X-Git-Url: https://ncurses.scripts.mit.edu/?p=ncurses.git;a=blobdiff_plain;f=man%2Fcurs_getstr.3x;h=818dc9035a0e5da9f91bbb98cbd17fd71c387bea;hp=e8fbbc6df76070be38d64e68360193b183d1ec0a;hb=97cb42f22c43eb31a4bf11475bd73ab0e0b10923;hpb=58552e8c761a70f8f0bd591fecdf576fa8216e3e

diff --git a/man/curs_getstr.3x b/man/curs_getstr.3x
index e8fbbc6d..818dc903 100644
--- a/man/curs_getstr.3x
+++ b/man/curs_getstr.3x
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 .\"***************************************************************************
-.\" Copyright (c) 1998-2010,2017 Free Software Foundation, Inc.              *
+.\" Copyright (c) 1998-2018,2019 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            *
@@ -26,8 +26,16 @@
 .\" authorization.                                                           *
 .\"***************************************************************************
 .\"
-.\" $Id: curs_getstr.3x,v 1.20 2017/01/07 19:25:15 tom Exp $
+.\" $Id: curs_getstr.3x,v 1.28 2019/07/20 19:14:56 tom Exp $
 .TH curs_getstr 3X ""
+.ie \n(.g .ds `` \(lq
+.el       .ds `` ``
+.ie \n(.g .ds '' \(rq
+.el       .ds '' ''
+.de bP
+.ie n  .IP \(bu 4
+.el    .IP \(bu 2
+..
 .na
 .hy 0
 .SH NAME
@@ -63,25 +71,35 @@
 .SH DESCRIPTION
 The function \fBgetstr\fR is equivalent to a series of calls to \fBgetch\fR,
 until a newline or carriage return is received (the terminating character is
-not included in the returned string).  The resulting value is placed in the
-area pointed to by the character pointer \fIstr\fR.
+not included in the returned string).
+.\" X/Open says also until EOf
+.\" X/Open says then an EOS is added to the result
+.\" X/Open doesn't mention n<0
+The resulting value is placed in the
+area pointed to by the character pointer \fIstr\fR,
+followed by a NUL.
 .PP
 \fBwgetnstr\fR reads at most \fIn\fR characters, thus preventing a possible
-overflow of the input buffer.  Any attempt to enter more characters (other
-than the terminating newline or carriage return) causes a beep.  Function
-keys also cause a beep and are ignored.  The \fBgetnstr\fR function reads
+overflow of the input buffer.
+Any attempt to enter more characters (other
+than the terminating newline or carriage return) causes a beep.
+Function
+keys also cause a beep and are ignored.
+The \fBgetnstr\fR function reads
 from the \fIstdscr\fR default window.
 .PP
-The user's erase and kill characters are interpreted.  If keypad
+The user's erase and kill characters are interpreted.
+If keypad
 mode is on for the window, \fBKEY_LEFT\fR and \fBKEY_BACKSPACE\fR
 are both considered equivalent to the user's kill character.
 .PP
-Characters input are echoed only if \fBecho\fR is currently on.  In that case,
+Characters input are echoed only if \fBecho\fR is currently on.
+In that case,
 backspace is echoed as deletion of the previous character (typically a left
 motion).
 .SH RETURN VALUE
 All routines return the integer \fBERR\fR upon failure and an \fBOK\fR (SVr4
-specifies only "an integer value other than \fBERR\fR") upon successful
+specifies only \*(``an integer value other than \fBERR\fR\*('') upon successful
 completion.
 .PP
 X/Open defines no error conditions.
@@ -92,10 +110,10 @@ if the window pointer is null, or
 if its timeout expires without having any data.
 .PP
 This implementation provides an extension as well.
-If a SIGWINCH interrupts the function, it will return \fBKEY_RESIZE\fP
+If a \fBSIGWINCH\fP interrupts the function, it will return \fBKEY_RESIZE\fP
 rather than \fBOK\fP or \fBERR\fP.
