-The ncurses (new curses) library is a freeware emulation of System V
-Release 4.0 curses. It uses terminfo format, supports pads and color
+The ncurses (new curses) library is a free software emulation of
+curses in System V Release 4.0, and more. It uses terminfo format,
+supports pads and color
and multiple highlights and forms characters and function-key mapping,
and has all the other SYSV-curses enhancements over BSD curses.
In mid-June 1995, the maintainer of 4.4BSD curses declared that he
-considered 4.4BSD curses obsolete, and is encouraging the keepers of
-Unix releases such as BSD/OS, freeBSD and netBSD to switch over to
+considered 4.4BSD curses obsolete, and encouraged the keepers of
+Unix releases such as BSD/OS, FreeBSD and NetBSD to switch over to
ncurses.
-The ncurses code was developed under Linux. It should port easily to
-any ANSI/POSIX-conforming UNIX. It has even been ported to OS/2 Warp!
+The ncurses code was developed under GNU/Linux.
+It has been in use for some time with OpenBSD as the system curses library,
+and on FreeBSD and NetBSD as an external package.
+It should port easily to any ANSI/POSIX-conforming UNIX.
+It has even been ported to OS/2 Warp!
The distribution includes the library and support utilities, including a
terminfo compiler tic(1), a decompiler infocmp(1), clear(1), tput(1), tset(1),
@@ -31,24 +63,311 @@ the library and tools.
-The ncurses package is fully compatible with SVr4 (System V Release 4) curses:
+This release is designed to be upward compatible from ncurses 5.0 through 5.6;
+very few applications will require recompilation, depending on the platform.
+These are the highlights from the change-log since ncurses 5.6 release.
+
+Interface changes:
+
+
generate linkable stubs for some macros:
+
+ getattrs
+
+
+New features and improvements:
+
+
library
+
+
new flavor of the ncurses library provides rudimentary
+ support for POSIX threads. Several functions are
+ reentrant, but most require either a window-level or
+ screen-level mutex.
+ (This is API-compatible,
+ but not ABI-compatible with the normal library).
+
+
add NCURSES_OPAQUE symbol to curses.h, will
+ use to make structs opaque in selected configurations.
+
+
add NCURSES_EXT_FUNCS and
+ NCURSES_EXT_COLORS symbols to curses.h to make
+ it simpler to tell if the extended functions and/or colors
+ are declared.
+
+
add wresize() to C++ binding
+
+
eliminate fixed-buffer vsprintf() calls in C++ binding.
+
+
add several functions to C++ binding which wrap C functions
+ that pass a WINDOW* parameter.
+
+
adapt mouse-handling code from menu library in form-library
+
+
improve tracing for form library, showing created forms,
+ fields, etc.
+
+
make $NCURSES_NO_PADDING feature work for termcap interface .
+
+
add check to trace-file open, if the given name is a
+ directory, add ".log" to the name and try again.
+
+
several new manpages: curs_legacy.3x, curs_memleaks.3x,
+ curs_opaque.3x and curs_threads.3x
+
+
+
programs:
+
+
modified three test-programs to demonstrate the threading
+ support in this version: ditto, rain, worm.
+
+
several new test-programs: demo_panels, dots_mvcur,
+ inch_wide, inchs, key_name, key_names, savescreen,
+ savescreen.sh test_arrays, test_get_wstr, test_getstr,
+ test_instr, test_inwstr and test_opaque.
+
+
add adacurses-config to the Ada95 install.
+
+
modify tic -f option to format spaces as
+ \s to prevent them from being lost when that
+ is read back in unformatted strings.
+
+
The tack program is now distributed separately
+ from ncurses.
+
+
+
terminal database
+
+
added entries:
+
+
Eterm-256color,
+ Eterm-88color and
+ rxvt-88color
+
aterm
+
konsole-256color
+
mrxvt
+
screen.mlterm
+
screen.rxvt
+
teraterm4.59 is now the primary primary
+ teraterm entry, renamed original to
+ teraterm2.3
+
9term terminal
+
Newbury Data entries
+
+
updated/improved entries:
+
+
gnome to version 2.22.3
+
h19, z100
+
konsole to version 1.6.6
+
mlterm, mlterm+pcfkeys
+
xterm, and building-blocks for function-keys
+ to xterm patch #230.
