3 * DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE BY HAND!
4 * It is generated from terminfo.head, ./../include/Caps ./../include/Caps-ncurses, and terminfo.tail.
5 * Note: this must be run through tbl before nroff.
6 * The magic cookie on the first line triggers this under some man programs.
7 ****************************************************************************
8 * Copyright (c) 1998-2017,2018 Free Software Foundation, Inc. *
10 * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a *
11 * copy of this software and associated documentation files (the *
12 * "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including *
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14 * distribute, distribute with modifications, sublicense, and/or sell *
15 * copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is *
16 * furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: *
18 * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included *
19 * in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. *
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22 * OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF *
23 * MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. *
24 * IN NO EVENT SHALL THE ABOVE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, *
25 * DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR *
26 * OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR *
27 * THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE. *
29 * Except as contained in this notice, the name(s) of the above copyright *
30 * holders shall not be used in advertising or otherwise to promote the *
31 * sale, use or other dealings in this Software without prior written *
33 ****************************************************************************
34 * @Id: terminfo.head,v 1.35 2018/07/28 22:29:09 tom Exp @
35 * Head of terminfo man page ends here
36 * @Id: terminfo.tail,v 1.90 2019/01/20 20:21:46 tom Exp @
37 * Beginning of terminfo.tail file
38 * This file is part of ncurses.
39 * See "terminfo.head" for copyright.
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51 <TITLE>terminfo 5 File Formats</TITLE>
52 <link rel="author" href="mailto:bug-ncurses@gnu.org">
53 <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
56 <H1 class="no-header">terminfo 5 File Formats</H1>
58 <STRONG><A HREF="terminfo.5.html">terminfo(5)</A></STRONG> File Formats <STRONG><A HREF="terminfo.5.html">terminfo(5)</A></STRONG>
63 </PRE><H2><a name="h2-NAME">NAME</a></H2><PRE>
64 terminfo - terminal capability data base
67 </PRE><H2><a name="h2-SYNOPSIS">SYNOPSIS</a></H2><PRE>
68 /usr/share/terminfo/*/*
71 </PRE><H2><a name="h2-DESCRIPTION">DESCRIPTION</a></H2><PRE>
72 <EM>Terminfo</EM> is a data base describing terminals, used by screen-oriented
73 programs such as <STRONG>nvi(1)</STRONG>, <STRONG>rogue(1)</STRONG> and libraries such as <STRONG><A HREF="ncurses.3x.html">curses(3x)</A></STRONG>.
74 <EM>Terminfo</EM> describes terminals by giving a set of capabilities which they
75 have, by specifying how to perform screen operations, and by specifying
76 padding requirements and initialization sequences. This describes
77 <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG> version 6.1 (patch 20190323).
80 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-Terminfo-Entry-Syntax">Terminfo Entry Syntax</a></H3><PRE>
81 Entries in <EM>terminfo</EM> consist of a sequence of fields:
83 <STRONG>o</STRONG> Each field ends with a comma "," (embedded commas may be escaped
84 with a backslash or written as "\054").
86 <STRONG>o</STRONG> White space between fields is ignored.
88 <STRONG>o</STRONG> The first field in a <EM>terminfo</EM> entry begins in the first column.
90 <STRONG>o</STRONG> Newlines and leading whitespace (spaces or tabs) may be used for
91 formatting entries for readability. These are removed from parsed
94 The <STRONG>infocmp</STRONG> <STRONG>-f</STRONG> and <STRONG>-W</STRONG> options rely on this to format if-then-else
95 expressions, or to enforce maximum line-width. The resulting for-
96 matted terminal description can be read by <STRONG>tic</STRONG>.
98 <STRONG>o</STRONG> The first field for each terminal gives the names which are known
99 for the terminal, separated by "|" characters.
101 The first name given is the most common abbreviation for the termi-
102 nal (its primary name), the last name given should be a long name
103 fully identifying the terminal (see <STRONG><A HREF="curs_termattrs.3x.html">longname(3x)</A></STRONG>), and all others
104 are treated as synonyms (aliases) for the primary terminal name.
106 X/Open Curses advises that all names but the last should be in
107 lower case and contain no blanks; the last name may well contain
108 upper case and blanks for readability.
110 This implementation is not so strict; it allows mixed case in the
111 primary name and aliases. If the last name has no embedded blanks,
112 it allows that to be both an alias and a verbose name (but will
113 warn about this ambiguity).
115 <STRONG>o</STRONG> Lines beginning with a "#" in the first column are treated as com-
118 While comment lines are legal at any point, the output of <STRONG>captoinfo</STRONG>
119 and <STRONG>infotocap</STRONG> (aliases for <STRONG>tic</STRONG>) will move comments so they occur
120 only between entries.
122 Terminal names (except for the last, verbose entry) should be chosen
123 using the following conventions. The particular piece of hardware mak-
124 ing up the terminal should have a root name, thus "hp2621". This name
125 should not contain hyphens. Modes that the hardware can be in, or user
126 preferences, should be indicated by appending a hyphen and a mode suf-
127 fix. Thus, a vt100 in 132 column mode would be vt100-w. The following
128 suffixes should be used where possible:
130 <STRONG>Suffix</STRONG> <STRONG>Meaning</STRONG> <STRONG>Example</STRONG>
131 -<EM>nn</EM> Number of lines on the screen aaa-60
132 -<EM>n</EM>p Number of pages of memory c100-4p
133 -am With automargins (usually the default) vt100-am
134 -m Mono mode; suppress color ansi-m
135 -mc Magic cookie; spaces when highlighting wy30-mc
136 -na No arrow keys (leave them in local) c100-na
137 -nam Without automatic margins vt100-nam
138 -nl No status line att4415-nl
139 -ns No status line hp2626-ns
140 -rv Reverse video c100-rv
141 -s Enable status line vt100-s
142 -vb Use visible bell instead of beep wy370-vb
143 -w Wide mode (> 80 columns, usually 132) vt100-w
145 For more on terminal naming conventions, see the <STRONG><A HREF="term.7.html">term(7)</A></STRONG> manual page.
148 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-Terminfo-Capabilities-Syntax">Terminfo Capabilities Syntax</a></H3><PRE>
149 The terminfo entry consists of several <EM>capabilities</EM>, i.e., features
150 that the terminal has, or methods for exercising the terminal's fea-
153 After the first field (giving the name(s) of the terminal entry), there
154 should be one or more <EM>capability</EM> fields. These are boolean, numeric or
155 string names with corresponding values:
157 <STRONG>o</STRONG> Boolean capabilities are true when present, false when absent.
158 There is no explicit value for boolean capabilities.
160 <STRONG>o</STRONG> Numeric capabilities have a "#" following the name, then an
161 unsigned decimal integer value.
163 <STRONG>o</STRONG> String capabilities have a "=" following the name, then an string
164 of characters making up the capability value.
166 String capabilities can be split into multiple lines, just as the
167 fields comprising a terminal entry can be split into multiple
168 lines. While blanks between fields are ignored, blanks embedded
169 within a string value are retained, except for leading blanks on a
172 Any capability can be <EM>canceled</EM>, i.e., suppressed from the terminal
173 entry, by following its name with "@" rather than a capability value.
176 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-Similar-Terminals">Similar Terminals</a></H3><PRE>
177 If there are two very similar terminals, one (the variant) can be
178 defined as being just like the other (the base) with certain excep-
179 tions. In the definition of the variant, the string capability <STRONG>use</STRONG> can
180 be given with the name of the base terminal:
182 <STRONG>o</STRONG> The capabilities given before <STRONG>use</STRONG> override those in the base type
183 named by <STRONG>use</STRONG>.
185 <STRONG>o</STRONG> If there are multiple <STRONG>use</STRONG> capabilities, they are merged in reverse
186 order. That is, the rightmost <STRONG>use</STRONG> reference is processed first,
187 then the one to its left, and so forth.
