bsd man page for getchar

GETC(3S)																  GETC(3S)

NAME
       getc, getchar, fgetc, getw - get character or word from stream

SYNOPSIS
       #include <stdio.h>

       int getc(stream)
       FILE *stream;

       int getchar()

       int fgetc(stream)
       FILE *stream;

       int getw(stream)
       FILE *stream;

DESCRIPTION
       Getc returns the next character from the named input stream.

       Getchar() is identical to getc(stdin).

       Fgetc behaves like getc, but is a genuine function, not a macro; it may be used to save object text.

       Getw  returns  the  next  int  (a 32-bit integer on a VAX-11) from the named input stream.  It returns the constant EOF upon end of file or
       error, but since that is a good integer value, feof and ferror(3S) should be used to check the success of getw.	Getw  assumes  no  special
       alignment in the file.

SEE ALSO
       clearerr(3S), fopen(3S), putc(3S), gets(3S), scanf(3S), fread(3S), ungetc(3S)

DIAGNOSTICS
       These  functions  return  the  integer  constant EOF at end of file, upon read error, or if an attempt is made to read a file not opened by
       fopen.  The end-of-file condition is remembered, even on a terminal, and all subsequent attempts to read will return EOF until  the  condi-
       tion is cleared with clearerr(3S).

BUGS
       Because	it  is	implemented as a macro, getc treats a stream argument with side effects incorrectly.  In particular, `getc(*f++);' doesn't
       work sensibly.

7th Edition							   May 14, 1986 							  GETC(3S)