 .PP
-Functions with a "mv" prefix first perform a cursor movement using
+Functions with a \*(``mv\*('' prefix first perform a cursor movement using
 \fBwmove\fP, and return an error if the position is outside the window,
 or if the window pointer is null.
 .SH NOTES
@@ -104,18 +122,70 @@ Note that \fBgetstr\fR, \fBmvgetstr\fR, and \fBmvwgetstr\fR may be macros.
 These functions are described in the XSI Curses standard, Issue 4.
 They read single-byte characters only.
 The standard does not define any error conditions.
-This implementation returns ERR if the window pointer is null,
-or if the lower-level \fBwgetch\fR(3X) call returns an ERR.
+This implementation returns \fBERR\fP if the window pointer is null,
+or if the lower-level \fBwgetch\fR(3X) call returns an \fBERR\fP.
 .PP
 SVr3 and early SVr4 curses implementations did not reject function keys;
-the SVr4.0 documentation claimed that "special keys" (such as function
-keys, "home" key, "clear" key, \fIetc\fR.) are "interpreted", without
-giving details.  It lied.  In fact, the `character' value appended to the
+the SVr4.0 documentation claimed that \*(``special keys\*(''
+(such as function keys,
+\*(``home\*('' key,
+\*(``clear\*('' key,
+\fIetc\fR.) are \*(``interpreted\*('',
+without giving details.
+It lied.
+In fact, the \*(``character\*('' value appended to the
 string by those implementations was predictable but not useful
 (being, in fact, the low-order eight bits of the key's KEY_ value).
 .PP
 The functions \fBgetnstr\fR, \fBmvgetnstr\fR, and \fBmvwgetnstr\fR were
 present but not documented in SVr4.
+.PP
+X/Open Curses, Issue 5 (2007) stated that these functions
+\*(``read at most \fIn\fP bytes\*(''
+but did not state whether the terminating NUL is counted in that limit.
+X/Open Curses, Issue 7 (2009) changed that to say they
+\*(``read at most \fIn\fP\-1 bytes\*(''
+to allow for the terminating NUL.
+As of 2018, some implementations do, some do not count it:
+.bP
+ncurses 6.1 and PDCurses do not count the NUL in the given limit, while
+.bP
+Solaris SVr4 and NetBSD curses count the NUL as part of the limit.
+.bP
+Solaris xcurses provides both:
+its wide-character \fBwget_nstr\fP reserves a NUL,
+but its \fBwgetnstr\fP does not count the NUL consistently.
+.PP
+In SVr4 curses,
+a negative value of \fIn\fP tells \fBwgetnstr\fP to assume that the
+caller's buffer is large enough to hold the result,
+i.e., to act like \fBwgetstr\fP.
+X/Open Curses does not mention this
+(or anything related to negative or zero values of \fIn\fP),
+however most implementations
+use the feature, with different limits:
+.bP
+Solaris SVr4 curses and PDCurses limit the result to 255 bytes.
+Other Unix systems than Solaris are likely to use the same limit.
+.bP
+Solaris xcurses limits the result to \fBLINE_MAX\fP bytes.
+.bP
+NetBSD 7 assumes no particular limit for the result from \fBwgetstr\fP.
+However, it limits the \fBwgetnstr\fP parameter \fIn\fP to ensure
+that it is greater than zero.
+.IP
+A comment in NetBSD's source code states that this is specified in SUSv2.
+.bP
+ncurses (before 6.2) assumes no particular limit for the result
+from \fBwgetstr\fP, and treats the \fIn\fP parameter of \fBwgetnstr\fP
+like SVr4 curses.
+.bP
+ncurses 6.2 uses \fBLINE_MAX\fP,
+or a larger (system-dependent) value
+which the \fBsysconf\fP function may provide.
+If neither \fBLINE_MAX\fP or \fBsysconf\fP is available,
+ncurses uses the POSIX value for \fBLINE_MAX\fP (a 2048 byte limit).
+In either case, it reserves a byte for the terminating NUL.
 .SH SEE ALSO
 \fBcurses\fR(3X),
 \fBcurs_getch\fR(3X),