menu_spacing(3X)

📦
version 6.6_p20260516 · 6 versions
, in alpine 3.24, arch rolling, fedora 44

okay so real talk, this is one of those lil ncurses pages that lives in section 3X of the library calls and it's literally just about vibes — specifically the spacing vibes between your menu items. it's giving interior decorator for terminals. 🎀

✨ NAME ✨

set_menu_spacing, menu_spacing — set and get spacing between menu items. yes queen, that's the whole job. 💅

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <menu.h>

int set_menu_spacing(MENU *menu,
                     int spc_description,
                     int spc_rows,
                     int spc_columns);
int menu_spacing(const MENU *menu,
                 int* spc_description,
                 int* spc_rows,
                 int* spc_columns);

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so set_menu_spacing is the one that sets the spacing info for the menu, and its parameters hand over the description and the size (in rows and columns). it's the glow-up function. ✨

  • spc_description — this one controls how many spaces sit between an item name and an item description. it must not be larger than TABSIZE. the menu system puts the pad character right in the middle of this spacing area, and the leftover parts get filled with spaces. balance, bestie. 🫶
  • spc_rows — controls how many rows get used for an item. it must not be larger than 3. the menu system inserts the blank lines between item rows, and those lines will contain the pad character in the appropriate positions. only three rows max, don't get greedy. 😭
  • spc_columns — controls the number of blanks between columns of items. it must not be larger than TABSIZE. and listen: a value of 0 for all the spacing values resets them to the default, which is 1 for all of them. so zero = factory settings, no cap. 🔥

then menu_spacing is the getter — it returns the spacing information for the menu. if a pointer is NULL, that corresponding piece of information is simply not returned. it's not gonna yell at you, it just skips it. considerate icon behavior. 👑

💀 RETURN VALUE 💀

both routines return E_OK on success, slay. set_menu_spacing may return E_POSTED if the menu is posted, or E_BAD_ARGUMENT if one of the spacing values is out of range. so if you're out here passing numbers that don't fit the rules, it will call you out. 🙈

🌈 PORTABILITY 🌈

these routines are specific to ncurses. they were not supported on Version 7, BSD or System V implementations. it is recommended that any code depending on them be conditioned using NCURSES_VERSION. so if you're trying to run this on some ancient system, that's a no from them. 🧚

💜 AUTHORS 💜

Juergen Pfeifer. Manual pages and adaptation for new curses by Eric S. Raymond. legends, honestly. 🌟

⭐ SEE ALSO ⭐

  • curses(3X)
  • curs_variables(3X)
  • menu(3X)

and that's the whole page, bestie! this one shipped with ncurses 6.6 and was dated 2024-12-28. go forth and space your menu items beautifully, periodt. 💖✨🎀

📦 where this page comes from