curs_color(3X)

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version 6.6_p20260516 · 7 versions
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curs_color(3X) — Library calls 💖

okay bestie, welcome to the color corner of curses, where we manipulate terminal colors and it's lowkey iconic. no cap, this is the whole glow-up. ✨

✨ NAME ✨

start_color, has_colors, can_change_color, init_pair, init_color, init_extended_pair, init_extended_color, color_content, pair_content, extended_color_content, extended_pair_content, reset_color_pairs, COLOR_PAIR, PAIR_NUMBER, COLORS, COLOR_PAIRS, COLOR_BLACK, COLOR_RED, COLOR_GREEN, COLOR_YELLOW, COLOR_BLUE, COLOR_MAGENTA, COLOR_CYAN, COLOR_WHITE, A_COLOR — manipulate terminal colors with curses.

💅 SYNOPSIS 💅

here's the whole cast, bestie. copy it exactly, no editing the vibe:

#include <curses.h>

/* variables */
int COLOR_PAIRS;
int COLORS;

int start_color(void);

bool has_colors(void);
bool can_change_color(void);

int init_pair(short pair, short f, short b);
int init_color(short color, short r, short g, short b);
/* extensions */
int init_extended_pair(int pair, int f, int b);
int init_extended_color(int color, int r, int g, int b);

int color_content(short color, short *r, short *g, short *b);
int pair_content(short pair, short *f, short *b);
/* extensions */
int extended_color_content(int color, int *r, int *g, int *b);
int extended_pair_content(int pair, int *f, int *b);

/* extension */
void reset_color_pairs(void);

/* macros */
int COLOR_PAIR(int n);
PAIR_NUMBER(int attr);
COLOR_BLACK
COLOR_RED
COLOR_GREEN
COLOR_YELLOW
COLOR_BLUE
COLOR_MAGENTA
COLOR_CYAN
COLOR_WHITE
A_COLOR

🌈 DESCRIPTION 🌈

🦋 Overview 🦋

okay so curses supports color attributes on terminals with that capability. Call start_color (typically right after initscr(3X)) to enable this feature. Colors are always used in pairs. A color pair couples a foreground color for characters with a background color for the blank field on which characters are rendered. init_pair initializes a color pair. The macro COLOR_PAIR(n) can then convert the pair to a video attribute.

If a terminal has the relevant capability, init_color permits (re)definition of a color. has_colors and can_change_color return TRUE or FALSE, depending on whether the terminal has color capability and whether the programmer can change the colors. color_content permits extraction of the red, green, and blue components of an initialized color. pair_content permits discovery of a color pair's current definition.

🎨 Rendering 🎨

curses combines the following data to render a character cell. Any of them can include color information.

  • curses character attributes, as from waddch(3X) or wadd_wch(3X)
  • window attributes, as from wattrset(3X) or wattr_set(3X)
  • window background character attributes, as from wbkgdset(3X) or wbkgrndset(3X)

Per-character and window attributes are usually set through a function parameter containing attributes including a color pair value. Some functions, such as wattr_set, use a separate color pair number parameter.

The background character is a special case: it includes a character code, just as if it were passed to waddch.

The curses library does the actual work of combining these color pairs in an internal function called from waddch:

  • If the parameter passed to waddch is blank, and it uses the special color pair 0, curses next checks the window attribute.
    • If the window attribute does not use color pair 0, curses uses the color pair from the window attribute.
    • Otherwise, curses uses the background character.
  • If the parameter passed to waddch is not blank, or it does not use the special color pair 0, curses prefers the color pair from the parameter, if it is nonzero. Otherwise, it tries the window attribute next, and finally the background character.

Some curses functions such as wprintw call waddch. Those do not combine its parameter with a color pair. Consequently those calls use only the window attribute or the background character.

🧚 CONSTANTS 🧚

ISO 6429 and ECMA-48 define eight standard colors (also known as “ANSI” colors). curses.h defines object-like macros COLOR_BLACK, COLOR_RED, COLOR_GREEN, COLOR_YELLOW, COLOR_BLUE, COLOR_MAGENTA, COLOR_CYAN, and COLOR_WHITE accordingly. curses assumes that COLOR_BLACK is the default background color for all terminals. ncurses offers an extension to override that assumption; see assume_default_colors(3X). Some terminals support additional colors that lack standard names.

A_COLOR is a bit mask that, when bitwise “and”-ed with a chtype, extracts its color pair identifier.

💜 VARIABLES 💜

🍓 COLORS 🍓

is initialized by start_color to the maximum number of colors the terminal can support.

🍇 COLOR_PAIRS 🍇

is initialized by start_color to the maximum number of color pairs the terminal can support. Often, its value is the product COLORS × COLORS, but this is not always true.

