ncurses 6.0 - patch 20170304

[ncurses.git] / man / curs_getch.3x

diff --git a/man/curs_getch.3x b/man/curs_getch.3x
index 74f6ba8d153f1b3b4f66b038237c979ce6febfce..b8d6a82b05c242a0e23880bc94fdd4e36aa0a701 100644 (file)
--- a/man/curs_getch.3x
+++ b/man/curs_getch.3x
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 '\" t
 .\"***************************************************************************
 '\" t
 .\"***************************************************************************

-.\" Copyright (c) 1998-2012,2014 Free Software Foundation, Inc.              *
+.\" Copyright (c) 1998-2015,2016 Free Software Foundation, Inc.              *

 .\"                                                                          *
 .\" Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a  *
 .\" copy of this software and associated documentation files (the            *
 .\"                                                                          *
 .\" Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a  *
 .\" copy of this software and associated documentation files (the            *


@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 .\" authorization.                                                           *
 .\"***************************************************************************
 .\"
 .\" authorization.                                                           *
 .\"***************************************************************************
 .\"

-.\" $Id: curs_getch.3x,v 1.39 2014/05/24 20:16:31 tom Exp $
+.\" $Id: curs_getch.3x,v 1.49 2016/10/15 16:44:01 tom Exp $

 .TH curs_getch 3X ""
 .na
 .hy 0
 .TH curs_getch 3X ""
 .na
 .hy 0


@@ -48,17 +48,18 @@
 .PP
 \fBint getch(void);\fR
 .br
 .PP
 \fBint getch(void);\fR
 .br

-\fBint wgetch(WINDOW *win);\fR
+\fBint wgetch(WINDOW *\fP\fIwin);\fR

 .br
 .br

-\fBint mvgetch(int y, int x);\fR
+\fBint mvgetch(int \fP\fIy\fP\fB, int \fP\fIx\fP\fB);\fR

 .br
 .br

-\fBint mvwgetch(WINDOW *win, int y, int x);\fR
+\fBint mvwgetch(WINDOW *\fP\fIwin\fP\fB, int \fP\fIy\fP\fB, int \fP\fIx\fP\fB);\fR

 .br
 .br

-\fBint ungetch(int ch);\fR
+\fBint ungetch(int \fP\fIch\fP\fB);\fR

 .br
 .br

-\fBint has_key(int ch);\fR
+\fBint has_key(int \fP\fIch\fP\fB);\fR

 .br
 .SH DESCRIPTION
 .br
 .SH DESCRIPTION

+.SS Reading characters

 The \fBgetch\fR, \fBwgetch\fR, \fBmvgetch\fR and \fBmvwgetch\fR, routines read
 a character from the window.
 In no-delay mode, if no input is waiting, the value \fBERR\fR is returned.
 The \fBgetch\fR, \fBwgetch\fR, \fBmvgetch\fR and \fBmvwgetch\fR, routines read
 a character from the window.
 In no-delay mode, if no input is waiting, the value \fBERR\fR is returned.


@@ -91,12 +92,20 @@ Otherwise the character is simply output to the screen.
 If the window is not a pad, and it has been moved or modified since the last
 call to \fBwrefresh\fR, \fBwrefresh\fR will be called before another character
 is read.
 If the window is not a pad, and it has been moved or modified since the last
 call to \fBwrefresh\fR, \fBwrefresh\fR will be called before another character
 is read.

+.SS Keypad mode

 .PP
 If \fBkeypad\fR is \fBTRUE\fR, and a function key is pressed, the token for
 .PP
 If \fBkeypad\fR is \fBTRUE\fR, 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 \fB<curses.h>\fR as macros with values outside the range
-of 8-bit characters whose names begin with \fBKEY_\fR.
+that function key is returned instead of the raw characters:
+.bP
+The predefined function
+keys are listed in \fB<curses.h>\fR as macros with values outside the range
+of 8-bit characters.
+Their names begin with \fBKEY_\fR.
+.bP
+Other (user-defined) function keys which may be defined using \fBdefine_key\fP(3X)
+have no names, but also are expected to have values outside the range of
+8-bit characters.
+.PP

 Thus, a variable
 intended to hold the return value of a function key must be of short size or
 larger.
 Thus, a variable
 intended to hold the return value of a function key must be of short size or
 larger.


