UI_GET_STRING_TYPE(3) | Library Functions Manual | UI_GET_STRING_TYPE(3)

# NAME

`UI_get_string_type`, `UI_get_input_flags`, `UI_get0_output_string`, `UI_get0_action_string`, `UI_get0_result_string`, `UI_get0_test_string`, `UI_get_result_minsize`, `UI_get_result_maxsize`, `UI_set_result` — OpenSSL user interface string parsing

# SYNOPSIS

library “libcrypto”
`#include <openssl/ui.h>`

    enum UI_string_types {
    	UIT_NONE = 0,
    	UIT_PROMPT,	/* Prompt for a string */
    	UIT_VERIFY,	/* Prompt for a string and verify */
    	UIT_BOOLEAN,	/* Prompt for a yes/no response */
    	UIT_INFO,	/* Send info to the user */
    	UIT_ERROR	/* Send an error message to the user */
    };

enum UI_string_types
`UI_get_string_type`(UI_STRING *uis);

int
`UI_get_input_flags`(UI_STRING *uis);

const char *
`UI_get0_output_string`(UI_STRING *uis);

const char *
`UI_get0_action_string`(UI_STRING *uis);

const char *
`UI_get0_result_string`(UI_STRING *uis);

const char *
`UI_get0_test_string`(UI_STRING *uis);

int
`UI_get_result_minsize`(UI_STRING *uis);

int
`UI_get_result_maxsize`(UI_STRING *uis);

int
`UI_set_result`(UI *ui, UI_STRING *uis, const char *result);

# DESCRIPTION

A UI_STRING gets created internally and added to a UI object whenever one of the functions UI_add_input_string(3), UI_dup_input_string(3), UI_add_verify_string(3), UI_dup_verify_string(3), UI_add_input_boolean(3), UI_dup_input_boolean(3), UI_add_info_string(3), UI_dup_info_string(3), UI_add_error_string(3) or UI_dup_error_string(3) is called. For a UI_METHOD user, there's no need to know more. For a UI_METHOD creator, it is of interest to fetch text from these UI_STRING objects as well as adding results to some of them.

`UI_get_string_type`() is used to retrieve the type of the given UI_STRING.

`UI_get_input_flags`() is used to retrieve the flags associated with the given UI_STRING.

`UI_get0_output_string`() is used to retrieve the actual string to output (prompt, info, error, ...).

`UI_get0_action_string`() is used to retrieve the action description associated with a `UIT_BOOLEAN` type UI_STRING. See UI_add_input_boolean(3).

`UI_get0_result_string`() is used to retrieve the result of a prompt. This is only useful for `UIT_PROMPT` and `UIT_VERIFY` type strings.

`UI_get0_test_string`() is used to retrieve the string to compare the prompt result with. This is only useful for `UIT_VERIFY` type strings.

`UI_get_result_minsize`() and `UI_get_result_maxsize`() are used to retrieve the minimum and maximum required size of the result. This is only useful for `UIT_PROMPT` and `UIT_VERIFY` type strings.

`UI_set_result`() is used to set the result value of a prompt. For UIT_PROMPT and UIT_VERIFY type UI strings, this sets the result retrievable with `UI_get0_result_string`() by copying the contents of result if its length fits the minimum and maximum size requirements. For `UIT_BOOLEAN` type UI strings, this sets the first character of the result retrievable with `UI_get0_result_string`() to the first of the ok_chars given with UI_add_input_boolean(3) or UI_dup_input_boolean(3) if the result matched any of them, or the first of the cancel_chars if the result matched any of them, otherwise it's set to the NUL char. See UI_add_input_boolean(3) for more information on ok_chars and cancel_chars.

# RETURN VALUES

`UI_get_string_type`() returns the UI string type.

`UI_get_input_flags`() returns the UI string flags.

`UI_get0_output_string`() returns the UI string output string.

`UI_get0_action_string`() returns the UI string action description string for `UIT_BOOLEAN` type UI strings, or `NULL` for any other type.

`UI_get0_result_string`() returns the UI string result buffer for `UIT_PROMPT` and `UIT_VERIFY` type UI strings, or `NULL` for any other type.

`UI_get0_test_string`() returns the UI string action description string for `UIT_VERIFY` type UI strings, or `NULL` for any other type.

`UI_get_result_minsize`() returns the minimum allowed result size for the UI string for `UIT_PROMPT` and `UIT_VERIFY` type strings, or -1 for any other type.

`UI_get_result_maxsize`() returns the minimum allowed result size for the UI string for `UIT_PROMPT` and `UIT_VERIFY` type strings, or -1 for any other type.

`UI_set_result`() returns 0 on success or when the UI string is of any type other than `UIT_PROMPT`, `UIT_VERIFY`, or `UIT_BOOLEAN`, or -1 on error.

# SEE ALSO

UI_new(3)

# HISTORY

These functions first appeared in OpenSSL 0.9.7 and have been available since OpenBSD 3.2.

June 8, 2025 | Debian