resizeterm(3x) — Linux manual page
resizeterm(3X) resizeterm(3X)
NAME
is_term_resized, resize_term, resizeterm - change the curses
terminal size
SYNOPSIS
#include <curses.h>
bool is_term_resized(int lines, int columns);
int resize_term(int lines, int columns);
int resizeterm(int lines, int columns);
DESCRIPTION
This is an extension to the curses library. It provides callers
with a hook into the ncurses data to resize windows, primarily
for use by programs running in an X Window terminal (e.g., xterm)
when the terminal's screen size is changed by the user:
• Curses windows cannot extend outside the screen. If the
terminal is shrunk, curses windows must be shrunk to fit.
• If the terminal is stretched, rows and/or columns can be
added to existing windows. The added cells should match the
current attributes of the windows.
If the calling program has not set up a handler for SIGWINCH when
it initializes ncurses (e.g., using initscr(3X) or newterm(3X)),
then ncurses sets a handler for SIGWINCH which notifies the
library when a window-size event has occurred. The library
checks for this notification
• when reading input data,
• when implicitly resuming program mode (e.g., between
endwin(3X) and wrefresh(3X)), and
• when explicitly resuming program mode in restartterm(3X).
When the library has found that the terminal's window-size has
changed, it calls resizeterm to update its data structures.
An application which establishes its own SIGWINCH handler can
call resizeterm, but in that case, the library will not see
SIGWINCH, and proper layout will rely upon the application.
FUNCTIONS
resizeterm
The function resizeterm resizes the standard and current windows
(i.e., stdscr and curscr) to the specified dimensions, and
adjusts other bookkeeping data used by the ncurses library that
record the window dimensions such as the LINES and COLS
variables.
resize_term
Most of the work for resizeterm is done by the inner function
resize_term. The outer function resizeterm adds bookkeeping for
the SIGWINCH handler, as well as repainting the soft-key area
(see slk_touch(3X)).
The resize_term function attempts to resize all windows. This
helps with simple applications. However:
• It is not possible to automatically resize pads.
• Applications which have complicated layouts should check for
KEY_RESIZE returned from wgetch, and adjust their layout,
e.g., using wresize and mvwin, or by recreating the windows.
When resizing windows, resize_term recursively adjusts
subwindows, keeping them within the updated parent window's
limits. If a top-level window happens to extend to the screen's
limits, then on resizing the window, resize_term will keep the
window extending to the corresponding limit, regardless of
whether the screen has shrunk or grown.
is_term_resized
A support function is_term_resized is provided so that
applications can check if the resize_term function would modify
the window structures. It returns TRUE if the windows would be
modified, and FALSE otherwise.
RETURN VALUE
Except as noted, these functions return the integer ERR upon
failure and OK on success. They will fail if either of the
dimensions are less than or equal to zero, or if an error occurs
while (re)allocating memory for the windows.
NOTES
While these functions are intended to be used to support a signal
handler (i.e., for SIGWINCH), care should be taken to avoid
invoking them in a context where malloc or realloc may have been
interrupted, since it uses those functions.
If ncurses is configured to supply its own SIGWINCH handler,
• on receipt of a SIGWINCH, the handler sets a flag
• which is tested in wgetch(3X), doupdate(3X) and
restartterm(3X),
• in turn, calling the resizeterm function,
• which ungetch's a KEY_RESIZE which will be read on the next
call to wgetch.
The KEY_RESIZE alerts an application that the screen size has
changed, and that it should repaint special features such as
pads that cannot be done automatically.
Calling resizeterm or resize_term directly from a signal
handler is unsafe. This indirect method is used to provide a
safe way to resize the ncurses data structures.
If the environment variables LINES or COLUMNS are set, this
overrides the library's use of the window size obtained from the
operating system. Thus, even if a SIGWINCH is received, no
screen size change may be recorded.
PORTABILITY
It is possible to resize the screen with SVr4 curses, by
• exiting curses with endwin(3X) and
• resuming using refresh(3X).
Doing that clears the screen and is visually distracting.
This extension of ncurses was introduced in mid-1995. It was
adopted in NetBSD curses (2001) and PDCurses (2003).
SEE ALSO
curs_getch(3X), curs_variables(3X), wresize(3X).
AUTHOR
Thomas Dickey (from an equivalent function written in 1988 for
BSD curses).
COLOPHON
This page is part of the ncurses (new curses) project.
Information about the project can be found at
⟨https://www.gnu.org/software/ncurses/ncurses.html⟩. If you have
a bug report for this manual page, send it to
bug-ncurses-request@gnu.org. This page was obtained from the
project's upstream Git mirror of the CVS repository
⟨https://github.com/mirror/ncurses.git⟩ on 2024-06-14. (At that
time, the date of the most recent commit that was found in the
repository was 2023-03-12.) If you discover any rendering
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