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curs_scroll(3X) Library calls curs_scroll(3X)
scroll, scrl, wscrl - scroll a curses window
#include <curses.h>
int scroll(WINDOW * win);
int scrl(int n);
int wscrl(WINDOW * win, int n);
scroll scrolls the given window up one line. That is, every
visible line we might number i becomes line i-1. wscrl and scrl
scroll the specified window or stdscr, respectively, up or down
per the sign of n.
• For positive n, line i+n becomes i (scrolling up);
• for negative n, line i-n becomes i (scrolling down).
A line that scrolls beyond the window boundaries disappears;
curses populates a new one emerging at the opposite boundary with
the background character; see bkgd(3X) (wide-character API users:
bkgrnd(3X)). As an optimization, if the scrolling region of the
window is the entire screen, the physical screen may be scrolled
at the same time; see curscr(3X).
The cursor does not move. These functions perform no operation
unless scrolling is enabled for the window via scrollok(3X).
These functions return ERR upon failure and OK upon success.
In ncurses, they return ERR if
• the curses screen has not been initialized,
• (for functions taking a WINDOW pointer argument) win is a null
pointer, or
• scrolling is not enabled in the window (as by scrollok(3X)).
scroll and scrl may be implemented as macros.
Unusually, there is no wscroll function; scroll behaves as one
would expect wscroll to, accepting a WINDOW pointer argument.
X/Open Curses Issue 4 describes these functions. It specifies no
error conditions for them.
SVr4 describes a successful return value only as “an integer value
other than ERR”.
SVr4 indicates that the optimization of physically scrolling
immediately if the scroll region is the entire screen “is”
performed, not “may be” performed. ncurses deliberately does not
guarantee that this occurs, to leave open the possibility of
better optimization of multiple scroll actions on the next update.
Neither SVr4 curses nor X/Open Curses specify whether these
functions zero the attributes or color pair identifier of the
background character. In ncurses, they do not.
4BSD (1980) introduced scroll, defining it as a function.
SVr3.1 (1987) added scrl and wscrl, redefining scroll as a macro
wrapping the latter.
curses(3X), curs_outopts(3X)
This page is part of the ncurses (new curses) project.
Information about the project can be found at
⟨https://invisible-island.net/ncurses/ncurses.html⟩. If you have a
bug report for this manual page, send it to bug-ncurses@gnu.org.
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ncurses @NCURSES_MAJOR@.@NCU... 2025-04-05 curs_scroll(3X)