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

# curs\_getch(3x)

get (or push back) characters from curses terminal keyboard

## NAME

**getch**, **wgetch**, **mvgetch**, **mvwgetch**, **ungetch**, **has\_key** - get (or push back) characters from **curses** terminal keyboard

## SYNOPSIS

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

**int getch(void);**\
 **int wgetch(WINDOW \****win);*\
 **int mvgetch(int** *y***, int** *x***);**\
 **int mvwgetch(WINDOW \****win***, int** *y***, int** *x***);**\
 **int ungetch(int** *ch***);**\
 **int has\_key(int** *ch***);**\

## DESCRIPTION

### Reading characters

The **getch**, **wgetch**, **mvgetch** and **mvwgetch**, routines read a character from the window. In no-delay mode, if no input is waiting, the value **ERR** is returned. In delay mode, the program waits until the system passes text through to the program. Depending on the setting of **cbreak**, this is after one character (cbreak mode), or after the first newline (nocbreak mode). In half-delay mode, the program waits until a character is typed or the specified timeout has been reached.

If **echo** is enabled, and the window is not a pad, then the character will also be echoed into the designated window according to the following rules:

- •

  If the character is the current erase character, left arrow, or backspace, the cursor is moved one space to the left and that screen position is erased as if **delch** had been called.

- •

  If the character value is any other **KEY\_** define, the user is alerted with a **beep** call.

- •

  If the character is a carriage-return, and if **nl** is enabled, it is translated to a line-feed after echoing.

- •

  Otherwise the character is simply output to the screen.

If the window is not a pad, and it has been moved or modified since the last call to **wrefresh**, **wrefresh** will be called before another character is read.

### Keypad mode

If **keypad** is **TRUE**, and a function key is pressed, the token for that function key is returned instead of the raw characters. Possible function keys are defined in **\<curses.h\>** as macros with values outside the range of 8-bit characters whose names begin with **KEY\_**. Thus, a variable intended to hold the return value of a function key must be of short size or larger.

When a character that could be the beginning of a function key is received (which, on modern terminals, means an escape character), **curses** sets a timer. If the remainder of the sequence does not come in within the designated time, the character is passed through; otherwise, the function key value is returned. For this reason, many terminals experience a delay between the time a user presses the escape key and the escape is returned to the program.

### Ungetting characters

The **ungetch** routine places *ch* back onto the input queue to be returned by the next call to **wgetch**. There is just one input queue for all windows.

### Predefined key-codes

The following special keys, defined in **\<curses.h\>**, may be returned by **getch** if **keypad** has been enabled. Not all of these are necessarily supported on any particular terminal.