189 <STRONG>o</STRONG> Capabilities given explicitly in the entry override those brought
190 in by <STRONG>use</STRONG> references.
192 A capability can be canceled by placing <STRONG>xx@</STRONG> to the left of the use ref-
193 erence that imports it, where <EM>xx</EM> is the capability. For example, the
196 2621-nl, smkx@, rmkx@, use=2621,
198 defines a 2621-nl that does not have the <STRONG>smkx</STRONG> or <STRONG>rmkx</STRONG> capabilities, and
199 hence does not turn on the function key labels when in visual mode.
200 This is useful for different modes for a terminal, or for different
203 An entry included via <STRONG>use</STRONG> can contain canceled capabilities, which have
204 the same effect as if those cancels were inline in the using terminal
208 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-Predefined-Capabilities">Predefined Capabilities</a></H3><PRE>
209 The following is a complete table of the capabilities included in a
210 terminfo description block and available to terminfo-using code. In
211 each line of the table,
213 The <STRONG>variable</STRONG> is the name by which the programmer (at the terminfo
214 level) accesses the capability.
216 The <STRONG>capname</STRONG> is the short name used in the text of the database, and is
217 used by a person updating the database. Whenever possible, capnames
218 are chosen to be the same as or similar to the ANSI X3.64-1979 standard
219 (now superseded by ECMA-48, which uses identical or very similar
220 names). Semantics are also intended to match those of the specifica-
223 The termcap code is the old <STRONG>termcap</STRONG> capability name (some capabilities
224 are new, and have names which termcap did not originate).
226 Capability names have no hard length limit, but an informal limit of 5
227 characters has been adopted to keep them short and to allow the tabs in
228 the source file <STRONG>Caps</STRONG> to line up nicely.
230 Finally, the description field attempts to convey the semantics of the
231 capability. You may find some codes in the description field:
233 (P) indicates that padding may be specified
235 #[1-9] in the description field indicates that the string is passed
236 through tparm with parms as given (#<EM>i</EM>).
238 (P*) indicates that padding may vary in proportion to the number of
241 (#<EM>i</EM>) indicates the <EM>i</EM>th parameter.
244 These are the boolean capabilities:
247 <STRONG>Variable</STRONG> <STRONG>Cap-</STRONG> <STRONG>TCap</STRONG> <STRONG>Description</STRONG>
248 <STRONG>Booleans</STRONG> <STRONG>name</STRONG> <STRONG>Code</STRONG>
249 auto_left_margin bw bw cub1 wraps from col-
251 auto_right_margin am am terminal has auto-
253 back_color_erase bce ut screen erased with
255 can_change ccc cc terminal can re-
258 ceol_standout_glitch xhp xs standout not erased
260 col_addr_glitch xhpa YA only positive motion
263 cpi_changes_res cpix YF changing character
266 cr_cancels_micro_mode crxm YB using cr turns off
268 dest_tabs_magic_smso xt xt tabs destructive,
271 eat_newline_glitch xenl xn newline ignored
274 erase_overstrike eo eo can erase over-
276 generic_type gn gn generic line type
277 hard_copy hc hc hardcopy terminal
278 hard_cursor chts HC cursor is hard to
280 has_meta_key km km Has a meta key
282 has_print_wheel daisy YC printer needs opera-
285 has_status_line hs hs has extra status
287 hue_lightness_saturation hls hl terminal uses only
290 insert_null_glitch in in insert mode distin-
292 lpi_changes_res lpix YG changing line pitch
294 memory_above da da display may be
297 memory_below db db display may be
300 move_insert_mode mir mi safe to move while
302 move_standout_mode msgr ms safe to move while
304 needs_xon_xoff nxon nx padding will not
307 no_esc_ctlc xsb xb beehive (f1=escape,
309 no_pad_char npc NP pad character does
311 non_dest_scroll_region ndscr ND scrolling region is
313 non_rev_rmcup nrrmc NR smcup does not
315 over_strike os os terminal can over-
317 prtr_silent mc5i 5i printer will not
319 row_addr_glitch xvpa YD only positive motion
321 semi_auto_right_margin sam YE printing in last
323 status_line_esc_ok eslok es escape can be used
325 tilde_glitch hz hz cannot print ~'s
329 transparent_underline ul ul underline character
331 xon_xoff xon xo terminal uses
334 These are the numeric capabilities:
337 <STRONG>Variable</STRONG> <STRONG>Cap-</STRONG> <STRONG>TCap</STRONG> <STRONG>Description</STRONG>
338 <STRONG>Numeric</STRONG> <STRONG>name</STRONG> <STRONG>Code</STRONG>
339 columns cols co number of columns in
341 init_tabs it it tabs initially every
343 label_height lh lh rows in each label
344 label_width lw lw columns in each
346 lines lines li number of lines on
348 lines_of_memory lm lm lines of memory if >
350 magic_cookie_glitch xmc sg number of blank
353 max_attributes ma ma maximum combined
356 max_colors colors Co maximum number of
358 max_pairs pairs pa maximum number of
361 maximum_windows wnum MW maximum number of
363 no_color_video ncv NC video attributes
366 num_labels nlab Nl number of labels on
368 padding_baud_rate pb pb lowest baud rate
370 virtual_terminal vt vt virtual terminal
372 width_status_line wsl ws number of columns in
375 The following numeric capabilities are present in the SVr4.0 term
376 structure, but are not yet documented in the man page. They came in
377 with SVr4's printer support.
380 <STRONG>Variable</STRONG> <STRONG>Cap-</STRONG> <STRONG>TCap</STRONG> <STRONG>Description</STRONG>
381 <STRONG>Numeric</STRONG> <STRONG>name</STRONG> <STRONG>Code</STRONG>
382 bit_image_entwining bitwin Yo number of passes for
384 bit_image_type bitype Yp type of bit-image
386 buffer_capacity bufsz Ya numbers of bytes
389 buttons btns BT number of buttons on
391 dot_horz_spacing spinh Yc spacing of dots hor-
395 dot_vert_spacing spinv Yb spacing of pins ver-
398 max_micro_address maddr Yd maximum value in
400 max_micro_jump mjump Ye maximum value in
402 micro_col_size mcs Yf character step size
404 micro_line_size mls Yg line step size when
406 number_of_pins npins Yh numbers of pins in
408 output_res_char orc Yi horizontal resolu-
411 output_res_horz_inch orhi Yk horizontal resolu-
414 output_res_line orl Yj vertical resolution
416 output_res_vert_inch orvi Yl vertical resolution
418 print_rate cps Ym print rate in char-
420 wide_char_size widcs Yn character step size
424 These are the string capabilities:
427 <STRONG>Variable</STRONG> <STRONG>Cap-</STRONG> <STRONG>TCap</STRONG> <STRONG>Description</STRONG>
428 <STRONG>String</STRONG> <STRONG>name</STRONG> <STRONG>Code</STRONG>
429 acs_chars acsc ac graphics charset
432 back_tab cbt bt back tab (P)
433 bell bel bl audible signal
435 carriage_return cr cr carriage return (P*)
437 change_char_pitch cpi ZA Change number of
440 change_line_pitch lpi ZB Change number of
442 change_res_horz chr ZC Change horizontal
444 change_res_vert cvr ZD Change vertical res-
446 change_scroll_region csr cs change region to
449 char_padding rmp rP like ip but when in
451 clear_all_tabs tbc ct clear all tab stops
