---
name: "GetAnchor"
section: "2"
platform: "linux"
package: "perl-tk"
version: "b11.02-5"
release: "Debian 1.3 (Bo)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/GetAnchor"
---

# GetAnchor(2)

translate between strings and anchor positions

## NAME

Tk\_GetAnchor, Tk\_NameOfAnchor - translate between strings and anchor positions

## SYNOPSIS

```
#include <tk.h>

int
Tk_GetAnchor(interp, string, anchorPtr)

char *
Tk_NameOfAnchor(anchor)
```

## ARGUMENTS

Interpreter to use for error reporting. String containing name of anchor point: one of \`\`n'', \`\`ne'', \`\`e'', \`\`se'', \`\`s'', \`\`sw'', \`\`w'', \`\`nw'', or \`\`center''. Pointer to location in which to store anchor position corresponding to *string*. Anchor position, e.g. **TCL\_ANCHOR\_CENTER**.

## DESCRIPTION

**Tk\_GetAnchor** places in *\*anchorPtr* an anchor position (enumerated type **Tk\_Anchor**) corresponding to *string*,  which will be one of **TK\_ANCHOR\_N**, **TK\_ANCHOR\_NE**, **TK\_ANCHOR\_E**, **TK\_ANCHOR\_SE**, **TK\_ANCHOR\_S**, **TK\_ANCHOR\_SW**, **TK\_ANCHOR\_W**, **TK\_ANCHOR\_NW**, or **TK\_ANCHOR\_CENTER**. Anchor positions are typically used for indicating a point on an object that will be used to position that object, e.g. **TK\_ANCHOR\_N** means position the top center point of the object at a particular place.

Under normal circumstances the return value is **TCL\_OK** and *interp* is unused. If *string* doesn't contain a valid anchor position or an abbreviation of one of these names, then an error message is stored in *interp-\>result*, **TCL\_ERROR** is returned, and *\*anchorPtr* is unmodified.

**Tk\_NameOfAnchor** is the logical inverse of **Tk\_GetAnchor**. Given an anchor position such as **TK\_ANCHOR\_N** it returns a statically-allocated string corresponding to *anchor*. If *anchor* isn't a legal anchor value, then \`\`unknown anchor position'' is returned.

## KEYWORDS

anchor position