+
+
+
+Major bug fixes:
+
+
add logic to tic for cancelling strings in user-defined
+ capabilities
+ (this is needed for
+ current konsole terminfo entry).
+
+
modify mk-1st.awk so the generated makefile rules for
+ linking or installing shared libraries do not first remove the
+ library, in case it is in use, e.g., libncurses.so by
+ /bin/sh.
+
+
correct check for notimeout() in wgetch().
+
+
fix a sign-extension bug in infocmp's repair_acsc() function.
+
+
change winnstr() to stop at the end of the line.
+
+
make Ada95 demo_panels() example work.
+
+
fix for adding a non-spacing character at the beginning of a line.
+
+
fill in extended-color pair to make colors work
+ for wide-characters using extended-colors.
+
+
improve refresh of window on top of multi-column characters,
+ taking into account split characters on left/right window
+ boundaries.
+
+
modify win_wchnstr() to ensure that only a base cell
+ is returned for each multi-column character.
+
+
improve waddch() and winsch() handling of
+ EILSEQ from mbrtowc() by using unctrl()
+ to display illegal bytes rather than trying to append further bytes
+ to make up a valid sequence.
+
+
restore curs_set() state after
+ endwin()/refresh()
+
+
modify keyname() to use "^X" form only if
+ meta() has been called, or if keyname()
+ is called without initializing curses, e.g., via
+ initscr() or newterm().
+
+
modify unctrl() to check codes in 128-255 range versus
+ isprint().
+ If they are not printable, and locale was set, use a "M-" or "~"
+ sequence.
+
+
improve resizeterm() by moving ripped-off lines, and
+ repainting the soft-keys.
+
+
modify form library to accept control characters such as newline
+ in set_field_buffer(), which is compatible with Solaris.
+
+
use NCURSES_MOUSE_MASK() in definition of
+ BUTTON_RELEASE(), etc., to make those work properly
+ with the --enable-ext-mouse configuration
+
+
correct some functions in Ada95 binding which were using return
+ value from C where none was returned.
+
+
reviewed/fixed issues reported by Coverity and Klocwork tools.
+
+
+Portability:
+
+
configure script:
+
+
new options:
+
+
+
--disable-big-strings
+
control whether static string tables are generated as single
+ large strings (to improve startup performance), or as array
+ of individual strings.
+
+
--disable-relink
+
control whether shared libraries are relinked (during install)
+ when rpath is enabled.
+
+
--disable-tic-depends
+
make explicit whether tic library depends on ncurses/ncursesw
+ library.
+
+
--enable-mixed-case
+
override the configure script's check if the filesystem
+ supports mixed-case filenames.
+ This allows one to control how the terminal database
+ maps to the filesystem.
+ For filesystems that do not support mixed-case, the library
+ uses generate 2-character (hexadecimal) codes for the
+ lower-level of the filesystem terminfo database
+
+
--enable-reentrant
+
builds a different flavor of the ncurses library (ncursest)
+ which improves reentrant use of the
+ library by reducing global and static variables
+ (see the "--with-pthread" option for the threaded support).
+
+
--enable-weak-symbols
+
use weak-symbols for linking to the POSIX thread library,
+ and use the same soname for the ncurses shared library
+ as the normal library (caveat: the ABI is for the threaded
+ library, which makes global data accessed via functions).
+
+
--with-pthread
+
build with the POSIX thread library (tested with AIX,
+ Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, HPUX, IRIX64, Solaris, Tru64).
+
+
--with-ticlib
+
build/install the tic-support functions in a separate library
+
+
+
+
improved options:
+
+
+
--enable-ext-colors
+
requires the wide-character configuration.
+
+
--with-chtype
+
ignore option value "unsigned" is always added to
+ the type in curses.h; do the same for --with-mmask-t.
