panel 3x
panel(3x) panel(3x)
NAME
panel - panel stack extension for curses
SYNOPSIS
#include <panel.h>
cc [flags] sourcefiles -lpanel -lncurses
PANEL *new_panel(WINDOW *win)
int bottom_panel(PANEL *pan)
int top_panel(PANEL *pan)
int show_panel(PANEL *pan)
void update_panels();
int hide_panel(PANEL *pan)
WINDOW *panel_window(const PANEL *pan)
int replace_panel(PANEL *pan, WINDOW *window)
int move_panel(PANEL *pan, int starty, int startx)
int panel_hidden(const PANEL *pan)
PANEL *panel_above(const PANEL *pan)
PANEL *panel_below(const PANEL *pan)
int set_panel_userptr(PANEL *pan, const void *ptr)
const void *panel_userptr(const PANEL *pan)
int del_panel(PANEL *pan)
DESCRIPTION
Panels are curses(3x) windows with the added feature of
depth. Panel functions allow the use of stacked windows
and ensure the proper portions of each window and the
curses stdscr window are hidden or displayed when panels
are added, moved, modified or removed. The set of cur-
rently visible panels is the stack of panels. The stdscr
window is beneath all panels, and is not considered part
of the stack.
A window is associated with every panel. The panel rou-
tines enable you to create, move, hide, and show panels,
as well as position a panel at any desired location in the
stack.
Panel routines are a functional layer added to curses(3x),
make only high-level curses calls, and work anywhere ter-
minfo curses does.
FUNCTIONS
new_panel(win)
allocates a PANEL structure, associates it with
win, places the panel on the top of the stack
(causes it to be displayed above any other
panel) and returns a pointer to the new panel.
update_panels()
refreshes the virtual screen to reflect the rela-
tions between the panels in the stack, but does not
call doupdate() to refresh the physical screen.
Use this function and not wrefresh or wnoutrefresh.
update_panels may be called more than once before a
call to doupdate(), but doupdate() is the function
responsible for updating the physical screen.
del_panel(pan)
removes the given panel from the stack and deallo-
cates the PANEL structure (but not its associated
window).
hide_panel(pan)
removes the given panel from the panel stack and
thus hides it from view. The PANEL structure is not
lost, merely removed from the stack.
panel_hidden(pan)
returns TRUE if the panel is in the panel stack,
FALSE if it is not. If the panel is a null
pointer, return ERR.
show_panel(pan)
makes a hidden panel visible by placing it on top
of the panels in the panel stack. See COMPATIBILITY
below.
top_panel(pan)
puts the given visible panel on top of all panels
in the stack. See COMPATIBILITY below.
bottom_panel(pan)
puts panel at the bottom of all panels.
move_panel(pan,starty,startx)
moves the given panel window so that its upper-left
corner is at starty, startx. It does not change
the position of the panel in the stack. Be sure to
use this function, not mvwin(), to move a panel
window.
replace_panel(pan,window)
replaces the current window of panel with window
(useful, for example if you want to resize a panel;
if you're using ncurses, you can call replace_panel
on the output of wresize(3x)). It does not change
the position of the panel in the stack.
panel_above(pan)
returns a pointer to the panel above pan. If the
panel argument is (PANEL *)0, it returns a pointer
to the bottom panel in the stack.
panel_below(pan)
returns a pointer to the panel just below pan. If
the panel argument is (PANEL *)0, it returns a
pointer to the top panel in the stack.
set_panel_userptr(pan,ptr)
sets the panel's user pointer.
panel_userptr(pan)
returns the user pointer for a given panel.
panel_window(pan)
returns a pointer to the window of the given panel.
DIAGNOSTICS
Each routine that returns a pointer returns NULL if an
error occurs. Each routine that returns an int value
returns OK if it executes successfully and ERR if not.
COMPATIBILITY
Reasonable care has been taken to ensure compatibility
with the native panel facility introduced in SVr3.2
(inspection of the SVr4 manual pages suggests the program-
ming interface is unchanged). The PANEL data structures
are merely similar. The programmer is cautioned not to
directly use PANEL fields.
The functions show_panel() and top_panel() are identical
in this implementation, and work equally well with dis-
played or hidden panels. In the native System V implemen-
tation, show_panel() is intended for making a hidden panel
visible (at the top of the stack) and top_panel() is
intended for making an already-visible panel move to the
top of the stack. You are cautioned to use the correct
function to ensure compatibility with native panel
libraries.
NOTE
In your library list, libpanel.a should be before libn-
curses.a; that is, you want to say `-lpanel -lncurses',
not the other way around (which would usually give a link-
error).
FILES
panel.h interface for the panels library
libpanel.a the panels library itself
SEE ALSO
curses(3x), curs_variables(3x),
This describes ncurses version 5.7 (patch 20101002).
AUTHOR
Originally written by Warren Tucker <wht@n4hgf.mt-
park.ga.us>, primarily to assist in porting u386mon to
systems without a native panels library. Repackaged for
ncurses by Zeyd ben-Halim.
panel(3x)
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