X/Open Curses Issue\ 4 describes these functions.
It specifies no error conditions for them.
It characterizes the strings stored by these functions as containing
\*(``at most
.I n
elements\*('' from a window,
.\" X/Open Issue 4, Version 2, p. 113, PDF p. 133
.\" Issue 7 doesn't change this wording at all.
but does not specify whether the string stored by these functions is
null-terminated.
.PP
SVr4 does not document whether it null-terminates the string it stores
in
.IR chstr ","
and does not document whether a trailing null character counts toward the
length limit
.IR n "."
.PP
SVr4 describes a successful return value only as
\*(``an integer value other than
.IR ERR \*(''. \" Courier roman in source; SVID 4, vol. 3, p. 503
.SH SEE ALSO
\fB\%curses\fP(3X),
\fB\%curs_inch\fP(3X),
\fB\%curs_inwstr\fP(3X),
\fB\%curs_in_wchstr\fP(3X)