int getstr(char *str);
int getnstr(char *str, int n);
int wgetstr(WINDOW *win, char *str);
int wgetnstr(WINDOW *win, char *str, int n);
int mvgetstr(int y, int x, char *str);
int mvwgetstr(WINDOW *win, int y, int x, char *str);
int mvgetnstr(int y, int x, char *str, int n);
int mvwgetnstr(WINDOW *, int y, int x, char *str, int n);
wgetnstr reads at most n characters, thus preventing a possible overflow of the input buffer. Any attempt to enter more characters (other than the terminating newline or carriage return) causes a beep. Function keys also cause a beep and are ignored. The getnstr function reads from the stdscr default window.
The user's erase and kill characters are interpreted. If keypad mode is on for the window, KEY_LEFT and KEY_BACKSPACE are both considered equivalent to the user's kill character.
Characters input are echoed only if echo is currently on. In that case, backspace is echoed as deletion of the previous character (typically a left motion).
X/Open defines no error conditions.
In this implementation, these functions return an error if the window pointer is null, or if its timeout expires without having any data.
This implementation provides an extension as well. If a SIGWINCH interrupts the function, it will return KEY_RESIZE rather than OK or ERR.
SVr3 and early SVr4 curses implementations did not reject function keys; the SVr4.0 documentation claimed that "special keys" (such as function keys, "home" key, "clear" key, etc.) are "interpreted", without giving details. It lied. In fact, the `character' value appended to the string by those implementations was predictable but not useful (being, in fact, the low-order eight bits of the key's KEY_ value).
The functions getnstr, mvgetnstr, and mvwgetnstr were present but not documented in SVr4.