Manpage logo

define_key - define a curses function key code

NAME  SYNOPSIS  DESCRIPTION  RETURN VALUE  EXTENSIONS  PORTABILITY  AUTHORS  SEE ALSO 

NAME

define_key − define a curses function key code

SYNOPSIS

#include <curses.h>

int define_key(const char * definition, int key-code);

DESCRIPTION

The define_key ncurses extension permits a curses application to bind a string definition to the function key key-code returned by wgetch(3X) (wide-character API users: wget_wch(3X)) when keypad(3X) is enabled in a window and a function key is pressed. ncurses interprets such a binding as it does those in the terminfo database entry for the terminal type.

A definition of NULL removes any existing binding from key-code. Similarly, a non-positive key-code removes an existing binding for definition, if any.

RETURN VALUE

define_key returns ERR if

definition is NULL and key-code is nonpositive, or

insufficient memory is available to bind definition to key-code.

Otherwise, define_key returns OK.

EXTENSIONS

define_key is an ncurses extension.

PORTABILITY

Applications employing ncurses extensions should condition their use on the visibility of the NCURSES_VERSION preprocessor macro.

NetBSD curses since 2.0 (2004) supports define_key.

AUTHORS

Thomas Dickey

SEE ALSO

curses(3X), keybound(3X), keyok(3X), key_defined(3X), terminfo(5)


Updated 2026-06-01 - jenkler.se | uex.se