menu 3x

menu(3x)                                                              menu(3x)




NAME

       menu - curses extension for programming menus


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
       interaction 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
       functions.   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           mitem_current(3x)
       free_item              mitem_new(3x)
       free_menu              menu_new(3x)
       item_count             menu_items(3x)
       item_description       mitem_name(3x)
       item_index             mitem_current(3x)
       item_init              menu_hook(3x)
       item_name              mitem_name(3x)
       item_opts              mitem_opts(3x)
       item_opts_off          mitem_opts(3x)
       item_opts_on           mitem_opts(3x)
       item_term              menu_hook(3x)
       item_userptr           mitem_userptr(3x)
       item_value             mitem_value(3x)
       item_visible           mitem_visible(3x)
       menu_back              menu_attributes(3x)
       menu_driver            menu_driver(3x)
       menu_fore              menu_attributes(3x)
       menu_format            menu_format(3x)
       menu_grey              menu_attributes(3x)
       menu_init              menu_hook(3x)
       menu_items             menu_items(3x)
       menu_mark              menu_mark(3x)
       menu_opts              menu_opts(3x)
       menu_opts_off          menu_opts(3x)
       menu_opts_on           menu_opts(3x)
       menu_pad               menu_attributes(3x)
       menu_pattern           menu_pattern(3x)
       menu_request_by_name   menu_requestname(3x)
       menu_request_name      menu_requestname(3x)

       menu_spacing           menu_spacing(3x)
       menu_sub               menu_win(3x)
       menu_term              menu_hook(3x)
       menu_userptr           menu_userptr(3x)
       menu_win               menu_win(3x)
       new_item               mitem_new(3x)
       new_menu               menu_new(3x)
       pos_menu_cursor        menu_cursor(3x)
       post_menu              menu_post(3x)
       scale_menu             menu_win(3x)
       set_current_item       mitem_current(3x)
       set_item_init          menu_hook(3x)
       set_item_opts          mitem_opts(3x)
       set_item_term          menu_hook(3x)
       set_item_userptr       mitem_userptr(3x)
       set_item_value         mitem_value(3x)
       set_menu_back          menu_attributes(3x)
       set_menu_fore          menu_attributes(3x)
       set_menu_format        menu_format(3x)
       set_menu_grey          menu_attributes(3x)
       set_menu_init          menu_hook(3x)
       set_menu_items         menu_items(3x)
       set_menu_mark          menu_mark(3x)
       set_menu_opts          mitem_opts(3x)
       set_menu_pad           menu_attributes(3x)
       set_menu_pattern       menu_pattern(3x)
       set_menu_spacing       menu_spacing(3x)
       set_menu_sub           menu_win(3x)
       set_menu_term          menu_hook(3x)
       set_menu_userptr       menu_userptr(3x)
       set_menu_win           menu_win(3x)
       set_top_row            mitem_current(3x)
       top_row                mitem_current(3x)
       unpost_menu            menu_post(3x)


RETURN VALUE

       Routines  that  return  pointers  return  NULL on error.  Routines that
       return 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>  automatically  includes  the  header  files
       <curses.h> and <eti.h>.

       In your library list, libmenu.a should be before libncurses.a; that is,
       you should say "-lmenu -lncurses", not  the  other  way  around  (which
       would give a link-error when using static libraries).


PORTABILITY

       These  routines  emulate  the  System  V  menu  library.  They were not
       supported on Version 7 or BSD versions.

       The menu facility was documented in SVr4.2 in Character User  Interface
       Programming (UNIX SVR4.2).

       It is not part of X/Open Curses.

       Aside from ncurses, there are few implementations:

       o   systems based on SVr4 source code, e.g., Solaris.

       o   NetBSD curses.


AUTHORS

       Juergen  Pfeifer.   Manual  pages and adaptation for ncurses by Eric S.
       Raymond.


SEE ALSO

       curses(3x) and related pages whose names  begin  "menu_"  for  detailed
       descriptions of the entry points.

       This describes ncurses version 6.4 (patch 20221231).



                                                                      menu(3x)