getc(3S)                                                 getc(3S)



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

SYNOPSIS
     #include <stdio.h>

     int getc(stream)
     FILE *stream;

     int getchar()

     int fgetc(stream)
     FILE *stream;

     int getw(stream)
     FILE *stream;

DESCRIPTION
     The getc macro returns the next character (that is, byte)
     from the named input stream, as an integer.  It also moves
     the file pointer, if defined, ahead one character in stream.
     The getchar macro is defined as getc(stdin).

     fgetc behaves like getc, but is a function rather than a
     macro.  fgetc runs more slowly than getc, but takes less
     space per invocation and its name can be passed as an
     argument to a function.

     getw returns the next word (32-bit integer on a Macintosh
     II) from the named input stream.  getw increments the
     associated file pointer, if defined, to point to the next
     word.  getw assumes no special alignment in the file.

STATUS MESSAGES AND VALUES
     These functions return the constant EOF at end-of-file or
     upon an error.  Because EOF is a valid integer, ferror(3S)
     should be used to detect getw errors.

WARNINGS
     If the integer value returned by getc, getchar, or fgetc is
     stored into a character variable and then compared against
     the integer constant EOF, the comparison may never succeed,
     because sign-extension of a character on widening to integer
     is machine-dependent.

LIMITATIONS
     Because it is implemented as a macro, getc treats
     incorrectly a stream argument with side effects.  In
     particular, getc(*f++) does not work sensibly.  fgetc should
     be used instead.
     Because of possible differences in word length and byte



January 1992                                                    1

getc(3S)                                                 getc(3S)



     ordering, files written using putw are machine-dependent,
     and may not be read using getw on a different processor.

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

















































2                                                    January 1992