@@ -110,15 +119,30 @@ 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.
 .PP
 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.
 .PP

+In \fBncurses\fP, the timer normally expires after the value in \fBESCDELAY\fP (see \fBcurs_variables\fP(3X)).
+If \fBnotimeout\fP is \fBTRUE\fP, the timer does not expire;
+it is an infinite (or very large) value.
+Because function keys usually begin with an escape character,
+the terminal may appear to hang in notimeout mode after pressing the escape key
+until another key is pressed.
+.SS Ungetting characters
+.PP

 The \fBungetch\fR routine places \fIch\fR back onto the input queue to be
 returned by the next call to \fBwgetch\fR.
 There is just one input queue for all windows.
 .PP
 The \fBungetch\fR routine places \fIch\fR back onto the input queue to be
 returned by the next call to \fBwgetch\fR.
 There is just one input queue for all windows.
 .PP

-.SS Function Keys
-The following function keys, defined in \fB<curses.h>\fR, might be returned by
-\fBgetch\fR if \fBkeypad\fR has been enabled.
-Note that not all of these are
-necessarily supported on any particular terminal.
+.SS Predefined key-codes
+The following special keys are defined in \fB<curses.h>\fR.
+.bP
+Except for the special case \fBKEY_RESIZE\fP,
+it is necessary to enable \fBkeypad\fR for \fBgetch\fP to return these codes.
+.bP
+Not all of these are necessarily supported on any particular terminal.
+.bP
+The naming convention may seem obscure, with some apparent
+misspellings (such as "RSUME" for "resume").
+The names correspond to the long terminfo capability names for the keys,
+and were defined long ago, in the 1980s.

 .PP
 .TS
 center tab(/) ;
 .PP
 .TS
 center tab(/) ;


@@ -224,7 +248,7 @@ KEY_UNDO/Undo key
 .TE
 .PP
 Keypad is arranged like this:
 .TE
 .PP
 Keypad is arranged like this:

-.sp
+.br

 .TS
 center allbox tab(/) ;
 c c c .
 .TS
 center allbox tab(/) ;
 c c c .


@@ -233,17 +257,39 @@ c c c .
 \fBC1\fR/\fBdown\fR/\fBC3\fR
 .TE
 .sp
 \fBC1\fR/\fBdown\fR/\fBC3\fR
 .TE
 .sp

-The \fBhas_key\fR routine takes a key value from the above list, and
-returns TRUE or FALSE according to whether
+A few of these predefined values do \fInot\fP correspond to a real key:
+.bP
+.B KEY_RESIZE
+is returned when the \fBSIGWINCH\fP signal has been detected
+(see \fBinitscr\fP(3X) and \fBresizeterm\fR(3X)).
+This code is returned whether or not \fBkeypad\fP has been enabled.
+.bP
+.B KEY_MOUSE
+is returned for mouse-events (see \fBcurs_mouse\fR(3X)).
+This code relies upon whether or not \fBkeypad\fP(3X) has been enabled,
+because (e.g., with \fIxterm\fP mouse prototocol) ncurses must
+read escape sequences,
+just like a function key.
+.SS Testing key-codes
+.PP
+The \fBhas_key\fR routine takes a key-code value from the above list, and
+returns \fBTRUE\fP or \fBFALSE\fP according to whether

 the current terminal type recognizes a key with that value.
 the current terminal type recognizes a key with that value.

-Note that a few values do not correspond to a real key,
-e.g., \fBKEY_RESIZE\fP and \fBKEY_MOUSE\fP.
-See \fBresizeterm\fR(3X) for more details about \fBKEY_RESIZE\fP, and
-\fBcurs_mouse\fR(3X) for a discussion of \fBKEY_MOUSE\fP.
+.PP
+The library also supports these extensions:
+.RS 3
+.TP 5
+.B define_key
+defines a key-code for a given string (see \fBdefine_key\fP(3X)).
+.TP 5
+.B key_defined
+checks if there is a key-code defined for a given
+string (see \fBkey_defined\fP(3X)).
+.RE