453 clear_margins mgc MC clear right and left
455 clear_screen clear cl clear screen and
457 clr_bol el1 cb Clear to beginning
461 clr_eol el ce clear to end of line
463 clr_eos ed cd clear to end of
465 column_address hpa ch horizontal position
467 command_character cmdch CC terminal settable
470 create_window cwin CW define a window #1
472 cursor_address cup cm move to row #1 col-
474 cursor_down cud1 do down one line
475 cursor_home home ho home cursor (if no
477 cursor_invisible civis vi make cursor invisi-
479 cursor_left cub1 le move left one space
480 cursor_mem_address mrcup CM memory relative cur-
483 cursor_normal cnorm ve make cursor appear
486 cursor_right cuf1 nd non-destructive
489 cursor_to_ll ll ll last line, first
491 cursor_up cuu1 up up one line
492 cursor_visible cvvis vs make cursor very
494 define_char defc ZE Define a character
497 delete_character dch1 dc delete character
499 delete_line dl1 dl delete line (P*)
500 dial_phone dial DI dial number #1
501 dis_status_line dsl ds disable status line
502 display_clock dclk DK display clock
503 down_half_line hd hd half a line down
504 ena_acs enacs eA enable alternate
506 enter_alt_charset_mode smacs as start alternate
508 enter_am_mode smam SA turn on automatic
510 enter_blink_mode blink mb turn on blinking
511 enter_bold_mode bold md turn on bold (extra
513 enter_ca_mode smcup ti string to start pro-
515 enter_delete_mode smdc dm enter delete mode
516 enter_dim_mode dim mh turn on half-bright
518 enter_doublewide_mode swidm ZF Enter double-wide
520 enter_draft_quality sdrfq ZG Enter draft-quality
522 enter_insert_mode smir im enter insert mode
523 enter_italics_mode sitm ZH Enter italic mode
524 enter_leftward_mode slm ZI Start leftward car-
527 enter_micro_mode smicm ZJ Start micro-motion
529 enter_near_letter_quality snlq ZK Enter NLQ mode
530 enter_normal_quality snrmq ZL Enter normal-quality
532 enter_protected_mode prot mp turn on protected
534 enter_reverse_mode rev mr turn on reverse
536 enter_secure_mode invis mk turn on blank mode
539 enter_shadow_mode sshm ZM Enter shadow-print
541 enter_standout_mode smso so begin standout mode
542 enter_subscript_mode ssubm ZN Enter subscript mode
543 enter_superscript_mode ssupm ZO Enter superscript
545 enter_underline_mode smul us begin underline mode
546 enter_upward_mode sum ZP Start upward car-
548 enter_xon_mode smxon SX turn on xon/xoff
550 erase_chars ech ec erase #1 characters
552 exit_alt_charset_mode rmacs ae end alternate char-
554 exit_am_mode rmam RA turn off automatic
556 exit_attribute_mode sgr0 me turn off all
558 exit_ca_mode rmcup te strings to end pro-
560 exit_delete_mode rmdc ed end delete mode
561 exit_doublewide_mode rwidm ZQ End double-wide mode
562 exit_insert_mode rmir ei exit insert mode
563 exit_italics_mode ritm ZR End italic mode
564 exit_leftward_mode rlm ZS End left-motion mode
565 exit_micro_mode rmicm ZT End micro-motion
567 exit_shadow_mode rshm ZU End shadow-print
569 exit_standout_mode rmso se exit standout mode
570 exit_subscript_mode rsubm ZV End subscript mode
571 exit_superscript_mode rsupm ZW End superscript mode
572 exit_underline_mode rmul ue exit underline mode
573 exit_upward_mode rum ZX End reverse charac-
575 exit_xon_mode rmxon RX turn off xon/xoff
577 fixed_pause pause PA pause for 2-3 sec-
579 flash_hook hook fh flash switch hook
580 flash_screen flash vb visible bell (may
582 form_feed ff ff hardcopy terminal
584 from_status_line fsl fs return from status
586 goto_window wingo WG go to window #1
587 hangup hup HU hang-up phone
588 init_1string is1 i1 initialization
590 init_2string is2 is initialization
593 init_3string is3 i3 initialization
595 init_file if if name of initializa-
597 init_prog iprog iP path name of program
599 initialize_color initc Ic initialize color #1
601 initialize_pair initp Ip Initialize color
605 insert_character ich1 ic insert character (P)
606 insert_line il1 al insert line (P*)
607 insert_padding ip ip insert padding after
609 key_a1 ka1 K1 upper left of keypad
610 key_a3 ka3 K3 upper right of key-
612 key_b2 kb2 K2 center of keypad
613 key_backspace kbs kb backspace key
614 key_beg kbeg @1 begin key
615 key_btab kcbt kB back-tab key
616 key_c1 kc1 K4 lower left of keypad
617 key_c3 kc3 K5 lower right of key-
619 key_cancel kcan @2 cancel key
620 key_catab ktbc ka clear-all-tabs key
621 key_clear kclr kC clear-screen or
623 key_close kclo @3 close key
624 key_command kcmd @4 command key
625 key_copy kcpy @5 copy key
626 key_create kcrt @6 create key
627 key_ctab kctab kt clear-tab key
628 key_dc kdch1 kD delete-character key
629 key_dl kdl1 kL delete-line key
630 key_down kcud1 kd down-arrow key
631 key_eic krmir kM sent by rmir or smir
633 key_end kend @7 end key
634 key_enter kent @8 enter/send key
635 key_eol kel kE clear-to-end-of-line
637 key_eos ked kS clear-to-end-of-
639 key_exit kext @9 exit key
640 key_f0 kf0 k0 F0 function key
641 key_f1 kf1 k1 F1 function key
642 key_f10 kf10 k; F10 function key
643 key_f11 kf11 F1 F11 function key
644 key_f12 kf12 F2 F12 function key
645 key_f13 kf13 F3 F13 function key
646 key_f14 kf14 F4 F14 function key
647 key_f15 kf15 F5 F15 function key
648 key_f16 kf16 F6 F16 function key
649 key_f17 kf17 F7 F17 function key
650 key_f18 kf18 F8 F18 function key
651 key_f19 kf19 F9 F19 function key
652 key_f2 kf2 k2 F2 function key
653 key_f20 kf20 FA F20 function key
654 key_f21 kf21 FB F21 function key
655 key_f22 kf22 FC F22 function key
656 key_f23 kf23 FD F23 function key
657 key_f24 kf24 FE F24 function key
659 key_f25 kf25 FF F25 function key
660 key_f26 kf26 FG F26 function key
661 key_f27 kf27 FH F27 function key
662 key_f28 kf28 FI F28 function key
663 key_f29 kf29 FJ F29 function key
664 key_f3 kf3 k3 F3 function key
665 key_f30 kf30 FK F30 function key
666 key_f31 kf31 FL F31 function key
667 key_f32 kf32 FM F32 function key
668 key_f33 kf33 FN F33 function key
669 key_f34 kf34 FO F34 function key
670 key_f35 kf35 FP F35 function key
671 key_f36 kf36 FQ F36 function key
672 key_f37 kf37 FR F37 function key
673 key_f38 kf38 FS F38 function key
674 key_f39 kf39 FT F39 function key
675 key_f4 kf4 k4 F4 function key
676 key_f40 kf40 FU F40 function key
677 key_f41 kf41 FV F41 function key
678 key_f42 kf42 FW F42 function key
679 key_f43 kf43 FX F43 function key
680 key_f44 kf44 FY F44 function key
681 key_f45 kf45 FZ F45 function key
682 key_f46 kf46 Fa F46 function key
683 key_f47 kf47 Fb F47 function key
684 key_f48 kf48 Fc F48 function key
685 key_f49 kf49 Fd F49 function key
686 key_f5 kf5 k5 F5 function key
687 key_f50 kf50 Fe F50 function key
688 key_f51 kf51 Ff F51 function key
689 key_f52 kf52 Fg F52 function key
690 key_f53 kf53 Fh F53 function key
691 key_f54 kf54 Fi F54 function key
692 key_f55 kf55 Fj F55 function key
693 key_f56 kf56 Fk F56 function key
694 key_f57 kf57 Fl F57 function key
695 key_f58 kf58 Fm F58 function key
696 key_f59 kf59 Fn F59 function key
697 key_f6 kf6 k6 F6 function key
698 key_f60 kf60 Fo F60 function key
699 key_f61 kf61 Fp F61 function key