| | |
| --- | --- |
| *Name* | *Key* *name* |
| KEY\_BREAK | Break key |
| KEY\_DOWN | The four arrow keys ... |
| KEY\_UP |
| KEY\_LEFT |
| KEY\_RIGHT |
| KEY\_HOME | Home key (upward+left arrow) |
| KEY\_BACKSPACE | Backspace |
| KEY\_F0 | Function keys; space for 64 keys is reserved. |
| KEY\_F(*n*) | For 0 ≤ *n* ≤ 63 |
| KEY\_DL | Delete line |
| KEY\_IL | Insert line |
| KEY\_DC | Delete character |
| KEY\_IC | Insert char or enter insert mode |
| KEY\_EIC | Exit insert char mode |
| KEY\_CLEAR | Clear screen |
| KEY\_EOS | Clear to end of screen |
| KEY\_EOL | Clear to end of line |
| KEY\_SF | Scroll 1 line forward |
| KEY\_SR | Scroll 1 line backward (reverse) |
| KEY\_NPAGE | Next page |
| KEY\_PPAGE | Previous page |
| KEY\_STAB | Set tab |
| KEY\_CTAB | Clear tab |
| KEY\_CATAB | Clear all tabs |
| KEY\_ENTER | Enter or send |
| KEY\_SRESET | Soft (partial) reset |
| KEY\_RESET | Reset or hard reset |
| KEY\_PRINT | Print or copy |
| KEY\_LL | Home down or bottom (lower left) |
| KEY\_A1 | Upper left of keypad |
| KEY\_A3 | Upper right of keypad |
| KEY\_B2 | Center of keypad |
| KEY\_C1 | Lower left of keypad |
| KEY\_C3 | Lower right of keypad |
| KEY\_BTAB | Back tab key |
| KEY\_BEG | Beg(inning) key |
| KEY\_CANCEL | Cancel key |
| KEY\_CLOSE | Close key |
| KEY\_COMMAND | Cmd (command) key |
| KEY\_COPY | Copy key |
| KEY\_CREATE | Create key |
| KEY\_END | End key |
| KEY\_EXIT | Exit key |
| KEY\_FIND | Find key |
| KEY\_HELP | Help key |
| KEY\_MARK | Mark key |
| KEY\_MESSAGE | Message key |
| KEY\_MOUSE | Mouse event read |
| KEY\_MOVE | Move key |
| KEY\_NEXT | Next object key |
| KEY\_OPEN | Open key |
| KEY\_OPTIONS | Options key |
| KEY\_PREVIOUS | Previous object key |
| KEY\_REDO | Redo key |
| KEY\_REFERENCE | Ref(erence) key |
| KEY\_REFRESH | Refresh key |
| KEY\_REPLACE | Replace key |
| KEY\_RESIZE | Screen resized |
| KEY\_RESTART | Restart key |
| KEY\_RESUME | Resume key |
| KEY\_SAVE | Save key |
| KEY\_SBEG | Shifted beginning key |
| KEY\_SCANCEL | Shifted cancel key |
| KEY\_SCOMMAND | Shifted command key |
| KEY\_SCOPY | Shifted copy key |
| KEY\_SCREATE | Shifted create key |
| KEY\_SDC | Shifted delete char key |
| KEY\_SDL | Shifted delete line key |
| KEY\_SELECT | Select key |
| KEY\_SEND | Shifted end key |
| KEY\_SEOL | Shifted clear line key |
| KEY\_SEXIT | Shifted exit key |
| KEY\_SFIND | Shifted find key |
| KEY\_SHELP | Shifted help key |
| KEY\_SHOME | Shifted home key |
| KEY\_SIC | Shifted input key |
| KEY\_SLEFT | Shifted left arrow key |
| KEY\_SMESSAGE | Shifted message key |
| KEY\_SMOVE | Shifted move key |
| KEY\_SNEXT | Shifted next key |
| KEY\_SOPTIONS | Shifted options key |
| KEY\_SPREVIOUS | Shifted prev key |
| KEY\_SPRINT | Shifted print key |
| KEY\_SREDO | Shifted redo key |
| KEY\_SREPLACE | Shifted replace key |
| KEY\_SRIGHT | Shifted right arrow |
| KEY\_SRSUME | Shifted resume key |
| KEY\_SSAVE | Shifted save key |
| KEY\_SSUSPEND | Shifted suspend key |
| KEY\_SUNDO | Shifted undo key |
| KEY\_SUSPEND | Suspend key |
| KEY\_UNDO | Undo key |

Keypad is arranged like this:\

| | | |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **A1** | **up** | **A3** |
| **left** | **B2** | **right** |
| **C1** | **down** | **C3** |

A few of these predefined values do *not* correspond to a real key:

- •

  **KEY\_RESIZE** is returned when the **SIGWINCH** signal has been detected (see **initscr**(3X) and **resizeterm**(3X)).

- •

  **KEY\_MOUSE** is returned for mouse-events (see **curs\_mouse**(3X)).

### Testing key-codes

The **has\_key** routine takes a key-code value from the above list, and returns **TRUE** or **FALSE** according to whether the current terminal type recognizes a key with that value.

The library also supports these extensions:

- **define\_key**

  defines a key-code for a given string (see **define\_key**(3X)).

