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-<H1 class="no-header">user_caps 5 2023-12-16 ncurses 6.4 File formats</H1>
+<H1 class="no-header">user_caps 5 2024-01-13 ncurses 6.4 File formats</H1>
<PRE>
<STRONG><A HREF="user_caps.5.html">user_caps(5)</A></STRONG> File formats <STRONG><A HREF="user_caps.5.html">user_caps(5)</A></STRONG>
Single Unix Specification beginning in 1995.
Most of the <EM>extensions</EM> in this fixed repertoire were additions to the
- tables of boolean, numeric and string capabilities. Rather than change
+ tables of Boolean, numeric and string capabilities. Rather than change
the meaning of an existing capability, a new name was added. The
terminfo database uses a binary format; binary compatibility was
ensured by using a header which gave the number of items in the tables
terminfo.
-</PRE><H3><a name="h3-Recognized-
capabilities">Recognized capabilities</a></H3><PRE>
+</PRE><H3><a name="h3-Recognized-
Capabilities">Recognized Capabilities</a></H3><PRE>
The <EM>ncurses</EM> library uses the user-definable capabilities. While the
terminfo database may have other extensions, <EM>ncurses</EM> makes explicit
checks for these:
- AX <EM>boolean</EM>, asserts that the terminal interprets SGR 39 and SGR 49
+ AX <EM>Boolean</EM>, asserts that the terminal interprets SGR 39 and SGR 49
by resetting the foreground and background color, respectively,
to the default.
The command "<STRONG>tput</STRONG> <STRONG>clear</STRONG>" does the same thing.
- NQ <EM>boolean</EM>, used to suppress a consistency check in tic for the
+ NQ <EM>Boolean</EM>, used to suppress a consistency check in tic for the
<EM>ncurses</EM> capabilities in user6 through user9 (u6, u7, u8 and u9)
which tell how to query the terminal's cursor position and its
device attributes.
RGB
- <EM>boolean</EM>, <EM>number</EM> <STRONG>or</STRONG> <EM>string</EM>, used to assert that the
+ <EM>Boolean</EM>, <EM>number</EM> <STRONG>or</STRONG> <EM>string</EM>, used to assert that the
<STRONG>set_a_foreground</STRONG> and <STRONG>set_a_background</STRONG> capabilities correspond to
<EM>direct</EM> <EM>colors</EM>, using an RGB (red/green/blue) convention. This
capability allows the <STRONG>color_content</STRONG> function to return
The capability type determines the values which <EM>ncurses</EM> sees:
- <EM>boolean</EM>
+ <EM>Boolean</EM>
implies that the number of bits for red, green and blue are
the same. Using the maximum number of colors, <EM>ncurses</EM> adds
two, divides that sum by three, and assigns the result to red,
<EM>number</EM>
tells <EM>ncurses</EM> what result to add to red, green and blue. If
<EM>ncurses</EM> runs out of bits, blue (and green) lose just as in the
- <EM>boolean</EM> case.
+ <EM>Boolean</EM> case.
<EM>string</EM>
explicitly list the number of bits used for red, green and
%?%p4%tM%em%;,
-</PRE><H3><a name="h3-Extended-
key-definitions">Extended key-definitions</a></H3><PRE>
+</PRE><H3><a name="h3-Extended-
Key-Definitions">Extended Key Definitions</a></H3><PRE>
Several terminals provide the ability to send distinct strings for
combinations of modified special keys. There is no standard for what
those keys can send.
Applications can use the <EM>naming</EM> <EM>convention</EM> established for <STRONG>xterm</STRONG> to
find these special keys in the terminal description.
- Starting with the curses convention that <EM>key</EM> <EM>names</EM> begin with "k" and
- that shifted special keys are an uppercase name, <EM>ncurses</EM>' terminal
- database defines these names to which a suffix is added:
-
- <STRONG>Name</STRONG> <STRONG>Description</STRONG>
- ---------------------------------------------------------------
- kDC special form of kdch1 (delete character)
- kDN special form of kcud1 (cursor down)
- kEND special form of kend (End)
- kHOM special form of khome (Home)
- kLFT special form of kcub1 (cursor-left or cursor-back)
- kNXT special form of knext (Next, or Page-Down)
- kPRV special form of kprev (Prev, or Page-Up)
- kRIT special form of kcuf1 (cursor-right, or cursor-forward)
- kUP special form of kcuu1 (cursor-up)
+ Starting with the <EM>curses</EM> convention that capability codes describing
+ the input generated by a terminal's key caps begin with "k", and that
+ shifted special keys use uppercase letters in their names, <EM>ncurses</EM>'s
+ terminal database defines the following names and codes to which a
+ suffix is added.