700 key_f62 kf62 Fq F62 function key
701 key_f63 kf63 Fr F63 function key
702 key_f7 kf7 k7 F7 function key
703 key_f8 kf8 k8 F8 function key
704 key_f9 kf9 k9 F9 function key
705 key_find kfnd @0 find key
706 key_help khlp %1 help key
707 key_home khome kh home key
708 key_ic kich1 kI insert-character key
709 key_il kil1 kA insert-line key
710 key_left kcub1 kl left-arrow key
711 key_ll kll kH lower-left key (home
713 key_mark kmrk %2 mark key
714 key_message kmsg %3 message key
715 key_move kmov %4 move key
716 key_next knxt %5 next key
717 key_npage knp kN next-page key
718 key_open kopn %6 open key
719 key_options kopt %7 options key
720 key_ppage kpp kP previous-page key
721 key_previous kprv %8 previous key
722 key_print kprt %9 print key
723 key_redo krdo %0 redo key
725 key_reference kref &1 reference key
726 key_refresh krfr &2 refresh key
727 key_replace krpl &3 replace key
728 key_restart krst &4 restart key
729 key_resume kres &5 resume key
730 key_right kcuf1 kr right-arrow key
731 key_save ksav &6 save key
732 key_sbeg kBEG &9 shifted begin key
733 key_scancel kCAN &0 shifted cancel key
734 key_scommand kCMD *1 shifted command key
735 key_scopy kCPY *2 shifted copy key
736 key_screate kCRT *3 shifted create key
737 key_sdc kDC *4 shifted delete-char-
739 key_sdl kDL *5 shifted delete-line
741 key_select kslt *6 select key
742 key_send kEND *7 shifted end key
743 key_seol kEOL *8 shifted clear-to-
745 key_sexit kEXT *9 shifted exit key
746 key_sf kind kF scroll-forward key
747 key_sfind kFND *0 shifted find key
748 key_shelp kHLP #1 shifted help key
749 key_shome kHOM #2 shifted home key
750 key_sic kIC #3 shifted insert-char-
752 key_sleft kLFT #4 shifted left-arrow
754 key_smessage kMSG %a shifted message key
755 key_smove kMOV %b shifted move key
756 key_snext kNXT %c shifted next key
757 key_soptions kOPT %d shifted options key
758 key_sprevious kPRV %e shifted previous key
759 key_sprint kPRT %f shifted print key
760 key_sr kri kR scroll-backward key
761 key_sredo kRDO %g shifted redo key
762 key_sreplace kRPL %h shifted replace key
763 key_sright kRIT %i shifted right-arrow
765 key_srsume kRES %j shifted resume key
766 key_ssave kSAV !1 shifted save key
767 key_ssuspend kSPD !2 shifted suspend key
768 key_stab khts kT set-tab key
769 key_sundo kUND !3 shifted undo key
770 key_suspend kspd &7 suspend key
771 key_undo kund &8 undo key
772 key_up kcuu1 ku up-arrow key
773 keypad_local rmkx ke leave 'key-
775 keypad_xmit smkx ks enter 'key-
777 lab_f0 lf0 l0 label on function
779 lab_f1 lf1 l1 label on function
781 lab_f10 lf10 la label on function
783 lab_f2 lf2 l2 label on function
785 lab_f3 lf3 l3 label on function
787 lab_f4 lf4 l4 label on function
791 lab_f5 lf5 l5 label on function
793 lab_f6 lf6 l6 label on function
795 lab_f7 lf7 l7 label on function
797 lab_f8 lf8 l8 label on function
799 lab_f9 lf9 l9 label on function
801 label_format fln Lf label format
802 label_off rmln LF turn off soft labels
803 label_on smln LO turn on soft labels
804 meta_off rmm mo turn off meta mode
805 meta_on smm mm turn on meta mode
807 micro_column_address mhpa ZY Like column_address
809 micro_down mcud1 ZZ Like cursor_down in
811 micro_left mcub1 Za Like cursor_left in
813 micro_right mcuf1 Zb Like cursor_right in
815 micro_row_address mvpa Zc Like row_address #1
817 micro_up mcuu1 Zd Like cursor_up in
819 newline nel nw newline (behave like
821 order_of_pins porder Ze Match software bits
823 orig_colors oc oc Set all color pairs
825 orig_pair op op Set default pair to
827 pad_char pad pc padding char
829 parm_dch dch DC delete #1 characters
831 parm_delete_line dl DL delete #1 lines (P*)
832 parm_down_cursor cud DO down #1 lines (P*)
833 parm_down_micro mcud Zf Like parm_down_cur-
835 parm_ich ich IC insert #1 characters
837 parm_index indn SF scroll forward #1
839 parm_insert_line il AL insert #1 lines (P*)
840 parm_left_cursor cub LE move #1 characters
842 parm_left_micro mcub Zg Like parm_left_cur-
844 parm_right_cursor cuf RI move #1 characters
846 parm_right_micro mcuf Zh Like parm_right_cur-
848 parm_rindex rin SR scroll back #1 lines
850 parm_up_cursor cuu UP up #1 lines (P*)
851 parm_up_micro mcuu Zi Like parm_up_cursor
853 pkey_key pfkey pk program function key
857 pkey_local pfloc pl program function key
860 pkey_xmit pfx px program function key
863 plab_norm pln pn program label #1 to
865 print_screen mc0 ps print contents of
867 prtr_non mc5p pO turn on printer for
869 prtr_off mc4 pf turn off printer
870 prtr_on mc5 po turn on printer
871 pulse pulse PU select pulse dialing
872 quick_dial qdial QD dial number #1 with-
874 remove_clock rmclk RC remove clock
875 repeat_char rep rp repeat char #1 #2
877 req_for_input rfi RF send next input char
879 reset_1string rs1 r1 reset string
880 reset_2string rs2 r2 reset string
881 reset_3string rs3 r3 reset string
882 reset_file rf rf name of reset file
883 restore_cursor rc rc restore cursor to
886 row_address vpa cv vertical position #1
888 save_cursor sc sc save current cursor
890 scroll_forward ind sf scroll text up (P)
891 scroll_reverse ri sr scroll text down (P)
892 select_char_set scs Zj Select character
894 set_attributes sgr sa define video
897 set_background setb Sb Set background color
899 set_bottom_margin smgb Zk Set bottom margin at
901 set_bottom_margin_parm smgbp Zl Set bottom margin at
905 set_clock sclk SC set clock, #1 hrs #2
907 set_color_pair scp sp Set current color
909 set_foreground setf Sf Set foreground color
911 set_left_margin smgl ML set left soft margin
916 set_left_margin_parm smglp Zm Set left (right)
918 set_right_margin smgr MR set right soft mar-
923 set_right_margin_parm smgrp Zn Set right margin at
925 set_tab hts st set a tab in every
927 set_top_margin smgt Zo Set top margin at
929 set_top_margin_parm smgtp Zp Set top (bottom)
931 set_window wind wi current window is
934 start_bit_image sbim Zq Start printing bit
936 start_char_set_def scsd Zr Start character set
940 stop_bit_image rbim Zs Stop printing bit
942 stop_char_set_def rcsd Zt End definition of
944 subscript_characters subcs Zu List of subscript-
946 superscript_characters supcs Zv List of superscript-
948 tab ht ta tab to next 8-space
950 these_cause_cr docr Zw Printing any of
953 to_status_line tsl ts move to status line,
955 tone tone TO select touch tone
957 underline_char uc uc underline char and
959 up_half_line hu hu half a line up
960 user0 u0 u0 User string #0
961 user1 u1 u1 User string #1
962 user2 u2 u2 User string #2
963 user3 u3 u3 User string #3
964 user4 u4 u4 User string #4
965 user5 u5 u5 User string #5
966 user6 u6 u6 User string #6
967 user7 u7 u7 User string #7
968 user8 u8 u8 User string #8
969 user9 u9 u9 User string #9
970 wait_tone wait WA wait for dial-tone
971 xoff_character xoffc XF XOFF character
972 xon_character xonc XN XON character
973 zero_motion zerom Zx No motion for subse-
976 The following string capabilities are present in the SVr4.0 term struc-
977 ture, but were originally not documented in the man page.