  • A few terminals use the HLS color space (see start_color below), ignoring this rule; and
  • terminals supporting a large number of colors are limited to the number of color pairs that a signed short value can represent.

✨ FUNCTIONS ✨

okay bestie this is the part where we actually do stuff 💅 every single one of these is a little function you get to call, and I'm gonna walk you through each one like we're studying together at 2am with snacks 🍓

💖 start_color 💖

start_color takes no arguments at all, she's low maintenance fr fr. You must call her if you want to use colors, and you gotta do it before you call any other color manipulation routine. Best practice? Call her right after initscr, like immediately, no cap. 🫶

Here's the tea on what start_color actually does:

  • She initializes two global variables, COLORS and COLOR_PAIRS — which respectively define the max number of colors and the max number of color pairs your terminal can support. 👑
  • She initializes the special color pair 0 to the default foreground and background colors. No other color pairs get initialized, so don't come for her about that.
  • She restores the colors on the terminal back to the values they had when the terminal was just turned on. It's giving factory reset but only for colors ✨
  • If the terminal supports the initc (initialize_color) capability, start_color initializes her internal table representing the red, green, and blue components of the color palette.

Those components depend on whether the terminal uses CGA (aka “ANSI”) or HLS — that's when the hls (hue_lightness_saturation) capability is set. The table gets initialized first for eight basic colors (black, red, green, yellow, blue, magenta, cyan, and white), using weights that depend on the CGA/HLS choice. For “ANSI” colors the weights are 680 or 0 depending on whether the corresponding red, green, or blue component is used or not. That's what lets you use 1000 to represent bold/bright colors, iconic honestly. After the initial eight colors — if the terminal supports more than eight colors — the components are initialized using the same pattern, but with weights of 1000. SVr4 uses a similar scheme, but uses 1000 for the components of the initial eight colors. 💀

Important: start_color does not attempt to set the terminal's color palette to match its built-in table. An application may use init_color to alter the internal table along with the terminal's color. So like, she has opinions but she's not gonna force them on your terminal, we love boundaries 🎀

These limits apply to color values and color pairs. Values outside these limits are not valid, and may result in a runtime error — so pls respect the boundaries bestie:

  • COLORS corresponds to the terminal database's max_colors capability, (see terminfo(5)).
  • color values are expected to be in the range 0 to COLORS-1, inclusive (including 0 and COLORS-1).
  • a special color value -1 is used in certain extended functions to denote the default color (see use_default_colors(3X)).
  • COLOR_PAIRS corresponds to the terminal database's max_pairs capability, (see terminfo(5)).
  • valid color pair values are in the range 1 to COLOR_PAIRS-1, inclusive.
  • color pair 0 is special; it denotes “no color”.

Color pair 0 is assumed to be white on black, but is actually whatever the terminal implements before color is initialized. It cannot be modified by the application. Periodt. 🚫

💖 has_colors 💖

has_colors returns TRUE if the terminal supports colors and FALSE if it does not. You gotta call initscr(3X) or newterm(3X) first, but start_color need not be called yet — she's flexible like that 💅

An application might call has_colors to decide whether to use color or a video attribute like A_BOLD to render text. Like, vibe check the terminal before you commit, yk? 😌

Color support in curses requires that the terminal type description support the capabilities max_colors (colors), max_pairs (pairs), and any of:

  • set_foreground (setf) and set_background (setb);
  • set_a_foreground (setaf) and set_a_background (setab); or
  • set_color_pair (scp).

💖 can_change_color 💖

The can_change_color routine requires no arguments. She returns TRUE if the terminal supports colors and can change their definitions; otherwise, she returns FALSE. This routine facilitates writing terminal-independent programs — very main character energy of her ngl 👑

💖 init_pair 💖

The init_pair routine changes the definition of a color pair. She takes three arguments: the number of the color pair to be changed, the foreground color number, and the background color number. For portable applications:

  • The first argument must be a valid color pair value. If default colors are used (see use_default_colors(3X)) the upper limit is adjusted to allow for extra pairs which use a default color in foreground and/or background.
  • The second and third arguments must be valid color values.

If the color pair was previously initialized, the screen is refreshed and all occurrences of that color pair are changed to the new definition. Glow up for the whole screen at once, obsessed ✨

As an extension, ncurses allows you to set color pair 0 via the assume_default_colors(3X) routine, or to specify the use of default colors (color number -1) if you first invoke the use_default_colors(3X) routine.

💖 init_extended_pair 💖

So here's the thing: because init_pair uses signed shorts for its parameters, that limits color pairs and color-values to 32767 on modern hardware 😭 The extension init_extended_pair uses ints for the color pair and color-value, allowing a larger number of colors to be supported. Upgrade era 🦋

💖 init_color 💖

The init_color routine changes the definition of a color. She takes four arguments: the number of the color to be changed followed by three RGB values (for the amounts of red, green, and blue components).

