mbrtowc(3C)															       mbrtowc(3C)

NAME

       mbrtowc() - convert a character to a wide-character code (restartable)

SYNOPSIS

DESCRIPTION

       If s is a null pointer, the function is equivalent to the call:

       In this case, the values of the arguments pwc and n are ignored.

       If  s  is  not a null pointer, the function inspects at most n bytes beginning at the byte pointed to by s to determine the number of bytes
       needed to complete the next character (including any shift sequences).  If the function determines that the next character is completed, it
       determines the value of the corresponding wide-character and then, if pwc is not a null pointer, stores that value in the object pointed to
       by pwc.	If the corresponding wide-character is the null wide-character, the resulting state described is the initial conversion state.

       If ps is a null pointer, the function uses its own internal mbstate_t object, which is initialized at program startup to the  initial  con-
       version state.  Otherwise, the mbstate_t object pointed to by ps is used to completely describe the current conversion state of the associ-
       ated character sequence.

APPLICATION USAGE

       The prototype of this function is available to applications if they are:

	      a. conformant.

	      b. Compiled with macro with a value >=500.

	      c. Compiled with macro with a value >= 200112.

EXTERNAL INFLUENCES

   Environment Variables
       The behavior of this function is affected by the category of  the current locale.

RETURN VALUE

       The function returns the first of the following that applies:

	      0 	  If the next n or fewer bytes complete the character that corresponds to the null  wide-character  (which  is	the  value
			  stored).

	      Positive	  If the next n or fewer bytes complete a valid character (which is the value stored); the value returned is the number of
			  bytes that complete the character.

	      (size_t)-2  If the next n bytes contribute to an incomplete but potentially valid character, and all n bytes have been processed (no
			  value  is  stored).  When  n	has at least the value of the macro, this case can only occur if s points at a sequence of
			  redundant shift sequences (for implementations with state-dependent encodings).

	      (size_t)-1  If an encoding error occurs, in which case the next n or fewer bytes do not contribute to a complete and valid character
			  (no value is stored). In this case, is stored in and the conversion state is undefined.

ERRORS

       The function may fail if:

	      Invalid character sequence is detected.

	      ps	  points to an object that contains an invalid conversion state.

WARNINGS

       With  the  exception of ASCII characters, the code values of wide characters (type of are specific to the effective locale specified by the
       environment variable.  These values may not be compatible with values obtained by specifying other locales that are supported now, or which
       may  be	supported  in the future.  It is recommended that wide character constants and wide string literals (see the not be used, and that
       wide character code values not be stored in files or devices because future standards may dictate changes in the code value assignments	of
       the  wide characters.  However, wide character constants and wide string literals corresponding to the characters of the ASCII code set can
       be safely used since their values are guaranteed to be the same as their ASCII code set values.

AUTHOR

       was developed by HP and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation.

SEE ALSO

       mbsinit(3C), glossary(9).

																       mbrtowc(3C)