980 <STRONG>Variable</STRONG> <STRONG>Cap-</STRONG> <STRONG>TCap</STRONG> <STRONG>Description</STRONG>
981 <STRONG>String</STRONG> <STRONG>name</STRONG> <STRONG>Code</STRONG>
982 alt_scancode_esc scesa S8 Alternate escape
985 bit_image_carriage_return bicr Yv Move to beginning
989 bit_image_newline binel Zz Move to next row
991 bit_image_repeat birep Xy Repeat bit image
993 char_set_names csnm Zy Produce #1'th item
996 code_set_init csin ci Init sequence for
998 color_names colornm Yw Give name for
1000 define_bit_image_region defbi Yx Define rectangular
1002 device_type devt dv Indicate lan-
1005 display_pc_char dispc S1 Display PC charac-
1007 end_bit_image_region endbi Yy End a bit-image
1009 enter_pc_charset_mode smpch S2 Enter PC character
1011 enter_scancode_mode smsc S4 Enter PC scancode
1013 exit_pc_charset_mode rmpch S3 Exit PC character
1015 exit_scancode_mode rmsc S5 Exit PC scancode
1017 get_mouse getm Gm Curses should get
1021 key_mouse kmous Km Mouse event has
1023 mouse_info minfo Mi Mouse status
1025 pc_term_options pctrm S6 PC terminal
1027 pkey_plab pfxl xl Program function
1031 req_mouse_pos reqmp RQ Request mouse
1033 scancode_escape scesc S7 Escape for scan-
1035 set0_des_seq s0ds s0 Shift to codeset 0
1037 set1_des_seq s1ds s1 Shift to codeset 1
1038 set2_des_seq s2ds s2 Shift to codeset 2
1039 set3_des_seq s3ds s3 Shift to codeset 3
1040 set_a_background setab AB Set background
1043 set_a_foreground setaf AF Set foreground
1046 set_color_band setcolor Yz Change to ribbon
1048 set_lr_margin smglr ML Set both left and
1055 set_page_length slines YZ Set page length to
1057 set_tb_margin smgtb MT Sets both top and
1061 The XSI Curses standard added these hardcopy capabilities. They were
1062 used in some post-4.1 versions of System V curses, e.g., Solaris 2.5
1063 and IRIX 6.x. Except for <STRONG>YI</STRONG>, the <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG> termcap names for them are
1064 invented. According to the XSI Curses standard, they have no termcap
1065 names. If your compiled terminfo entries use these, they may not be
1066 binary-compatible with System V terminfo entries after SVr4.1; beware!
1069 <STRONG>Variable</STRONG> <STRONG>Cap-</STRONG> <STRONG>TCap</STRONG> <STRONG>Description</STRONG>
1070 <STRONG>String</STRONG> <STRONG>name</STRONG> <STRONG>Code</STRONG>
1071 enter_horizontal_hl_mode ehhlm Xh Enter horizontal
1073 enter_left_hl_mode elhlm Xl Enter left highlight
1075 enter_low_hl_mode elohlm Xo Enter low highlight
1077 enter_right_hl_mode erhlm Xr Enter right high-
1079 enter_top_hl_mode ethlm Xt Enter top highlight
1081 enter_vertical_hl_mode evhlm Xv Enter vertical high-
1083 set_a_attributes sgr1 sA Define second set of
1086 set_pglen_inch slength YI Set page length to
1088 inch (some implemen-
1093 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-User-Defined-Capabilities">User-Defined Capabilities</a></H3><PRE>
1094 The preceding section listed the <EM>predefined</EM> capabilities. They deal
1095 with some special features for terminals no longer (or possibly never)
1096 produced. Occasionally there are special features of newer terminals
1097 which are awkward or impossible to represent by reusing the predefined
1100 <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG> addresses this limitation by allowing user-defined capabili-
1101 ties. The <STRONG>tic</STRONG> and <STRONG>infocmp</STRONG> programs provide the <STRONG>-x</STRONG> option for this pur-
1102 pose. When <STRONG>-x</STRONG> is set, <STRONG>tic</STRONG> treats unknown capabilities as user-defined.
1103 That is, if <STRONG>tic</STRONG> encounters a capability name which it does not recog-
1104 nize, it infers its type (boolean, number or string) from the syntax
1105 and makes an extended table entry for that capability. The
1106 <STRONG><A HREF="curs_extend.3x.html">use_extended_names(3x)</A></STRONG> function makes this information conditionally
1107 available to applications. The ncurses library provides the data leav-
1108 ing most of the behavior to applications:
1110 <STRONG>o</STRONG> User-defined capability strings whose name begins with "k" are
1111 treated as function keys.
1113 <STRONG>o</STRONG> The types (boolean, number, string) determined by <STRONG>tic</STRONG> can be
1114 inferred by successful calls on <STRONG>tigetflag</STRONG>, etc.
1116 <STRONG>o</STRONG> If the capability name happens to be two characters, the capability
1117 is also available through the termcap interface.
1119 While termcap is said to be extensible because it does not use a prede-
1120 fined set of capabilities, in practice it has been limited to the capa-
1121 bilities defined by terminfo implementations. As a rule, user-defined
1122 capabilities intended for use by termcap applications should be limited
1123 to booleans and numbers to avoid running past the 1023 byte limit
1124 assumed by termcap implementations and their applications. In particu-
1125 lar, providing extended sets of function keys (past the 60 numbered
1126 keys and the handful of special named keys) is best done using the
1127 longer names available using terminfo.
1130 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-A-Sample-Entry">A Sample Entry</a></H3><PRE>
1131 The following entry, describing an ANSI-standard terminal, is represen-
1132 tative of what a <STRONG>terminfo</STRONG> entry for a modern terminal typically looks
1135 ansi|ansi/pc-term compatible with color,
1136 am, mc5i, mir, msgr,
1137 colors#8, cols#80, it#8, lines#24, ncv#3, pairs#64,
1138 acsc=+\020\,\021-\030.^Y0\333`\004a\261f\370g\361h\260
1139 j\331k\277l\332m\300n\305o~p\304q\304r\304s_t\303
1140 u\264v\301w\302x\263y\363z\362{\343|\330}\234~\376,
1141 bel=^G, blink=\E[5m, bold=\E[1m, cbt=\E[Z, clear=\E[H\E[J,
1142 cr=^M, cub=\E[%p1%dD, cub1=\E[D, cud=\E[%p1%dB, cud1=\E[B,
1143 cuf=\E[%p1%dC, cuf1=\E[C, cup=\E[%i%p1%d;%p2%dH,
1144 cuu=\E[%p1%dA, cuu1=\E[A, dch=\E[%p1%dP, dch1=\E[P,
1145 dl=\E[%p1%dM, dl1=\E[M, ech=\E[%p1%dX, ed=\E[J, el=\E[K,
1146 el1=\E[1K, home=\E[H, hpa=\E[%i%p1%dG, ht=\E[I, hts=\EH,
1147 ich=\E[%p1%d@, il=\E[%p1%dL, il1=\E[L, ind=^J,
1148 indn=\E[%p1%dS, invis=\E[8m, kbs=^H, kcbt=\E[Z, kcub1=\E[D,
1149 kcud1=\E[B, kcuf1=\E[C, kcuu1=\E[A, khome=\E[H, kich1=\E[L,
1150 mc4=\E[4i, mc5=\E[5i, nel=\r\E[S, op=\E[39;49m,
1151 rep=%p1%c\E[%p2%{1}%-%db, rev=\E[7m, rin=\E[%p1%dT,
1152 rmacs=\E[10m, rmpch=\E[10m, rmso=\E[m, rmul=\E[m,
1153 s0ds=\E(B, s1ds=\E)B, s2ds=\E*B, s3ds=\E+B,
1154 setab=\E[4%p1%dm, setaf=\E[3%p1%dm,
1155 sgr=\E[0;10%?%p1%t;7%;
1162 sgr0=\E[0;10m, smacs=\E[11m, smpch=\E[11m, smso=\E[7m,
1163 smul=\E[4m, tbc=\E[3g, u6=\E[%i%d;%dR, u7=\E[6n,
1164 u8=\E[?%[;0123456789]c, u9=\E[c, vpa=\E[%i%p1%dd,
1166 Entries may continue onto multiple lines by placing white space at the
1167 beginning of each line except the first. Comments may be included on
1168 lines beginning with "#". Capabilities in <EM>terminfo</EM> are of three types:
1170 <STRONG>o</STRONG> Boolean capabilities which indicate that the terminal has some par-
1173 <STRONG>o</STRONG> numeric capabilities giving the size of the terminal or the size of
1174 particular delays, and
1176 <STRONG>o</STRONG> string capabilities, which give a sequence which can be used to
1177 perform particular terminal operations.
