---
name: "curs_clear"
section: "3x"
platform: "macos"
package: "ncurses"
version: "79"
release: "macOS 26.5"
platforms: ["linux", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/curs_clear/3x"
---

# curs\_clear(3x)

clear all or part of a curses window

## NAME

**erase**, **werase**, **clear**, **wclear**, **clrtobot**, **wclrtobot**, **clrtoeol**, **wclrtoeol** - clear all or part of a **curses** window

## SYNOPSIS

**# include \<curses.h\>**

**int erase(void);**\
 **int werase(WINDOW \*win);**\
 **int clear(void);**\
 **int wclear(WINDOW \*win);**\
 **int clrtobot(void);**\
 **int wclrtobot(WINDOW \*win);**\
 **int clrtoeol(void);**\
 **int wclrtoeol(WINDOW \*win);**\

## DESCRIPTION

The **erase** and **werase** routines copy blanks to every position in the window, clearing the screen.

The **clear** and **wclear** routines are like **erase** and **werase**, but they also call **clearok**, so that the screen is cleared completely on the next call to **wrefresh** for that window and repainted from scratch.

The **clrtobot** and **wclrtobot** routines erase from the cursor to the end of screen.  That is, they erase all lines below the cursor in the window. Also, the current line to the right of the cursor, inclusive, is erased.

The **clrtoeol** and **wclrtoeol** routines erase the current line to the right of the cursor, inclusive, to the end of the current line.

Blanks created by erasure have the current background rendition (as set by **wbkgdset**) merged into them.

## RETURN VALUE

All routines return the integer **OK** on success and **ERR** on failure. The SVr4.0 manual says "or a non-negative integer if **immedok** is set", but this appears to be an error.

X/Open defines no error conditions. In this implementation, functions using a window pointer parameter return an error if it is null.

## NOTES

Note that **erase**, **werase**, **clear**, **wclear**, **clrtobot**, and **clrtoeol** may be macros.

## PORTABILITY

These functions are described in the XSI Curses standard, Issue 4.  The standard specifies that they return **ERR** on failure, but specifies no error conditions.

Some historic curses implementations had, as an undocumented feature, the ability to do the equivalent of **clearok(..., 1)** by saying **touchwin(stdscr)** or **clear(stdscr)**.  This will not work under ncurses.

This implementation, and others such as Solaris, sets the current position to 0,0 after erasing via **werase()** and **wclear()**. That fact is not documented in other implementations, and may not be true of implementations which were not derived from SVr4 source.

Not obvious from the description, most implementations clear the screen after **wclear** even for a subwindow or derived window. If you do not want to clear the screen during the next **wrefresh**, use **werase** instead.

## SEE ALSO

**curses**(3X), **curs\_outopts**(3X), **curs\_refresh**(3X), **curs\_variables**(3X)