curs\_ins\_wstr(3X) Library calls curs\_ins\_wstr(3X)

# [NAME](#NAME)

**ins\_wstr**, **wins\_wstr**, **mvins\_wstr**, **mvwins\_wstr**, **ins\_nwstr**, **wins\_nwstr**, **mvins\_nwstr**, **mvwins\_nwstr** - insert a wide-character string in a *curses* window

# [SYNOPSIS](#SYNOPSIS)

```
#include <curses.h>
```

```
int ins_wstr(const wchar_t * wstr);
int wins_wstr(WINDOW * win, const wchar_t * wstr);
int mvins_wstr(int y, int x, const wchar_t * wstr);
int mvwins_wstr(WINDOW * win, int y, int x,


      const wchar_t * wstr);
```

```
int ins_nwstr(const wchar_t * wstr, int n);
int wins_nwstr(WINDOW * win, const wchar_t * wstr, int n);
int mvins_nwstr(int y, int x, const wchar_t * wstr, int n);
int mvwins_nwstr(WINDOW * win, int y, int x,


      const wchar_t * wstr, int n);
```

# [DESCRIPTION](#DESCRIPTION)

**wins\_wstr** inserts a wide-character string *wstr* before the character at the cursor in window *win* as if by calling [**wins\_wch**(3X)](/man/os/ncurses/wins_wch.3X) for each *wchar\_t* in *wstr*. No line wrapping is performed. Characters to the right of the cursor are shifted right; those at the right edge of the window may be lost. **wins\_wstr** stops inserting if it would have to wrap to the next line to write the next *wchar\_t* in *wstr*. The cursor position does not change (after moving to (*y*, *x*), if specified). **wins\_nwstr** does the same, but inserts at most *n* wide characters, or as many as possible (up to the end of the line) if *n* is negative. [**ncurses**(3X)](/man/os/ncurses/ncurses.3X) describes the variants of these functions.

# [RETURN VALUE](#RETURN_VALUE)

These functions return **OK** on success and **ERR** on failure.

In *ncurses*, they return **ERR** if

- *win* is *NULL*,
- *wstr* is *NULL*,
- the first wide character in *wstr* is a non-spacing character, or
- an internal [**wins\_wch**(3X)](/man/os/ncurses/wins_wch.3X) call returns **ERR**.

Functions prefixed with “mv” first perform cursor movement and fail if the position (*y*, *x*) is outside the window boundaries.

# [NOTES](#NOTES)

All of these functions except **wins\_nwstr** may be implemented as macros.

# [EXTENSIONS](#EXTENSIONS)

**ins\_nwstr**, **wins\_nwstr**, **mvins\_nwstr**, and **mvwins\_nwstr**'s acceptance of negative *n* values is an *ncurses* extension.

# [PORTABILITY](#PORTABILITY)

Applications employing *ncurses* extensions should condition their use on the visibility of the **NCURSES\_VERSION** preprocessor macro.

X/Open Curses Issue 4 describes these functions. It specifies no error conditions for them.

X/Open Curses does not specify what happens if a non-spacing character follows a control character.

Issue 4 states that the entire string is inserted if *n* is less than 1. This is probably an error, because it is inconsistent with other functions such as *waddwstr*, and differs from the SVr4 *curses* and Solaris *xcurses* implementations. Nevertheless, Issue 7 retains the language.

# [HISTORY](#HISTORY)

X/Open Curses Issue 4 (1995) initially specified these functions. The System V Interface Definition Version 4 (1995), specified functions named *winswstr* and *winsnwstr* (and the usual variants). These were later additions to SVr4.*x*, not appearing in the first SVr4 (1989). They differ from X/Open's later *wins\_wstr* and *wins\_nwstr* in that their *wstr* parameters are not *const*-qualified.

# [SEE ALSO](#SEE_ALSO)

[**curs\_insstr**(3X)](/man/os/ncurses/curs_insstr.3X) describes comparable functions of the *ncurses* library in its non-wide-character configuration.

[**curses**(3X)](/man/os/ncurses/curses.3X), [**curs\_ins\_wch**(3X)](/man/os/ncurses/curs_ins_wch.3X), [**curs\_in\_wch**(3X)](/man/os/ncurses/curs_in_wch.3X)

2025-03-01 ncurses 6.6

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Document: mvins_wstr(3x) from ncurses 6.6.20261010-r0 (Chainguard OS)
Source: https://github.com/ThomasDickey/ncurses-snapshots