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curs_getch(3ocurses)


curs_getch: getch, wgetch, mvgetch, mvwgetch, ungetch -- get (or push back) characters from curses terminal keyboard

Synopsis

cc [flag . . .] file -locurses [library . . .]

#include <ocurses.h>

int getch(void); int wgetch(WINDOW *win); int mvgetch(int y, int x); int mvwgetch(WINDOW *win, int y, int x); int ungetch(int ch);

Description

The getch, wgetch, mvgetch, and mvwgetch routines read a character from the terminal associated with the window. In no-delay mode, if no input is waiting, the value ERR is returned. In delay mode, the program waits until the system passes text through to the program. Depending on the setting of cbreak, this is after one character (cbreak mode), or after the first newline (nocbreak mode). In half-delay mode, the program waits until a character is typed or the specified timeout has been reached. Unless noecho has been set, the character will also be echoed into the designated window.

If the window is not a pad, and it has been moved or modified since the last call to wrefresh, wrefresh will be called before another character is read.

If keypad is TRUE, and a function key is pressed, the token for that function key is returned instead of the raw characters. Possible function keys are defined in ocurses.h with integers beginning with 0401, whose names begin with KEY_. If a character that could be the beginning of a function key (such as escape) is received, curses sets a timer. If the remainder of the sequence does not come in within the designated time, the character is passed through; otherwise, the function key value is returned. For this reason, many terminals experience a delay between the time a user presses the escape key and the escape is returned to the program. Since tokens returned by these routines are outside the ASCII range, they are not printable.

The ungetch routine places ch back onto the input queue to be returned by the next call to wgetch.

Function keys

The following function keys, defined in ocurses.h, might be returned by getch if keypad has been enabled. Note that not all of these may be supported on a particular terminal if the terminal does not transmit a unique code when the key is pressed or if the definition for the key is not present in the terminfo database.

Name Key name
KEY_BREAK Break key
KEY_DOWN The four arrow keys ...
KEY_UP  
KEY_LEFT  
KEY_RIGHT  
KEY_HOME Home key (upward+left arrow)
KEY_BACKSPACE Backspace
KEY_F0 Function keys; space for 64 keys is reserved.
KEY_F(n) For 0 LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO n LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO 63
KEY_DL Delete line
KEY_IL Insert line
KEY_DC Delete character
KEY_IC Insert char or enter insert mode
KEY_EIC Exit insert char mode
KEY_CLEAR Clear screen
KEY_EOS Clear to end of screen
KEY_EOL Clear to end of line
KEY_SF Scroll 1 line forward
KEY_SR Scroll 1 line backward (reverse)
KEY_NPAGE Next page
KEY_PPAGE Previous page
KEY_STAB Set tab
KEY_CTAB Clear tab
KEY_CATAB Clear all tabs
KEY_ENTER Enter or send
KEY_SRESET Soft (partial) reset
KEY_RESET Reset or hard reset
KEY_PRINT Print or copy
KEY_LL Home down or bottom (lower left). Keypad is arranged like this:
A1 up A3
left B2 right
C1 down C3
KEY_A1 Upper left of keypad
KEY_A3 Upper right of keypad
KEY_B2 Center of keypad
KEY_C1 Lower left of keypad
KEY_C3 Lower right of keypad
KEY_BTAB Back tab key
KEY_BEG Beg(inning) key
KEY_CANCEL Cancel key
KEY_CLOSE Close key
KEY_COMMAND Cmd (command) key
KEY_COPY Copy key
KEY_CREATE Create key
KEY_END End key
KEY_EXIT Exit key
KEY_FIND Find key
KEY_HELP Help key
KEY_MARK Mark key
KEY_MESSAGE Message key
KEY_MOVE Move key
KEY_NEXT Next object key
KEY_OPEN Open key
KEY_OPTIONS Options key
KEY_PREVIOUS Previous object key
KEY_REDO Redo key
KEY_REFERENCE Ref(erence) key
KEY_REFRESH Refresh key
KEY_REPLACE Replace key
KEY_RESTART Restart key
KEY_RESUME Resume key
KEY_SAVE Save key
KEY_SBEG Shifted beginning key
KEY_SCANCEL Shifted cancel key
KEY_SCOMMAND Shifted command key
KEY_SCOPY Shifted copy key
KEY_SCREATE Shifted create key
KEY_SDC Shifted delete char key
KEY_SDL Shifted delete line key
KEY_SELECT Select key
KEY_SEND Shifted end key
KEY_SEOL Shifted clear line key
KEY_SEXIT Shifted exit key
KEY_SFIND Shifted find key
KEY_SHELP Shifted help key
KEY_SHOME Shifted home key
KEY_SIC Shifted input key
KEY_SLEFT Shifted left arrow key
KEY_SMESSAGE Shifted message key
KEY_SMOVE Shifted move key
KEY_SNEXT Shifted next key
KEY_SOPTIONS Shifted options key
KEY_SPREVIOUS Shifted prev key
KEY_SPRINT Shifted print key
KEY_SREDO Shifted redo key
KEY_SREPLACE Shifted replace key
KEY_SRIGHT Shifted right arrow
KEY_SRSUME Shifted resume key
KEY_SSAVE Shifted save key
KEY_SSUSPEND Shifted suspend key
KEY_SUNDO Shifted undo key
KEY_SUSPEND Suspend key
KEY_UNDO Undo key

