wresize(3X) Library calls wresize(3X)

# [NAME](#NAME)

**wresize** - resize a *curses* window

# [SYNOPSIS](#SYNOPSIS)

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

```
int wresize(WINDOW * win, int lines, int columns);
```

# [DESCRIPTION](#DESCRIPTION)

**wresize**, an *ncurses* extension to the *curses* library, reallocates storage for *win*, adjusting its dimensions to *lines* and *columns*. If either dimension is larger than its current value, *ncurses* fills the expanded part of the window with the window's background character as configured by [**wbkgdset**(3X)](/man/os/ncurses/wbkgdset.3X) (wide-character API: [**wbkgrndset**(3X)](/man/os/ncurses/wbkgrndset.3X)).

# [RETURN VALUE](#RETURN_VALUE)

**wresize** returns **OK** on success and **ERR** on failure. It fails if either *lines* or *columns* is less than or equal to zero, or if an error occurs while (re)allocating memory for *win*.

# [NOTES](#NOTES)

The only restriction placed on the values of *lines* and *columns* is that they be greater than zero. They are *not* compared to the dimensions of the *curses* screen; this keeps the logic of [**resizeterm**(3X)](/man/os/ncurses/resizeterm.3X) simple. The caller must ensure that *win*'s dimensions fit within those of the screen.

# [EXTENSIONS](#EXTENSIONS)

**wresize** is an [**ncurses**(3X)](/man/os/ncurses/ncurses.3X) extension, and is not found in SVr4 *curses*, 4.4BSD *curses*, or any other previous *curses* implementation.

# [PORTABILITY](#PORTABILITY)

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

NetBSD *curses* adopted *wresize* in 2001 (release 1.5.3), and *PDCurses* in 2004 (version 2.7).

It is not possible to resize windows with SVr4 *curses*.

# [HISTORY](#HISTORY)

Thomas Dickey developed *wresize* as an extension to BSD *curses* in 1988, and brought it to *ncurses* in mid-1995.

# [AUTHORS](#AUTHORS)

Thomas Dickey

# [SEE ALSO](#SEE_ALSO)

[**resizeterm**(3X)](/man/os/ncurses/resizeterm.3X)

2025-01-18 ncurses 6.6

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Document: wresize(3x) from ncurses 6.6.20261024-r0 (Chainguard OS)
Source: https://github.com/ThomasDickey/ncurses-snapshots