+
+
--with-dmalloc
+
build-fix for redefinition of strndup.
+
+
--with-hashed-db
+
accepts a parameter which is the install-prefix of a given
+ Berkeley Database.
+
+
--with-hashed-db
+
the $LIBS environment variable overrides the search for the db
+ library.
+
+
--without-hashed-db
+
assumed when "--disable-database" is used.
+
+
+
+
+
+
other configure/build issues:
+
+
build-fixes for LynxOS
+
modify shared-library rules to allow FreeBSD 3.x to use rpath.
+
build-fix for FreeBSD "contemporary" TTY interface.
+
build-fixes for AIX with libtool.
+
build-fixes for Darwin and libtool.
+
modify BeOS-specific ifdef's to build on Haiku.
+
corrected gcc options for building shared libraries on Solaris
+ and IRIX64.
+
change shared-library configuration for OpenBSD, make rpath work.
+
build-fixes for using libutf8, e.g., on OpenBSD 3.7
+
add "-e" option in ncurses/Makefile.in when generating source-files
+ to force earlier exit if the build environment fails unexpectedly.
+
add support for shared libraries for QNX.
+
change delimiter in MKlib_gen.sh from '%' to '@', to
+ avoid substitution by IBM xlc to '#' as part of its extensions to
+ digraphs.
+
+
+
library:
+
+
rewrite wrapper for wcrtomb(), making it work on
+ Solaris. This is used in the form library to determine the length
+ of the buffer needed by field_buffer.
+
add/use configure script macro CF_SIG_ATOMIC_T, use the corresponding
+ type for data manipulated by signal handlers.
+
set locale in misc/ncurses-config.in since it uses a range
+
disable GPM mouse support when $TERM does not happen to contain
+ "linux", since Gpm_Open() no longer limits its assertion to terminals
+ that it might handle, e.g., within "screen" in xterm.
+
reset mouse file-descriptor when unloading GPM library.
+
+
+
test programs:
+
+
update test programs to build/work with various UNIX curses for
+ comparisons.
+
+
+
+
Features of Ncurses
+
+The ncurses package is fully compatible with SVr4 (System V Release 4) curses:
All 257 of the SVr4 calls have been implemented (and are documented).
Full support for SVr4 curses features including keyboard mapping, color,
forms-drawing with ACS characters, and automatic recognition of keypad
and function keys.
-
An emulation of the SVr4 panels library, supporting
+
An emulation of the SVr4 panels library, supporting
a stack of windows with backing store, is included.
-
An emulation of the SVr4 menus library, supporting
+
An emulation of the SVr4 menus library, supporting
a uniform but flexible interface for menu programming, is included.
-
An emulation of the SVr4 form library, supporting
+
An emulation of the SVr4 form library, supporting
data collection through on-screen forms, is included.
Binary terminfo entries generated by the ncurses tic(1) implementation
are bit-for-bit-compatible with the entry format SVr4 curses uses.
@@ -56,21 +375,20 @@ are bit-for-bit-compatible with the entry format SVr4 curses uses.
entries for use with less capable curses/terminfo
versions such as the HP/UX and AIX ports.
-The ncurses package also has many useful extensions over SVr4:
+The ncurses package also has many useful extensions over SVr4:
The API is 8-bit clean and base-level conformant with the X/OPEN curses
-specification, XSI Curses (that is, it implements all BASE level features,
-but not all EXTENDED features). Most EXTENDED-level features not directly
-concerned with wide-character support are implemented, including many
-function calls not supported under SVr4 curses (but portability of all
+specification, XSI curses (that is, it implements all BASE level features,
+and most EXTENDED features).
+It includes many function calls not supported under SVr4 curses
+(but portability of all
calls is documented so you can use the SVr4 subset only).
-
Unlike SVr4 curses, ncurses can write to the rightmost-bottommost corner
+
Unlike SVr3 curses, ncurses can write to the rightmost-bottommost corner
of the screen if your terminal has an insert-character capability.
-
(PC-clone boxes only) Support for access to the IBM PC ROM characters
-0-32 through the highlight A_ALTCHARSET.
