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NAME

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

SYNOPSIS

       #include <wchar.h>

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

DESCRIPTION

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

       1. An  invalid  multibyte  sequence has been encountered.  In this case
          *src is left pointing to the invalid multibyte sequence, (size_t) -1
          is returned, and errno is set to EILSEQ.

       2. len  non-L'\0'  wide  characters  have been stored at dest.  In this
          case *src is left pointing to the  next  multibyte  sequence  to  be
          converted,  and  the  number  of  wide characters written to dest is
          returned.

       3. The multibyte string has been completely  converted,  including  the
          terminating  '\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 wide characters written to dest, excluding the terminating
          L'\0' character, is returned.

       If dest is NULL, len is ignored, and the conversion proceeds as  above,
       except  that  the  converted  wide  characters  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 only known to the mbsrtowcs() function is used instead.

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

RETURN VALUE

       The mbsrtowcs() function returns the number  of  wide  characters  that
       make  up the converted part of the wide-character string, not including
       the terminating null wide character.  If an invalid multibyte  sequence
       was encountered, (size_t) -1 is returned, and errno set to EILSEQ.

CONFORMING TO

       C99.

NOTES

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

       Passing NULL as ps is not multithread safe.

SEE ALSO

       iconv(3), mbsnrtowcs(3), mbstowcs(3)

COLOPHON

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