1180 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-Types-of-Capabilities">Types of Capabilities</a></H3><PRE>
1181 All capabilities have names. For instance, the fact that ANSI-standard
1182 terminals have <EM>automatic</EM> <EM>margins</EM> (i.e., an automatic return and line-
1183 feed when the end of a line is reached) is indicated by the capability
1184 <STRONG>am</STRONG>. Hence the description of ansi includes <STRONG>am</STRONG>. Numeric capabilities
1185 are followed by the character "#" and then a positive value. Thus
1186 <STRONG>cols</STRONG>, which indicates the number of columns the terminal has, gives the
1187 value "80" for ansi. Values for numeric capabilities may be specified
1188 in decimal, octal or hexadecimal, using the C programming language con-
1189 ventions (e.g., 255, 0377 and 0xff or 0xFF).
1191 Finally, string valued capabilities, such as <STRONG>el</STRONG> (clear to end of line
1192 sequence) are given by the two-character code, an "=", and then a
1193 string ending at the next following ",".
1195 A number of escape sequences are provided in the string valued capabil-
1196 ities for easy encoding of characters there:
1198 <STRONG>o</STRONG> Both <STRONG>\E</STRONG> and <STRONG>\e</STRONG> map to an ESCAPE character,
1200 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>^x</STRONG> maps to a control-x for any appropriate <EM>x</EM>, and
1202 <STRONG>o</STRONG> the sequences
1204 <STRONG>\n</STRONG>, <STRONG>\l</STRONG>, <STRONG>\r</STRONG>, <STRONG>\t</STRONG>, <STRONG>\b</STRONG>, <STRONG>\f</STRONG>, and <STRONG>\s</STRONG>
1208 <EM>newline</EM>, <EM>line-feed</EM>, <EM>return</EM>, <EM>tab</EM>, <EM>backspace</EM>, <EM>form-feed</EM>, and <EM>space</EM>,
1212 X/Open Curses does not say what "appropriate <EM>x</EM>" might be. In practice,
1213 that is a printable ASCII graphic character. The special case "^?" is
1214 interpreted as DEL (127). In all other cases, the character value is
1215 AND'd with 0x1f, mapping to ASCII control codes in the range 0 through
1218 Other escapes include
1220 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>\^</STRONG> for <STRONG>^</STRONG>,
1222 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>\\</STRONG> for <STRONG>\</STRONG>,
1224 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>\</STRONG>, for comma,
1226 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>\:</STRONG> for <STRONG>:</STRONG>,
1228 <STRONG>o</STRONG> and <STRONG>\0</STRONG> for null.
1230 <STRONG>\0</STRONG> will produce \200, which does not terminate a string but behaves
1231 as a null character on most terminals, providing CS7 is specified.
1232 See <STRONG>stty(1)</STRONG>.
1234 The reason for this quirk is to maintain binary compatibility of
1235 the compiled terminfo files with other implementations, e.g., the
1236 SVr4 systems, which document this. Compiled terminfo files use
1237 null-terminated strings, with no lengths. Modifying this would
1238 require a new binary format, which would not work with other imple-
1241 Finally, characters may be given as three octal digits after a <STRONG>\</STRONG>.
1243 A delay in milliseconds may appear anywhere in a string capability,
1244 enclosed in $<..> brackets, as in <STRONG>el</STRONG>=\EK$<5>, and padding characters
1245 are supplied by <STRONG><A HREF="curs_terminfo.3x.html">tputs(3x)</A></STRONG> to provide this delay.
1247 <STRONG>o</STRONG> The delay must be a number with at most one decimal place of preci-
1248 sion; it may be followed by suffixes "*" or "/" or both.
1250 <STRONG>o</STRONG> A "*" indicates that the padding required is proportional to the
1251 number of lines affected by the operation, and the amount given is
1252 the per-affected-unit padding required. (In the case of insert
1253 character, the factor is still the number of <EM>lines</EM> affected.)
1255 Normally, padding is advisory if the device has the <STRONG>xon</STRONG> capability;
1256 it is used for cost computation but does not trigger delays.
1258 <STRONG>o</STRONG> A "/" suffix indicates that the padding is mandatory and forces a
1259 delay of the given number of milliseconds even on devices for which
1260 <STRONG>xon</STRONG> is present to indicate flow control.
1262 Sometimes individual capabilities must be commented out. To do this,
1263 put a period before the capability name. For example, see the second
1264 <STRONG>ind</STRONG> in the example above.
1267 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-Fetching-Compiled-Descriptions">Fetching Compiled Descriptions</a></H3><PRE>
1268 The <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG> library searches for terminal descriptions in several
1269 places. It uses only the first description found. The library has a
1270 compiled-in list of places to search which can be overridden by envi-
1271 ronment variables. Before starting to search, <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG> eliminates
1272 duplicates in its search list.
1274 <STRONG>o</STRONG> If the environment variable TERMINFO is set, it is interpreted as
1275 the pathname of a directory containing the compiled description you
1276 are working on. Only that directory is searched.
1278 <STRONG>o</STRONG> If TERMINFO is not set, <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG> will instead look in the directory
1279 <STRONG>$HOME/.terminfo</STRONG> for a compiled description.
1281 <STRONG>o</STRONG> Next, if the environment variable TERMINFO_DIRS is set, <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG>
1282 will interpret the contents of that variable as a list of colon-
1283 separated directories (or database files) to be searched.
1285 An empty directory name (i.e., if the variable begins or ends with
1286 a colon, or contains adjacent colons) is interpreted as the system
1287 location <EM>/usr/share/terminfo</EM>.
1289 <STRONG>o</STRONG> Finally, <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG> searches these compiled-in locations:
1291 <STRONG>o</STRONG> a list of directories (/usr/local/ncurses/share/ter-
1292 minfo:/usr/share/terminfo), and
1294 <STRONG>o</STRONG> the system terminfo directory, <EM>/usr/share/terminfo</EM> (the com-
1298 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-Preparing-Descriptions">Preparing Descriptions</a></H3><PRE>
1299 We now outline how to prepare descriptions of terminals. The most
1300 effective way to prepare a terminal description is by imitating the
1301 description of a similar terminal in <EM>terminfo</EM> and to build up a
1302 description gradually, using partial descriptions with <EM>vi</EM> or some other
1303 screen-oriented program to check that they are correct. Be aware that
1304 a very unusual terminal may expose deficiencies in the ability of the
1305 <EM>terminfo</EM> file to describe it or bugs in the screen-handling code of the
1308 To get the padding for insert line right (if the terminal manufacturer
1309 did not document it) a severe test is to edit a large file at 9600
1310 baud, delete 16 or so lines from the middle of the screen, then hit the
1311 "u" key several times quickly. If the terminal messes up, more padding
1312 is usually needed. A similar test can be used for insert character.
