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2 -- Copyright 2020-2021,2023 Thomas E. Dickey --
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28 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
29 -- $Id: README,v 1.31 2023/10/28 14:49:04 tom Exp $
30 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
31 README file for the ncurses package
33 See the file ANNOUNCE for a summary of ncurses features and ports.
34 See the file INSTALL for instructions on how to build and install ncurses.
35 See the file NEWS for a release history and bug-fix notes.
36 See the file TO-DO for things that still need doing, including known bugs.
38 Browse the file doc/html/ncurses-intro.html for narrative descriptions of how
39 to use ncurses and the panel, menu, and form libraries.
41 Browse the file doc/html/hackguide.html for a tour of the package internals.
43 Find plain text versions of both of these documents in doc/.
45 ROADMAP AND PACKAGE OVERVIEW:
47 You should be reading this file in a directory called: ncurses-d.d, where d.d
48 is the current version number (see the dist.mk file in this directory for
49 that). There should be a number of subdirectories, including `c++', `form',
50 `man', `menu', `misc', `ncurses', `panel', `progs', `test', and `Ada95'.
52 A full build/install of this package typically installs several libraries, a
53 handful of utilities, and a database hierarchy. Here is an inventory of the
59 libncurses.so (shared)
60 libncurses_g.a (debug and trace code enabled)
61 libncurses_p.a (profiling enabled)
65 libpanel_g.a (debug and trace code enabled)
69 libmenu_g.a (debug enabled)
73 libform_g.a (debug enabled)
75 If you configure using the --enable-widec option, a "w" is appended to the
76 library names (e.g., libncursesw.a), and the resulting libraries support
77 wide-characters, e.g., via a UTF-8 locale. The corresponding header files
78 are compatible with the non-wide-character configuration; wide-character
79 features are provided by ifdef's in the header files. The wide-character
80 library interfaces are not binary-compatible with the non-wide-character
83 If you configure using the --enable-reentrant option, a "t" is appended to the
84 library names (e.g., libncursest.a) and the resulting libraries have a
85 different binary interface, making the ncurses interface more opaque.
87 The ncurses libraries implement the curses API. The panel, menu and forms
88 libraries implement clones of the SVr4 panel, menu and forms APIs. The source
89 code for these lives in the `ncurses', `panel', `menu', and `form' directories
92 In the `c++' directory, you'll find code that defines an interface to the
93 curses, forms, menus and panels library packaged as C++ classes, and a demo
94 program in C++ to test it. These class definition modules are not installed
95 by the 'make install.libs' rule as libncurses++.
97 In the `Ada95' directory, you'll find code and documentation for an
98 Ada95 binding of the curses API, to be used with the GNAT compiler.
99 This binding is built by a normal top-level `make' if configure detects
100 an usable version of GNAT (3.11 or above). It is not installed automatically.
101 See the Ada95 directory for more build and installation instructions and
102 for documentation of the binding.
104 To do its job, the ncurses code needs your terminal type to be set in the
105 environment variable TERM (normally set by your OS; under UNIX, getty(1)
106 typically does this, but you can override it in your .profile); and, it needs
107 a database of terminal descriptions in which to look up your terminal type's
110 In older (V7/BSD) versions of curses, the database was a flat text file,
111 /etc/termcap; in newer (USG/USL) versions, the database is a hierarchy of
112 fast-loading binary description blocks under /usr/lib/terminfo. These binary
113 blocks are compiled from an improved editable text representation called
114 `terminfo' format (documented in man/terminfo.5). The ncurses library can use
115 either /etc/termcap or the compiled binary terminfo blocks, but prefers the
118 In the `misc' directory, there is a text file terminfo.src, in editable
119 terminfo format, which can be used to generate the terminfo binaries (that's
120 what make install.data does). If the package was built with the
121 --enable-termcap option enabled, and the ncurses library cannot find a
122 terminfo description for your terminal, it will fall back to the termcap file
123 supplied with your system (which the ncurses package installation leaves
126 The utilities are as follows:
128 tic -- terminfo source to binary compiler
129 infocmp -- terminfo binary to source decompiler/comparator
130 clear -- emits clear-screen for current terminal
131 tabs -- set tabs on a terminal
132 tput -- shell-script access to terminal capabilities.
133 toe -- table of entries utility
134 tset -- terminal-initialization utility
136 The first two (tic and infocmp) are used for manipulating terminfo
137 descriptions; the next two (clear and tput) are for use in shell scripts. The
138 last (tset) is provided for 4.4BSD compatibility. The source code for all of
139 these lives in the `progs' directory.
141 Detailed documentation for all libraries and utilities can be found in the
142 `man' and `doc' directories. An HTML introduction to ncurses, panels, and
143 menus programming lives in the `doc/html' directory. Manpages in HTML format
144 are under `doc/html/man'.
146 The `test' directory contains programs that can be used to verify or
147 demonstrate the functions of the ncurses libraries. See test/README for
148 descriptions of these programs. Notably, the `ncurses' utility is designed to
149 help you systematically exercise the library functions.
154 wrote the original ncurses
157 port of original to Linux and many enhancements.
159 Thomas Dickey (maintainer for 1.9.9g through 4.1, resuming with FSF's 5.0):
160 configuration scripts, porting, mods to adhere to XSI Curses in the
161 areas of background color, terminal modes. Also memory leak testing,
162 the wresize, default colors and key definition extensions and numerous
163 bug fixes -- more than half of those enumerated in NEWS beginning with
164 the internal release 1.8.9, see
166 https://invisible-island.net/personal/changelogs.html
168 Florian La Roche (official maintainer for FSF's ncurses 4.2)
169 Beginning with release 4.2, ncurses is distributed under an MIT-style
173 the man pages, infocmp(1), tput(1), clear(1), captoinfo(1), tset(1),
174 toe(1), most of tic(1), trace levels, the HTML intro, wgetnstr() and
175 many other entry points, the cursor-movement optimization, the
176 scroll-pack optimizer for vertical motions, the mouse interface and
177 xterm mouse support, and the ncurses test program.
180 The menu and form libraries, C++ bindings for ncurses, menus, forms
181 and panels, as well as the Ada95 binding. Ongoing support for panel.
185 Alexander V. Lukyanov
186 for numerous fixes and improvements to the optimization logic.
189 for first-class bug-chasing and methodical testing.
192 for the code that hacks termcap parameterized strings into terminfo.
194 Warren Tucker and Gerhard Fuernkranz,
195 for writing and sending the panel library.
198 for many patches and testing the optimization code.
200 Eric Newton, Ulrich Drepper, and Anatoly Ivasyuk:
204 for lessons in using sed.
206 Keith Bostic (maintainer of 4.4BSD curses)
207 for help, criticism, comments, bug-finding, and being willing to
208 deep-six BSD curses for this one when it grew up.
211 for his commitment to making ncurses free software.
213 Countless other people have contributed by reporting bugs, sending fixes,
214 suggesting improvements, and generally whining about ncurses :-)
217 See the INSTALL file for bug and developer-list addresses.
218 The Hacker's Guide in the doc directory includes some guidelines
219 on how to report bugs in ways that will get them fixed most quickly.
221 -- vile:txtmode fc=78