MBLEN(3)                 BSD Library Functions Manual                 MBLEN(3)

NAME
     mblen, mblenl -- get number of bytes in a character

LIBRARY
     Standard C Library (libc, -lc)

SYNOPSIS
     ##include <>

     int
     mblen(const char *mbchar, sizet nbytes);

     ##include <>

     int
     mblenl(const char *mbchar, sizet nbytes, localet loc);

DESCRIPTION
     The mblen() function computes the length in bytes of a multibyte charac-
     ter mbchar according to the current conversion state.  Up to nbytes bytes
     are examined.

     A call with a null mbchar pointer returns nonzero if the current locale
     requires shift states, zero otherwise; if shift states are required, the
     shift state is reset to the initial state.

     While the mblen() function uses the current locale, the mblenl() func-
     tion may be passed a locale directly. See xlocale(3) for more informa-
     tion.

RETURN VALUES
     If mbchar is NUL, the mblen() function returns nonzero if shift states
     are supported, zero otherwise.

     Otherwise, if mbchar is not a null pointer, mblen() either returns 0 if
     mbchar represents the null wide character, or returns the number of bytes
     processed in mbchar, or returns -1 if no multibyte character could be
     recognized or converted.  In this case, mblen()'s internal conversion
     state is undefined.

ERORS
     The mblen() function will fail if:

     [EILSEQ]           An invalid multibyte sequence was detected.

     [EINVAL]           The internal conversion state is not valid.

SEE ALSO
     mbrlen(3), mbtowc(3), multibyte(3), xlocale(3)

STANDARDS
     The mblen() function conforms to ISO/IEC 9899:1999 (``ISO C99'').

BSD                             April 11, 2004                             BSD