1315 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-Basic-Capabilities">Basic Capabilities</a></H3><PRE>
1316 The number of columns on each line for the terminal is given by the
1317 <STRONG>cols</STRONG> numeric capability. If the terminal is a CRT, then the number of
1318 lines on the screen is given by the <STRONG>lines</STRONG> capability. If the terminal
1319 wraps around to the beginning of the next line when it reaches the
1320 right margin, then it should have the <STRONG>am</STRONG> capability. If the terminal
1321 can clear its screen, leaving the cursor in the home position, then
1322 this is given by the <STRONG>clear</STRONG> string capability. If the terminal over-
1323 strikes (rather than clearing a position when a character is struck
1324 over) then it should have the <STRONG>os</STRONG> capability. If the terminal is a
1325 printing terminal, with no soft copy unit, give it both <STRONG>hc</STRONG> and <STRONG>os</STRONG>. (<STRONG>os</STRONG>
1326 applies to storage scope terminals, such as TEKTRONIX 4010 series, as
1327 well as hard copy and APL terminals.) If there is a code to move the
1328 cursor to the left edge of the current row, give this as <STRONG>cr</STRONG>. (Normally
1329 this will be carriage return, control M.) If there is a code to pro-
1330 duce an audible signal (bell, beep, etc) give this as <STRONG>bel</STRONG>.
1332 If there is a code to move the cursor one position to the left (such as
1333 backspace) that capability should be given as <STRONG>cub1</STRONG>. Similarly, codes
1334 to move to the right, up, and down should be given as <STRONG>cuf1</STRONG>, <STRONG>cuu1</STRONG>, and
1335 <STRONG>cud1</STRONG>. These local cursor motions should not alter the text they pass
1336 over, for example, you would not normally use "<STRONG>cuf1</STRONG>= " because the
1337 space would erase the character moved over.
1339 A very important point here is that the local cursor motions encoded in
1340 <EM>terminfo</EM> are undefined at the left and top edges of a CRT terminal.
1341 Programs should never attempt to backspace around the left edge, unless
1342 <STRONG>bw</STRONG> is given, and never attempt to go up locally off the top. In order
1343 to scroll text up, a program will go to the bottom left corner of the
1344 screen and send the <STRONG>ind</STRONG> (index) string.
1346 To scroll text down, a program goes to the top left corner of the
1347 screen and sends the <STRONG>ri</STRONG> (reverse index) string. The strings <STRONG>ind</STRONG> and <STRONG>ri</STRONG>
1348 are undefined when not on their respective corners of the screen.
1350 Parameterized versions of the scrolling sequences are <STRONG>indn</STRONG> and <STRONG>rin</STRONG>
1351 which have the same semantics as <STRONG>ind</STRONG> and <STRONG>ri</STRONG> except that they take one
1352 parameter, and scroll that many lines. They are also undefined except
1353 at the appropriate edge of the screen.
1355 The <STRONG>am</STRONG> capability tells whether the cursor sticks at the right edge of
1356 the screen when text is output, but this does not necessarily apply to
1357 a <STRONG>cuf1</STRONG> from the last column. The only local motion which is defined
1358 from the left edge is if <STRONG>bw</STRONG> is given, then a <STRONG>cub1</STRONG> from the left edge
1359 will move to the right edge of the previous row. If <STRONG>bw</STRONG> is not given,
1360 the effect is undefined. This is useful for drawing a box around the
1361 edge of the screen, for example. If the terminal has switch selectable
1362 automatic margins, the <EM>terminfo</EM> file usually assumes that this is on;
1363 i.e., <STRONG>am</STRONG>. If the terminal has a command which moves to the first col-
1364 umn of the next line, that command can be given as <STRONG>nel</STRONG> (newline). It
1365 does not matter if the command clears the remainder of the current
1366 line, so if the terminal has no <STRONG>cr</STRONG> and <STRONG>lf</STRONG> it may still be possible to
1367 craft a working <STRONG>nel</STRONG> out of one or both of them.
1369 These capabilities suffice to describe hard-copy and "glass-tty" termi-
1370 nals. Thus the model 33 teletype is described as
1372 33|tty33|tty|model 33 teletype,
1373 bel=^G, cols#72, cr=^M, cud1=^J, hc, ind=^J, os,
1375 while the Lear Siegler ADM-3 is described as
1378 am, bel=^G, clear=^Z, cols#80, cr=^M, cub1=^H, cud1=^J,
1382 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-Parameterized-Strings">Parameterized Strings</a></H3><PRE>
1383 Cursor addressing and other strings requiring parameters in the termi-
1384 nal are described by a parameterized string capability, with <EM>printf</EM>-
1385 like escapes such as <EM>%x</EM> in it. For example, to address the cursor, the
1386 <STRONG>cup</STRONG> capability is given, using two parameters: the row and column to
1387 address to. (Rows and columns are numbered from zero and refer to the
1388 physical screen visible to the user, not to any unseen memory.) If the
1389 terminal has memory relative cursor addressing, that can be indicated
1390 by <STRONG>mrcup</STRONG>.
1392 The parameter mechanism uses a stack and special <STRONG>%</STRONG> codes to manipulate
1393 it. Typically a sequence will push one of the parameters onto the
1394 stack and then print it in some format. Print (e.g., "%d") is a spe-
1395 cial case. Other operations, including "%t" pop their operand from the
1396 stack. It is noted that more complex operations are often necessary,
1397 e.g., in the <STRONG>sgr</STRONG> string.
1399 The <STRONG>%</STRONG> encodings have the following meanings:
1401 <STRONG>%%</STRONG> outputs "%"
1403 <STRONG>%</STRONG><EM>[[</EM>:<EM>]flags][width[.precision]][</EM><STRONG>doxXs</STRONG><EM>]</EM>
1404 as in <STRONG>printf(3)</STRONG>, flags are <EM>[-+#]</EM> and <EM>space</EM>. Use a ":" to allow
1405 the next character to be a "-" flag, avoiding interpreting "%-" as
1408 %c print <EM>pop()</EM> like %c in <STRONG>printf</STRONG>
1410 <STRONG>%s</STRONG> print <EM>pop()</EM> like %s in <STRONG>printf</STRONG>
1412 <STRONG>%p</STRONG><EM>[1-9]</EM>
1413 push <EM>i</EM>'th parameter
1415 <STRONG>%P</STRONG><EM>[a-z]</EM>
1416 set dynamic variable <EM>[a-z]</EM> to <EM>pop()</EM>
1418 <STRONG>%g</STRONG><EM>[a-z]/</EM>
1419 get dynamic variable <EM>[a-z]</EM> and push it
1421 <STRONG>%P</STRONG><EM>[A-Z]</EM>
1422 set static variable <EM>[a-z]</EM> to <EM>pop()</EM>
1424 <STRONG>%g</STRONG><EM>[A-Z]</EM>
1425 get static variable <EM>[a-z]</EM> and push it
1427 The terms "static" and "dynamic" are misleading. Historically,
1428 these are simply two different sets of variables, whose values are
1429 not reset between calls to <STRONG><A HREF="curs_terminfo.3x.html">tparm(3x)</A></STRONG>. However, that fact is not
1430 documented in other implementations. Relying on it will adversely
1431 impact portability to other implementations.
