menus(3X)

NAME
menus - curses extension for programming menus

SYNOPSIS
#include <menu.h>

DESCRIPTION
The menus 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 interaction with the user. The menus library uses the curses libraries, and a curses initialization routine such as initscr must be called before using any of these functions. To use the -lmenu -lcurses.

  Current Default Values for Item Attributes
The menus 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 rendering of items already created.

  Routine Name Index
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_attribs(3X)
menu_driver            menu_driver(3X)
menu_fore              menu_fore(3X)
menu_format            menu_format(3X)
menu_grey              menu_attribs(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_attribs(3X)
menu_pattern           menu_pattern(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       menu_current_item(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_attribs(3X)
set_menu_fore          menu_attribs(3X)
set_menu_format        menu_format(3X)
set_menu_grey          menu_attribs(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_attribs(3X)
set_menu_pattern       menu_pattern(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)

RETURN VALUE
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_SYSTEM_ERROR
    System error occurred (see errno).

E_BAD_ARGUMENT
    Routine detected an incorrect or out-of-range argument.

E_POSTED
    The menu is already posted.

E_BAD_STATE
    Routine was called from an initialization or termination function.

E_NO_ROOM
    Menu is too large for its window.

E_NOT_POSTED
    The menu has not been posted.

E_UNKNOWN_COMMAND
    The menu driver code saw an unknown request code.

E_NO_MATCH
    Character failed to match.

E_NOT_SELECTABLE
    The designated item cannot be selected.

E_NOT_CONNECTED
    No items are connected to the menu.

E_REQUEST_DENIED
    The menu driver could not process the request.

SEE ALSO
curses(3X) and 3X pages whose names begin "menu_" for detailed descriptions of the entry points.

NOTES
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 want to say `-lmenu -lncurses', not the other way around (which would give you a link error using GNU ld(1) and many other linkers).

PORTABILITY
These routines emulate the System V menu library. They were not supported on Version 7 or BSD versions.

AUTHORS
Juergen Pfeifer. Manual pages and adaptation for ncurses by Eric S. Raymond.