 .PP
 .SH RETURN VALUE
 All routines return the integer \fBERR\fR upon failure and an integer value
 .PP
 .SH RETURN VALUE
 All routines return the integer \fBERR\fR upon failure and an integer value

-other than \fBERR\fR (\fBOK\fR in the case of ungetch()) upon successful
+other than \fBERR\fR (\fBOK\fR in the case of \fBungetch\fP) upon successful

 completion.
 .RS 3
 .TP 5
 completion.
 .RS 3
 .TP 5


@@ -254,7 +300,9 @@ if there is no more room in the FIFO.
 \fBwgetch\fP
 returns ERR
 if the window pointer is null, or
 \fBwgetch\fP
 returns ERR
 if the window pointer is null, or

-if its timeout expires without having any data.
+if its timeout expires without having any data, or
+if the execution was interrupted by a signal (\fBerrno\fR will be set to
+\fBEINTR\fR).

 .RE
 .PP
 Functions with a "mv" prefix first perform a cursor movement using
 .RE
 .PP
 Functions with a "mv" prefix first perform a cursor movement using


@@ -265,7 +313,7 @@ Use of the escape key by a programmer for a single character function is
 discouraged, as it will cause a delay of up to one second while the
 keypad code looks for a following function-key sequence.
 .PP
 discouraged, as it will cause a delay of up to one second while the
 keypad code looks for a following function-key sequence.
 .PP

-Note that some keys may be the same as commonly used control
+Some keys may be the same as commonly used control

 keys, e.g., \fBKEY_ENTER\fP versus control/M, \fBKEY_BACKSPACE\fP versus control/H.
 Some curses implementations may differ according to whether they
 treat these control keys specially (and ignore the terminfo), or
 keys, e.g., \fBKEY_ENTER\fP versus control/M, \fBKEY_BACKSPACE\fP versus control/H.
 Some curses implementations may differ according to whether they
 treat these control keys specially (and ignore the terminfo), or


@@ -328,12 +376,17 @@ implementation of handled signal receipt interrupts a \fBread\fR(2) call in
 progress or not, and also (in some implementations) depending on whether an
 input timeout or non-blocking mode has been set.
 .PP
 progress or not, and also (in some implementations) depending on whether an
 input timeout or non-blocking mode has been set.
 .PP

+\fBKEY_MOUSE\fP is mentioned in XSI Curses, along with a few related
+terminfo capabilities, but no higher-level functions use the feature.
+The implementation in ncurses is an extension.
+.PP
+\fBKEY_RESIZE\fP is an extension first implemented for ncurses. 
+NetBSD curses later added this extension.
+.PP

 Programmers concerned about portability should be prepared for either of two
 cases: (a) signal receipt does not interrupt \fBgetch\fR; (b) signal receipt
 interrupts \fBgetch\fR and causes it to return ERR with \fBerrno\fR set to
 \fBEINTR\fR.
 Programmers concerned about portability should be prepared for either of two
 cases: (a) signal receipt does not interrupt \fBgetch\fR; (b) signal receipt
 interrupts \fBgetch\fR and causes it to return ERR with \fBerrno\fR set to
 \fBEINTR\fR.

-Under the \fBncurses\fR implementation, handled signals never
-interrupt \fBgetch\fR.

 .PP
 The \fBhas_key\fR function is unique to \fBncurses\fR.
 We recommend that
 .PP
 The \fBhas_key\fR function is unique to \fBncurses\fR.
 We recommend that


@@ -345,6 +398,7 @@ any code using it be conditionalized on the \fBNCURSES_VERSION\fR feature macro.
 \fBcurs_mouse\fR(3X),
 \fBcurs_move\fR(3X),
 \fBcurs_refresh\fR(3X),
 \fBcurs_mouse\fR(3X),
 \fBcurs_move\fR(3X),
 \fBcurs_refresh\fR(3X),

+\fBcurs_variables\fR(3X),

 \fBresizeterm\fR(3X).
 .PP
 Comparable functions in the wide-character (ncursesw) library are
 \fBresizeterm\fR(3X).
 .PP
 Comparable functions in the wide-character (ncursesw) library are