curs\_in\_wch(3X) Library calls curs\_in\_wch(3X)

# [NAME](#NAME)

**in\_wch**, **win\_wch**, **mvin\_wch**, **mvwin\_wch** - get a *curses* complex character from a window

# [SYNOPSIS](#SYNOPSIS)

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

```
int in_wch(cchar_t * wch);
int win_wch(WINDOW * win, cchar_t * wch);
int mvin_wch(int y, int x, cchar_t * wch);
int mvwin_wch(WINDOW * win, int y, int x, cchar_t * wch);
```

# [DESCRIPTION](#DESCRIPTION)

**win\_wch** copies the *curses* complex character at the cursor position in *win* into *wch*. Use [**getcchar**(3X)](/man/os/ncurses/getcchar.3X) to extract its character code, attributes, and color pair identifier. [**ncurses**(3X)](/man/os/ncurses/ncurses.3X) describes the variants of this function.

# [RETURN VALUE](#RETURN_VALUE)

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

In *ncurses*, they return **ERR** if *win* is *NULL*.

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

# [NOTES](#NOTES)

**in\_wch**, **mvin\_wch**, and **mvwin\_wch** may be implemented as macros.

Unlike [**winch**(3X)](/man/os/ncurses/winch.3X), **win\_wch** and its variants store the value of the retrieved character in an additional *wch* parameter instead of the return value.

# [PORTABILITY](#PORTABILITY)

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

# [HISTORY](#HISTORY)

X/Open Curses Issue 4 (1995) initially specified these functions. The System V Interface Definition Version 4 of the same year specified a function named *winwch* (and the usual variants). This was a later addition to SVr4.*x*, not appearing in the first SVr4 (1989). It differed from X/Open's later *win\_wch* in that it returned a value of type *chtype* instead of *cchar\_t*.

# [SEE ALSO](#SEE_ALSO)

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

[**curses**(3X)](/man/os/ncurses/curses.3X), [**curs\_inwstr**(3X)](/man/os/ncurses/curs_inwstr.3X)

2025-02-01 ncurses 6.6

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Document: win_wch(3x) from ncurses 6.6.20261031-r0 (Chainguard OS)
Source: https://github.com/ThomasDickey/ncurses-snapshots