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 por‐
tions of each window and the curses stdscr window are hidden or dis‐
played when panels are added, moved, modified or removed. The set of
currently 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 routines 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 terminfo curses does.
FUNCTIONSnew_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 relations 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 deallocates 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 suc‐
cessfully 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 programming 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 imple‐
mentation, and work equally well with displayed or hidden panels. In
the native System V implementation, 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 compati‐
bility with native panel libraries.
NOTE
In your library list, libpanel.a should be before libncurses.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 ALSOcurses(3X)
This describes ncurses version 5.7 (patch 20091227).
AUTHOR
Originally written by Warren Tucker <wht@n4hgf.mt-park.ga.us>, primar‐
ily to assist in porting u386mon to systems without a native panels
library. Repackaged for ncurses by Zeyd ben-Halim.
panel(3X)