 Name                 Key name
 KEY_BREAK            Break key
 KEY_DOWN             The four arrow keys ...
 KEY_UP
 KEY_LEFT
 KEY_RIGHT
 KEY_HOME             Home key (upward+left arrow)
 KEY_BACKSPACE        Backspace
 KEY_F0               Function keys; space for 64 keys is reserved.
 KEY_F(n)             For 0  n  63
 KEY_DL               Delete line
 KEY_IL               Insert line
 KEY_DC               Delete character
 KEY_IC               Insert char or enter insert mode
 KEY_EIC              Exit insert char mode
 KEY_CLEAR            Clear screen
 KEY_EOS              Clear to end of screen
 KEY_EOL              Clear to end of line
 KEY_SF               Scroll 1 line forward
 KEY_SR               Scroll 1 line backward (reverse)
 KEY_NPAGE            Next page
 KEY_PPAGE            Previous page
 KEY_STAB             Set tab
 KEY_CTAB             Clear tab
 KEY_CATAB            Clear all tabs
 KEY_ENTER            Enter or send
 KEY_SRESET           Soft (partial) reset
 KEY_RESET            Reset or hard reset
 KEY_PRINT            Print or copy
 KEY_LL               Home down or bottom (lower left).  Keypad is
                      arranged like this:
                           A1    up    A3
                          left   B2   right
                           C1   down   C3
 KEY_A1               Upper left of keypad
 KEY_A3               Upper right of keypad
 KEY_B2               Center of keypad
 KEY_C1               Lower left of keypad
 KEY_C3               Lower right of keypad
 KEY_BTAB             Back tab key
 KEY_BEG              Beg(inning) key
 KEY_CANCEL           Cancel key
 KEY_CLOSE            Close key
 KEY_COMMAND          Cmd (command) key
 KEY_COPY             Copy key
 KEY_CREATE           Create key
 KEY_END              End key
 KEY_EXIT             Exit key
 KEY_FIND             Find key
 KEY_HELP             Help key
 KEY_MARK             Mark key
 KEY_MESSAGE          Message key
 KEY_MOVE             Move key
 KEY_NEXT             Next object key
 KEY_OPEN             Open key
 KEY_OPTIONS          Options key
 KEY_PREVIOUS         Previous object key
 KEY_REDO             Redo key
 KEY_REFERENCE        Ref(erence) key
 KEY_REFRESH          Refresh key
 KEY_REPLACE          Replace key
 KEY_RESTART          Restart key
 KEY_RESUME           Resume key
 KEY_SAVE             Save key
 KEY_SBEG             Shifted beginning key
 KEY_SCANCEL          Shifted cancel key
 KEY_SCOMMAND         Shifted command key
 KEY_SCOPY            Shifted copy key
 KEY_SCREATE          Shifted create key
 KEY_SDC              Shifted delete char key
 KEY_SDL              Shifted delete line key
 KEY_SELECT           Select key
 KEY_SEND             Shifted end key
 KEY_SEOL             Shifted clear line key
 KEY_SEXIT            Shifted exit key
 KEY_SFIND            Shifted find key
 KEY_SHELP            Shifted help key
 KEY_SHOME            Shifted home key
 KEY_SIC              Shifted input key
 KEY_SLEFT            Shifted left arrow key
 KEY_SMESSAGE         Shifted message key
 KEY_SMOVE            Shifted move key
 KEY_SNEXT            Shifted next key
 KEY_SOPTIONS         Shifted options key
 KEY_SPREVIOUS        Shifted prev key
 KEY_SPRINT           Shifted print key
 KEY_SREDO            Shifted redo key
 KEY_SREPLACE         Shifted replace key
 KEY_SRIGHT           Shifted right arrow
 KEY_SRSUME           Shifted resume key
 KEY_SSAVE            Shifted save key
 KEY_SSUSPEND         Shifted suspend key
 KEY_SUNDO            Shifted undo key
 KEY_SUSPEND          Suspend key
 KEY_UNDO             Undo key
All routines return the integer ERR upon
failure and an integer value other than ERR
upon successful completion.

References

curses(3ocurses), curs_inopts(3ocurses), curs_move(3ocurses), curs_refresh(3ocurses)

Notices

The header file ocurses.h automatically includes the header files stdio.h and unctrl.h.

Use of the escape key by a programmer for a single character function is discouraged.

When using getch, wgetch, mvgetch, or mvwgetch, nocbreak mode and echo mode should not be used at the same time. Depending on the state of the tty driver when each character is typed, the program may produce undesirable results.

Note that getch, mvgetch, and mvwgetch may be macros.


© 2004 The SCO Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
UnixWare 7 Release 7.1.4 - 25 April 2004