- **key\_defined**

  checks if there is a key-code defined for a given string (see **key\_defined**(3X)).

## RETURN VALUE

All routines return the integer **ERR** upon failure and an integer value other than **ERR** (**OK** in the case of ungetch()) upon successful completion.

- **ungetch**

  returns ERR if there is no more room in the FIFO.

- **wgetch**

  returns ERR if the window pointer is null, or if its timeout expires without having any data.

Functions with a "mv" prefix first perform a cursor movement using **wmove**, and return an error if the position is outside the window, or if the window pointer is null.

## NOTES

Use of the escape key by a programmer for a single character function is discouraged, as it will cause a delay of up to one second while the keypad code looks for a following function-key sequence.

Some keys may be the same as commonly used control keys, e.g., **KEY\_ENTER** versus control/M, **KEY\_BACKSPACE** versus control/H. Some curses implementations may differ according to whether they treat these control keys specially (and ignore the terminfo), or use the terminfo definitions. **Ncurses** uses the terminfo definition. If it says that **KEY\_ENTER** is control/M, **getch** will return **KEY\_ENTER** when you press control/M.

Generally, **KEY\_ENTER** denotes the character(s) sent by the *Enter* key on the numeric keypad:

- •

  the terminal description lists the most useful keys,

- •

  the *Enter* key on the regular keyboard is already handled by the standard ASCII characters for carriage-return and line-feed,

- •

  depending on whether **nl** or **nonl** was called, pressing "Enter" on the regular keyboard may return either a carriage-return or line-feed, and finally

- •

  "Enter or send" is the standard description for this key.

When using **getch**, **wgetch**, **mvgetch**, or **mvwgetch**, nocbreak mode (**nocbreak**) and echo mode (**echo**) should not be used at the same time. Depending on the state of the tty driver when each character is typed, the program may produce undesirable results.

Note that **getch**, **mvgetch**, and **mvwgetch** may be macros.

Historically, the set of keypad macros was largely defined by the extremely function-key-rich keyboard of the AT&T 7300, aka 3B1, aka Safari 4. Modern personal computers usually have only a small subset of these. IBM PC-style consoles typically support little more than **KEY\_UP**, **KEY\_DOWN**, **KEY\_LEFT**, **KEY\_RIGHT**, **KEY\_HOME**, **KEY\_END**, **KEY\_NPAGE**, **KEY\_PPAGE**, and function keys 1 through 12. The Ins key is usually mapped to **KEY\_IC**.

## PORTABILITY

The \*get\* functions are described in the XSI Curses standard, Issue 4. They read single-byte characters only. The standard specifies that they return **ERR** on failure, but specifies no error conditions.

The echo behavior of these functions on input of **KEY\_** or backspace characters was not specified in the SVr4 documentation. This description is adopted from the XSI Curses standard.

The behavior of **getch** and friends in the presence of handled signals is unspecified in the SVr4 and XSI Curses documentation. Under historical curses implementations, it varied depending on whether the operating system's implementation of handled signal receipt interrupts a [**read**(2)](/read/2.md) call in progress or not, and also (in some implementations) depending on whether an input timeout or non-blocking mode has been set.

Programmers concerned about portability should be prepared for either of two cases: (a) signal receipt does not interrupt **getch**; (b) signal receipt interrupts **getch** and causes it to return ERR with **errno** set to **EINTR**. Under the **ncurses** implementation, handled signals never interrupt **getch**.

The **has\_key** function is unique to **ncurses**. We recommend that any code using it be conditionalized on the **NCURSES\_VERSION** feature macro.

## SEE ALSO

**curses**(3X), **curs\_inopts**(3X), **curs\_outopts**(3X), **curs\_mouse**(3X), **curs\_move**(3X), **curs\_refresh**(3X), **resizeterm**(3X).

Comparable functions in the wide-character (ncursesw) library are described in **curs\_get\_wch**(3X).