NAME

       wcsrtombs - convert a wide-character string to a multibyte string

SYNOPSIS

       #include <wchar.h>

       size_t wcsrtombs(char *dest, const wchar_t **src,
                        size_t len, mbstate_t *ps);

DESCRIPTION

       If  dest  is  not  a  NULL pointer, the wcsrtombs() function converts the wide-character string *src to a
       multibyte string starting at dest.  At most len bytes are written  to  dest.   The  shift  state  *ps  is
       updated.   The conversion is effectively performed by repeatedly calling wcrtomb(dest, *src, ps), as long
       as this call succeeds, and then incrementing dest by the number of bytes written and *src  by  one.   The
       conversion can stop for three reasons:

       1.  A  wide character has been encountered that can not be represented as a multibyte sequence (according
       to the current locale).  In this case *src is left pointing to the invalid wide character, (size_t) -1 is
       returned, and errno is set to EILSEQ.

       2.  The  length limit forces a stop.  In this case *src is left pointing to the next wide character to be
       converted, and the number of bytes written to dest is returned.

       3. The wide-character string has been completely converted, including the terminating null wide character
       (L'\0'),  which  has the side effect of bringing back *ps to the initial state.  In this case *src is set
       to NULL, and the number of bytes written  to  dest,  excluding  the  terminating  null  byte  ('\0'),  is
       returned.

       If  dest  is  NULL, len is ignored, and the conversion proceeds as above, except that the converted bytes
       are not written out to memory, and that no length limit exists.

       In both of the above cases, if ps is a  NULL  pointer,  a  static  anonymous  state  known  only  to  the
       wcsrtombs() function is used instead.

       The programmer must ensure that there is room for at least len bytes at dest.

RETURN VALUE

       The  wcsrtombs()  function  returns  the  number  of  bytes  that make up the converted part of multibyte
       sequence, not including the terminating null byte.  If a wide character was encountered which  could  not
       be converted, (size_t) -1 is returned, and errno set to EILSEQ.

CONFORMING TO

       C99.

NOTES

       The behavior of wcsrtombs() depends on the LC_CTYPE category of the current locale.

       Passing NULL as ps is not multithread safe.

SEE ALSO

       iconv(3), wcsnrtombs(3), wcstombs(3)

COLOPHON

       This  page  is  part  of  release 3.54 of the Linux man-pages project.  A description of the project, and
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