  • The first argument must be a valid color value; default colors are not allowed here. (See the section Colors for the default color index.)
  • Each of the last three arguments must be a value in the range 0 through 1000.

When init_color is used, all occurrences of that color on the screen immediately change to the new definition. Immediate. No waiting. Slay 🔥

💖 init_extended_color 💖

Because init_color uses signed shorts for its parameters, that limits color-values and their red, green, and blue components to 32767 on modern hardware 😔 The extension init_extended_color uses ints for the color value and for setting the red, green, and blue components, allowing a larger number of colors to be supported. She ate 💅

💖 color_content 💖

The color_content routine gives programmers a way to find the intensity of the red, green, and blue (RGB) components in a color. She requires four arguments: the color number, and three addresses of shorts for storing the information about the amounts of red, green, and blue components in the given color.

  • The first argument must be a valid color value, i.e., 0 through COLORS-1, inclusive.
  • The values that are stored at the addresses pointed to by the last three arguments are in the range 0 (no component) through 1000 (maximum amount of component), inclusive.

💖 extended_color_content 💖

Because color_content uses signed shorts for its parameters, that limits color-values and their red, green, and blue components to 32767 on modern hardware. The extension extended_color_content uses ints for the color value and for returning the red, green, and blue components, allowing a larger number of colors to be supported. 🌈

💖 pair_content 💖

The pair_content routine allows programmers to find out what colors a given color pair consists of. She requires three arguments: the color pair number, and two addresses of shorts for storing the foreground and the background color numbers.

  • The first argument must be a valid color value, i.e., in the range 1 through COLOR_PAIRS-1, inclusive.
  • The values that are stored at the addresses pointed to by the second and third arguments are in the range 0 through COLORS, inclusive.

💖 extended_pair_content 💖

Because pair_content uses signed shorts for its parameters, that limits color pair and color-values to 32767 on modern hardware. The extension extended_pair_content uses ints for the color pair and for returning the foreground and background colors, allowing a larger number of colors to be supported. ✨

💖 reset_color_pairs 💖

The extension reset_color_pairs tells ncurses to discard all of the color pair information which was set with init_pair. She also touches the current- and standard-screens, allowing an application to switch color palettes rapidly. Palette switch speedrun, we love to see it 🏃‍♀️💨

💖 COLOR_PAIR 💖

COLOR_PAIR(n) converts a color pair number to an attribute. Attributes can hold color pairs in the range 0 to 255. If you need a color pair larger than that, you must use functions such as attr_set (which pass the color pair as a separate parameter) rather than the legacy functions such as attrset. No shortcuts bestie, the old ways have limits 🙈

💖 PAIR_NUMBER 💖

PAIR_NUMBER(attr) extracts the color information from its attr parameter and returns it as a color pair number; she is the inverse operation of COLOR_PAIR. They're a matched set, soulmates fr fr 🫶

✨ RETURN VALUE ✨

can_change_color and has_colors return TRUE or FALSE. The other functions return OK on success and ERR on failure. Simple as that 💁‍♀️

In ncurses, functions returning an int recognize several error conditions. Let's get into it:

  • All return ERR if the screen has not been initialized; see initscr(3X) or newterm(3X).
  • All except start_color return ERR if start_color has not been called, or itself returned ERR.
  • start_color returns ERR if it cannot allocate memory for its color pair table. (Memory said no 😭)
  • init_color returns ERR if the terminal type does not support assignable color values; that is, if the initialize_color (initc) capability is absent from its description.
  • init_color returns ERR if any of its r, g, b arguments is outside the range 0-1000 inclusive.
  • init_pair, init_color, init_extended_pair, init_extended_color, color_content, pair_content, extended_color_content, and extended_pair_content return ERR on attempts to use
    • color identifiers outside the range 0-COLORS-1 inclusive, the default colors extension notwithstanding, or
    • color pair identifiers outside the range 0-COLOR_PAIRS-1 inclusive.
⚠️ tl;dr bestie: stay inside the ranges, initialize your screen, and call start_color first or half these functions are gonna hit you with ERR and ghost you 💀

📝 NOTES 📝

Okay so ncurses has some ✨quirks✨ bestie, and you need to know all of them.

In ncurses, init_pair accepts negative foreground and background color arguments to support its use of the use_default_colors(3X) extension — but only after that function has been called. Timing is everything, fr fr. 💅

The assumption that COLOR_BLACK is the terminal's default background color can be overridden using ncurses's assume_default_colors(3X) extension.