+
+ <STRONG>Code</STRONG> <STRONG>Description</STRONG>
+ -------------------------------------------------------------------
+ <STRONG>kDC</STRONG> shifted kdch1 (delete character)
+ <STRONG>kDN</STRONG> shifted kcud1 (cursor down)
+ <STRONG>kEND</STRONG> shifted kend (end)
+ <STRONG>kHOM</STRONG> shifted khome (home)
+ <STRONG>kLFT</STRONG> shifted kcub1 (cursor back)
+ <STRONG>kNXT</STRONG> shifted knext (next)
+ <STRONG>kPRV</STRONG> shifted kprev (previous)
+ <STRONG>kRIT</STRONG> shifted kcuf1 (cursor forward)
+ <STRONG>kUP</STRONG> shifted kcuu1 (cursor up)
+
+ Keycap nomenclature on the Unix systems for which <EM>curses</EM> was developed
+ differs from today's ubiquitous descendants of the IBM PC/AT keyboard
+ layout. In the foregoing, interpret "backward" as "left", "forward" as
+ "right", "next" as "page down", and "prev(ious)" as "page up".
These are the suffixes used to denote the modifiers:
15 Meta + Ctrl + Alt
16 Meta + Ctrl + Alt + Shift
- None of these are predefined; terminal descriptions can refer to <EM>names</EM>
+ None of these are predefined; terminal descriptions can refer to <EM>names</EM>
which <EM>ncurses</EM> will allocate at runtime to <EM>key-codes</EM>. To use these keys
in an <EM>ncurses</EM> program, an application could do this:
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> using a list of extended key <EM>names</EM>, ask <STRONG><A HREF="curs_terminfo.3x.html">tigetstr(3x)</A></STRONG> for their
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> using a list of extended key <EM>names</EM>, ask <STRONG><A HREF="curs_terminfo.3x.html">tigetstr(3x)</A></STRONG> for their
values, and
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> given the list of values, ask <STRONG><A HREF="key_defined.3x.html">key_defined(3x)</A></STRONG> for the <EM>key-code</EM>
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> given the list of values, ask <STRONG><A HREF="key_defined.3x.html">key_defined(3x)</A></STRONG> for the <EM>key-code</EM>
which would be returned for those keys by <STRONG><A HREF="curs_getch.3x.html">wgetch(3x)</A></STRONG>.
</PRE><H2><a name="h2-PORTABILITY">PORTABILITY</a></H2><PRE>
- The "-x" extension feature of <STRONG>tic</STRONG> and <STRONG>infocmp</STRONG> has been adopted in
- NetBSD curses. That implementation stores user-defined capabilities,
+ The "-x" extension feature of <STRONG>tic</STRONG> and <STRONG>infocmp</STRONG> has been adopted in
+ NetBSD curses. That implementation stores user-defined capabilities,
but makes no use of these capabilities itself.
<STRONG><A HREF="infocmp.1m.html">infocmp(1m)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="tic.1m.html">tic(1m)</A></STRONG>
The terminal database section <EM>NCURSES</EM> <EM>USER-DEFINABLE</EM> <EM>CAPABILITIES</EM>
- summarizes commonly-used user-defined capabilities which are used in
- the terminal descriptions. Some of those features are mentioned in
+ summarizes commonly-used user-defined capabilities which are used in
+ the terminal descriptions. Some of those features are mentioned in
<STRONG>screen(1)</STRONG> or <STRONG>tmux(1)</STRONG>.
- <EM>XTerm</EM> <EM>Control</EM> <EM>Sequences</EM> provides further information on the <STRONG>xterm(1)</STRONG>
+ <EM>XTerm</EM> <EM>Control</EM> <EM>Sequences</EM> provides further information on the <STRONG>xterm(1)</STRONG>
features that are used in these extended capabilities.
-ncurses 6.4 202
3-12-16 <STRONG><A HREF="user_caps.5.html">user_caps(5)</A></STRONG>
+ncurses 6.4 202
4-01-13 <STRONG><A HREF="user_caps.5.html">user_caps(5)</A></STRONG>
</PRE>
<div class="nav">
<ul>
<li><a href="#h2-DESCRIPTION">DESCRIPTION</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="#h3-Background">Background</a></li>
-<li><a href="#h3-Recognized-capabilities">Recognized capabilities</a></li>
-<li><a href="#h3-Extended-key-definitions">Extended key-definitions</a></li>
+<li><a href="#h3-Recognized-Capabilities">Recognized Capabilities</a></li>
+<li><a href="#h3-Extended-Key-Definitions">Extended Key Definitions</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#h2-PORTABILITY">PORTABILITY</a></li>
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