Ada95 and C++ bindings.
-
Support for mouse event reporting under xterm.
+
Support for mouse event reporting with X Window xterm
+and FreeBSD and OS/2 console windows.
Extended mouse support via Alessandro Rubini's gpm package.
The function wresize() allows you to resize windows, preserving
their data.
@@ -82,7 +400,9 @@ and define_key() allow
you to better control the use of function keys,
e.g., disabling the ncurses KEY_MOUSE,
or by defining more than one control sequence to map to a given key code.
-
Support for 16-color terminals, such as aixterm and XFree86 xterm.
+
Support for 256-color terminals, such as modern xterm, when configured
+using the --enable-ext-colors option.
+
Support for 16-color terminals, such as aixterm and modern xterm.
Better cursor-movement optimization. The package now features a
cursor-local-movement computation more efficient than either BSD's
or System V's.
@@ -98,7 +418,7 @@ after the end would step on a non-space character. It will
automatically shift highlight boundaries when doing so would make it
possible to draw the highlight without changing the visual appearance
of the screen.
-
It is possible to generate the library with a list of pre-loaded
+
It is possible to generate the library with a list of pre-loaded
fallback entries linked to it so that it can serve those terminal types even
when no terminfo tree or termcap file is accessible (this may be useful
for support of screen-oriented programs that must run in single-user mode).
@@ -111,7 +431,7 @@ entries from $HOME/.terminfo if it exists, and compile to that directory
if it exists and the user has no write access to the system directory.
This feature makes it easier for users to have personal terminfo entries
without giving up access to the system terminfo directory.
-
You may specify a path of directories to search for compiled
+
You may specify a path of directories to search for compiled
descriptions with the environment variable TERMINFO_DIRS (this
generalizes the feature provided by TERMINFO under stock System V.)
In terminfo source files, use capabilities may refer not just to
@@ -139,45 +459,68 @@ a narrative introduction to the curses programming interface.
State of the Package
Numerous bugs present in earlier versions have been fixed; the
-library is far more reliable than it used to be. Bounds checking in many
-`dangerous' entry points has been improved. The code is now type-safe
+library is far more reliable than it used to be. Bounds checking in many
+`dangerous' entry points has been improved. The code is now type-safe
according to gcc -Wall. The library has been checked for malloc leaks and
arena corruption by the Purify memory-allocation tester.
The ncurses code has been tested with a wide variety of applications
-including:
-The original developers of ncurses are Zeyd Ben-Halim and
-Eric S. Raymond.
+Zeyd Ben-Halim
+started it from a previous package pcurses, written by Pavel Curtis.
+Eric S. Raymond
+continued development.
+Jürgen Pfeifer wrote most of the form and menu libraries.
Ongoing work is being done by
-Thomas Dickey
-and
-Jürgen Pfeifer.
-Florian La Roche
-acts as the maintainer for the Free Software Foundation, which holds the
-copyright on ncurses.
+Thomas Dickey.
+Thomas Dickey
+acts as the maintainer for the Free Software Foundation,
+which holds the copyright on ncurses.
Contact the current maintainers at
bug-ncurses@gnu.org.
@@ -210,29 +553,32 @@ This list is open to anyone interested in helping with the development and
testing of this package.
Extended-level XPG4 conformance, with internationalization support.
Ports to more systems, including DOS and Windows.
-We need people to help with these projects. If you are interested in working
+We need people to help with these projects. If you are interested in working
on them, please join the ncurses list.
Other Related Resources
-The distribution includes and uses a version of the terminfo-format
-terminal description file maintained by Eric Raymond.
-http://earthspace.net/~esr/terminfo.
+The distribution provides a newer version of the terminfo-format
+terminal description file once maintained by
+Eric Raymond .
+Unlike the older version, the termcap and terminfo data are provided
+in the same file, and provides several user-definable extensions
+beyond the X/Open specification.
You can find lots of information on terminal-related topics
not covered in the terminfo file at
Richard Shuford's
-archive.
+archive .
-