menu(3x) menu(3x)
menu - curses extension for programming menus
#include <menu.h>
The menu library provides terminal-independent facilities for composing
menu systems on character-cell terminals. The library includes: item
routines, which create and modify menu items; and menu routines, which
group items into menus, display menus on the screen, and handle inter-
action with the user.
The menu library uses the curses libraries, and a curses initialization
routine such as initscr must be called before using any of these func-
tions. To use the menu library, link with the options -lmenu -lcurses.
The menu library maintains a default value for item attributes. You
can get or set this default by calling the appropriate get_ or set_
routine with a NULL item pointer. Changing this default with a set_
function affects future item creations, but does not change the render-
ing of items already created.
The following table lists each menu routine and the name of the manual
page on which it is described.
curses Routine Name Manual Page Name
--------------------------------------------
current_item mitem_current(3x)
free_item mitem_new(3x)
free_menu menu_new(3x)
item_count menu_items(3x)
item_description mitem_name(3x)
item_index mitem_current(3x)
item_init menu_hook(3x)
item_name mitem_name(3x)
item_opts mitem_opts(3x)
item_opts_off mitem_opts(3x)
item_opts_on mitem_opts(3x)
item_term menu_hook(3x)
item_userptr mitem_userptr(3x)
item_value mitem_value(3x)
item_visible mitem_visible(3x)
menu_back menu_attributes(3x)
menu_driver menu_driver(3x)
menu_fore menu_attributes(3x)
menu_format menu_format(3x)
menu_grey menu_attributes(3x)
menu_init menu_hook(3x)
menu_items menu_items(3x)
menu_mark menu_mark(3x)
menu_opts menu_opts(3x)
menu_opts_off menu_opts(3x)
menu_opts_on menu_opts(3x)
menu_pad menu_attributes(3x)
menu_pattern menu_pattern(3x)
menu_request_by_name menu_requestname(3x)
menu_request_name menu_requestname(3x)
menu_spacing menu_spacing(3x)
menu_sub menu_win(3x)
menu_term menu_hook(3x)
menu_userptr menu_userptr(3x)
menu_win menu_win(3x)
new_item mitem_new(3x)
new_menu menu_new(3x)
pos_menu_cursor menu_cursor(3x)
post_menu menu_post(3x)
scale_menu menu_win(3x)
set_current_item mitem_current(3x)
set_item_init menu_hook(3x)
set_item_opts mitem_opts(3x)
set_item_term menu_hook(3x)
set_item_userptr mitem_userptr(3x)
set_item_value mitem_value(3x)
set_menu_back menu_attributes(3x)
set_menu_fore menu_attributes(3x)
set_menu_format menu_format(3x)
set_menu_grey menu_attributes(3x)
set_menu_init menu_hook(3x)
set_menu_items menu_items(3x)
set_menu_mark menu_mark(3x)
set_menu_opts mitem_opts(3x)
set_menu_pad menu_attributes(3x)
set_menu_pattern menu_pattern(3x)
set_menu_spacing menu_spacing(3x)
set_menu_sub menu_win(3x)
set_menu_term menu_hook(3x)
set_menu_userptr menu_userptr(3x)
set_menu_win menu_win(3x)
set_top_row mitem_current(3x)
top_row mitem_current(3x)
unpost_menu menu_post(3x)
Routines that return pointers return NULL on error. Routines that
return an integer return one of the following error codes:
E_OK The routine succeeded.
E_BAD_ARGUMENT
Routine detected an incorrect or out-of-range argument.
E_BAD_STATE
Routine was called from an initialization or termination function.
E_NO_MATCH
Character failed to match.
E_NO_ROOM
Menu is too large for its window.
E_NOT_CONNECTED
No items are connected to the menu.
E_NOT_POSTED
The menu has not been posted.
E_NOT_SELECTABLE
The designated item cannot be selected.
E_POSTED
The menu is already posted.
E_REQUEST_DENIED
The menu driver could not process the request.
E_SYSTEM_ERROR
System error occurred (see errno).
E_UNKNOWN_COMMAND
The menu driver code saw an unknown request code.
The header file <menu.h> automatically includes the header files
<curses.h> and <eti.h>.
In your library list, libmenu.a should be before libncurses.a; that is,
you should say "-lmenu -lncurses", not the other way around (which
would give a link-error when using static libraries).
These routines emulate the System V menu library. They were not sup-
ported on Version 7 or BSD versions.
The menu facility was documented in SVr4.2 in Character User Interface
Programming (UNIX SVR4.2).
It is not part of X/Open Curses.
Aside from ncurses, there are few implementations:
o systems based on SVr4 source code, e.g., Solaris.
o NetBSD curses.
Juergen Pfeifer. Manual pages and adaptation for ncurses by Eric S.
Raymond.
curses(3x) and related pages whose names begin "menu_" for detailed
descriptions of the entry points.
This describes ncurses version 6.1 (patch 20180127).
menu(3x)