In ncurses, each pointer passed to color_content and pair_content can be null, and if it is, the library just ignores it — which lets your app skip info it doesn't care about. Not me handing over a null pointer and getting away with it 😌

In ncurses, each screen has a color activation flag, a color palette, a color pair table, and its own associated COLORS and COLOR_PAIRS values; start_color affects only the current screen. The SVr4 and X/Open Curses interface was not really designed with this in mind, so heads up: historical implementations may use a single shared color palette. 👑

Setting an implicit background color via a color pair affects only character cells that a character write operation explicitly touches. So if you want to change the background color used when parts of a window get blanked by erasing or scrolling operations, go look at curs_bkgd(3X) instead.

Several caveats apply to IBM PC-compatible machines of the 80486 era and earlier with CGA/EGA/VGA video. Vintage tech era, we love her, but she's got issues 🫶

  • COLOR_YELLOW was frequently converted, in the analog domain, to a shade of brown if the intensity bit was not set. To get yellow on such devices, one would combine COLOR_YELLOW with the A_BOLD attribute.
  • The A_BLINK attribute should in theory make the background bright. This often fails to work, and even VGA controllers for which it mostly works, such as those from Paradise and compatibles, do the wrong thing when you try to set a bright “yellow” background — you get a blinking yellow foreground instead. 💀 The audacity.
  • Color RGB values are not configurable on these devices (in text mode).

🧚 EXTENSIONS 🧚

The functions marked as extensions originated in ncurses, and are not found in SVr4 curses, 4.4BSD curses, or any other previous curses implementation. Homegrown, one of a kind, no cap. ✨

🌈 PORTABILITY 🌈

Applications employing ncurses extensions should condition their use on the visibility of the NCURSES_VERSION preprocessor macro. Vibe check your build first, bestie.

X/Open Curses Issue 4 describes these functions. It specifies no error conditions for them. (Which is lowkey wild of it, but okay.)

ncurses satisfies X/Open Curses's minimum maximums for COLORS and COLOR_PAIRS.

X/Open Curses does not specify a limit for the number of colors and color pairs which a terminal can support. However, in its use of short for the parameters, it carries over SVr4's implementation detail for the compiled terminfo database, which uses signed 16-bit numbers. ncurses provides extended versions of the functions using short parameters, allowing applications to use larger color and pair identifiers. Slay, bigger numbers. 🔥

SVr4 curses returns ERR from pair_content if its pair argument was not initialized using init_pairs, and from color_content if the terminal does not support changing colors. ncurses does neither. Different behavior, periodt.

👑 HISTORY 👑

Sit down, it's storytime, and this lore goes back decades. 🍓

SVr3.2 (1987) introduced color support to curses with all of the symbols in the synopsis above except those marked as extensions. It reserved color pair 0 as the terminal's initial, “uncolored” state, and limited the number of possible color pairs to 64, because the color pair datum was encoded in six bits of a chtype. Six bits!! tiny!!

SVr4 made only internal changes, such as moving the storage of color state from the SCREEN structure (pointed to by SP) to the TERMINAL structure (pointed to by cur_term). Just rearranging furniture, no new vibes.

Other curses implementations impose different limits on the number of colors and color pairs.

  • PCCurses (1987-1990) provided for only 8 colors (and therefore required at most 8×8 = 64 color pairs).
  • PDCurses (1992-present) inherited the 8-color limitation from PCCurses, but changed this to 256 in version 2.5 (2001), and widened its chtype from 16 to 32 bits. Growth mindset 💅
  • X/Open Curses (1992-present) specified a new structure type, cchar_t, to store the character code, attribute flags, and color pair identifier, allowing an increased range of color pairs. It specifies a short as storing identifiers for colors and color pairs, limiting portable values to 15 bits; negative values are invalid in System V.
  • ncurses (1992-present), in its non-wide-character configuration, uses 8 bits of chtype for the color pair identifier.
    • Version 5.3 (2002) offered a wide-character interface, but encoded the color pair identifier with attributes in the character type.
    • Since version 6 (2015), ncurses uses a separate int for the color pair identifier in a cchar_t, introducing extension functions to manage the wider type. When a color pair value fits in 8 bits, ncurses permits color pair data to be manipulated via the functions taking chtype arguments, even when a curses window uses wide-character cells. Main character energy tbh. 👑
  • NetBSD curses used 6 bits for the color pair identifier from 2000 (when it first added color support) until 2004. At that point, NetBSD widened the color pair identifier to use 9 bits. As of 2025, that size is unchanged. Like ncurses before version 6, the NetBSD color pair datum is stored in the attributes field of cchar_t, limiting the number of color pairs.

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

  • curses(3X)
  • curs_attr(3X)
  • curs_initscr(3X)
  • curs_variables(3X)
  • default_colors(3X)

And that's the whole page, bestie!! 🎀 You just read the entire curs_color(3X) manual, courtesy of ncurses 6.6, dated 2025-08-23. Go forth and color your terminals, you absolute icon. 💖✨🌸

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