Debugging Grimoire

📚 Input Modes, Color Witchcraft, and Keyboard Sorcery

🧩 Chapter 9: Input Timing & Modes

Learn the nuanced differences between:

• cbreak() – reads input immediately, char by char (but still blocks).
• halfdelay(t) – like cbreak, but getch() times out after tenths of a second.
• nodelay(stdscr, TRUE) – makes getch() non-blocking entirely.
• timeout(ms) – getch() blocks for up to ms milliseconds.

#include <ncurses.h>
#include <stdbool.h>

int main(int argc, char **argv) {
  initscr();
  noecho();

  // Input mode options (uncomment to test different ones)
  cbreak();                 // read instantly but still blocks
  // halfdelay(10);         // waits up to 1s (10 * 0.1s)
  // nodelay(stdscr, TRUE); // never blocks
  timeout(500);             // wait 500ms max for input

  int c;
  while ((c = getch()) != 'x') {
    printw("%d\n", c);
  }

  endwin();
  return 0;
}

🎨 Chapter 10: Color and Attribute Combos

Level up your ncurses glam with:

• Multiple color pairs
• Mixing colors with attributes like A_REVERSE
• Creating chtype values with embedded style

#include <curses.h>

int main(int argc, char **argv) {
  initscr();
  if (!has_colors()) {
    endwin();
    printf("Color can't be used.\n");
    return 1;
  }

  start_color();

  init_pair(1, COLOR_YELLOW, COLOR_BLACK);
  init_pair(2, COLOR_RED, COLOR_BLACK);

  attron(A_REVERSE | COLOR_PAIR(2));
  mvaddch(5, 5, 'a');
  mvaddch(5, 6, 'b');
  mvaddch(5, 7, 'c');
  attroff(A_REVERSE | COLOR_PAIR(2));

  // Color + attribute embedded in a single value
  chtype c = '@' | A_REVERSE | COLOR_PAIR(1);
  mvaddch(9, 5, c);

  getch();
  endwin();
  return 0;
}

⌨️ Chapter 11: Ctrl Key Handling

Detect Ctrl + key combos like a boss (e.g., for shortcuts or a baby nano editor vibe)

#include <ncurses.h>

#define ctrl(x) ((x) & 0x1F)
// Shift detection? Sorry hun, not in this terminal's reality

int main(int argc, char **argv) {
  initscr();
  noecho();

  char ch;
  while ((ch = getch())) {
    mvprintw(1, 0, "KEY NAME : %s - 0x%02x\n", keyname(ch), ch);
    if (ch == ctrl('a')) {
      mvprintw(0, 0, "Detected Ctrl+A!");
    }
  }

  endwin();
  return 0;
}