---
name: "flash"
section: "3x"
platform: "linux"
package: "ncurses"
version: "6.6-2"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/curs_beep/3x"
---

# flash(3x)

ring the (visual) bell of the terminal with curses

Part of [curs\_beep(3x)](/curs_beep/3x.md).

## NAME

**beep**, **flash** - ring the (visual) bell of the terminal with *curses*

## SYNOPSIS

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

**int beep(void);** **int flash(void);**

## DESCRIPTION

**beep** **and** **flash** **alert the terminal user:** **the former by sounding the terminal's audible alarm,** **and the latter by visibly attracting attention.** **Commonly,** **a terminal implements a visual bell by momentarily reversing the** **character foreground and background colors on the entire display;** **even a monochrome device can do this.** **These functions each attempt the other alert type if the one requested** **is unavailable.** **If neither is available,** *curses* **performs no action.** **Nearly all terminals have an audible alert mechanism such as a bell or** **piezoelectric buzzer,** **but only some can flash the screen.**

## RETURN VALUE

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

**In** *ncurses*, **beep** **and** **flash** **return** **OK** **if the terminal type supports the corresponding capability:** **bell** (**bel**) **for** **beep** **and** **flash\_screen** (**flash**) **for** **flash**. **Otherwise they return** **ERR**.

## EXTENSIONS

**In** *ncurses*, **these functions can return** **ERR**.

## PORTABILITY

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

**On SVr4** *curses*, **they always return** *OK*, **and X/Open Curses specifies them as doing so.**

## HISTORY

**SVr2 (1984)** **introduced** *beep* **and** *flash*.

## SEE ALSO

**curses(3X),** **[terminfo(5)](/terminfo/5.md)**