1433 <STRONG>%'</STRONG><EM>c</EM><STRONG>'</STRONG> char constant <EM>c</EM>
1435 <STRONG>%{</STRONG><EM>nn</EM><STRONG>}</STRONG>
1436 integer constant <EM>nn</EM>
1438 <STRONG>%l</STRONG> push strlen(pop)
1440 <STRONG>%+</STRONG>, <STRONG>%-</STRONG>, <STRONG>%*</STRONG>, <STRONG>%/</STRONG>, <STRONG>%m</STRONG>
1441 arithmetic (%m is <EM>mod</EM>): <EM>push(pop()</EM> <EM>op</EM> <EM>pop())</EM>
1443 <STRONG>%&</STRONG>, <STRONG>%|</STRONG>, <STRONG>%^</STRONG>
1444 bit operations (AND, OR and exclusive-OR): <EM>push(pop()</EM> <EM>op</EM> <EM>pop())</EM>
1446 <STRONG>%=</STRONG>, <STRONG>%></STRONG>, <STRONG>%<</STRONG>
1447 logical operations: <EM>push(pop()</EM> <EM>op</EM> <EM>pop())</EM>
1449 <STRONG>%A</STRONG>, <STRONG>%O</STRONG>
1450 logical AND and OR operations (for conditionals)
1452 <STRONG>%!</STRONG>, <STRONG>%~</STRONG>
1453 unary operations (logical and bit complement): <EM>push(op</EM> <EM>pop())</EM>
1455 <STRONG>%i</STRONG> add 1 to first two parameters (for ANSI terminals)
1457 <STRONG>%?</STRONG> <EM>expr</EM> <STRONG>%t</STRONG> <EM>thenpart</EM> <STRONG>%e</STRONG> <EM>elsepart</EM> <STRONG>%;</STRONG>
1458 This forms an if-then-else. The <STRONG>%e</STRONG> <EM>elsepart</EM> is optional. Usually
1459 the <STRONG>%?</STRONG> <EM>expr</EM> part pushes a value onto the stack, and <STRONG>%t</STRONG> pops it
1460 from the stack, testing if it is nonzero (true). If it is zero
1461 (false), control passes to the <STRONG>%e</STRONG> (else) part.
1463 It is possible to form else-if's a la Algol 68:
1464 <STRONG>%?</STRONG> c1 <STRONG>%t</STRONG> b1 <STRONG>%e</STRONG> c2 <STRONG>%t</STRONG> b2 <STRONG>%e</STRONG> c3 <STRONG>%t</STRONG> b3 <STRONG>%e</STRONG> c4 <STRONG>%t</STRONG> b4 <STRONG>%e</STRONG> <STRONG>%;</STRONG>
1466 where ci are conditions, bi are bodies.
1468 Use the <STRONG>-f</STRONG> option of <STRONG>tic</STRONG> or <STRONG>infocmp</STRONG> to see the structure of if-
1469 then-else's. Some strings, e.g., <STRONG>sgr</STRONG> can be very complicated when
1470 written on one line. The <STRONG>-f</STRONG> option splits the string into lines
1471 with the parts indented.
1473 Binary operations are in postfix form with the operands in the usual
1474 order. That is, to get x-5 one would use "%gx%{5}%-". <STRONG>%P</STRONG> and <STRONG>%g</STRONG> vari-
1475 ables are persistent across escape-string evaluations.
1477 Consider the HP2645, which, to get to row 3 and column 12, needs to be
1478 sent \E&a12c03Y padded for 6 milliseconds. Note that the order of the
1479 rows and columns is inverted here, and that the row and column are
1480 printed as two digits. Thus its <STRONG>cup</STRONG> capability is
1481 "cup=6\E&%p2%2dc%p1%2dY".
1483 The Microterm ACT-IV needs the current row and column sent preceded by
1484 a <STRONG>^T</STRONG>, with the row and column simply encoded in binary,
1485 "cup=^T%p1%c%p2%c". Terminals which use "%c" need to be able to
1486 backspace the cursor (<STRONG>cub1</STRONG>), and to move the cursor up one line on the
1487 screen (<STRONG>cuu1</STRONG>). This is necessary because it is not always safe to
1488 transmit <STRONG>\n</STRONG> <STRONG>^D</STRONG> and <STRONG>\r</STRONG>, as the system may change or discard them. (The
1489 library routines dealing with terminfo set tty modes so that tabs are
1490 never expanded, so \t is safe to send. This turns out to be essential
1491 for the Ann Arbor 4080.)
1493 A final example is the LSI ADM-3a, which uses row and column offset by
1494 a blank character, thus "cup=\E=%p1%' '%+%c%p2%' '%+%c". After sending
1495 "\E=", this pushes the first parameter, pushes the ASCII value for a
1496 space (32), adds them (pushing the sum on the stack in place of the two
1497 previous values) and outputs that value as a character. Then the same
1498 is done for the second parameter. More complex arithmetic is possible
1502 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-Cursor-Motions">Cursor Motions</a></H3><PRE>
1503 If the terminal has a fast way to home the cursor (to very upper left
1504 corner of screen) then this can be given as <STRONG>home</STRONG>; similarly a fast way
1505 of getting to the lower left-hand corner can be given as <STRONG>ll</STRONG>; this may
1506 involve going up with <STRONG>cuu1</STRONG> from the home position, but a program should
1507 never do this itself (unless <STRONG>ll</STRONG> does) because it can make no assumption
1508 about the effect of moving up from the home position. Note that the
1509 home position is the same as addressing to (0,0): to the top left cor-
1510 ner of the screen, not of memory. (Thus, the \EH sequence on HP termi-
1511 nals cannot be used for <STRONG>home</STRONG>.)
1513 If the terminal has row or column absolute cursor addressing, these can
1514 be given as single parameter capabilities <STRONG>hpa</STRONG> (horizontal position
1515 absolute) and <STRONG>vpa</STRONG> (vertical position absolute). Sometimes these are
1516 shorter than the more general two parameter sequence (as with the
1517 hp2645) and can be used in preference to <STRONG>cup</STRONG>. If there are parameter-
1518 ized local motions (e.g., move <EM>n</EM> spaces to the right) these can be
1519 given as <STRONG>cud</STRONG>, <STRONG>cub</STRONG>, <STRONG>cuf</STRONG>, and <STRONG>cuu</STRONG> with a single parameter indicating how
1520 many spaces to move. These are primarily useful if the terminal does
1521 not have <STRONG>cup</STRONG>, such as the TEKTRONIX 4025.
1523 If the terminal needs to be in a special mode when running a program
1524 that uses these capabilities, the codes to enter and exit this mode can
1525 be given as <STRONG>smcup</STRONG> and <STRONG>rmcup</STRONG>. This arises, for example, from terminals
1526 like the Concept with more than one page of memory. If the terminal
1527 has only memory relative cursor addressing and not screen relative cur-
1528 sor addressing, a one screen-sized window must be fixed into the termi-
1529 nal for cursor addressing to work properly. This is also used for the
1530 TEKTRONIX 4025, where <STRONG>smcup</STRONG> sets the command character to be the one
1531 used by terminfo. If the <STRONG>smcup</STRONG> sequence will not restore the screen
1532 after an <STRONG>rmcup</STRONG> sequence is output (to the state prior to outputting
1533 <STRONG>rmcup</STRONG>), specify <STRONG>nrrmc</STRONG>.
1536 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-Area-Clears">Area Clears</a></H3><PRE>
1537 If the terminal can clear from the current position to the end of the
1538 line, leaving the cursor where it is, this should be given as <STRONG>el</STRONG>. If
1539 the terminal can clear from the beginning of the line to the current
1540 position inclusive, leaving the cursor where it is, this should be
1541 given as <STRONG>el1</STRONG>. If the terminal can clear from the current position to
1542 the end of the display, then this should be given as <STRONG>ed</STRONG>. <STRONG>Ed</STRONG> is only
1543 defined from the first column of a line. (Thus, it can be simulated by
1544 a request to delete a large number of lines, if a true <STRONG>ed</STRONG> is not avail-
1548 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-Insert_delete-line-and-vertical-motions">Insert/delete line and vertical motions</a></H3><PRE>
1549 If the terminal can open a new blank line before the line where the
1550 cursor is, this should be given as <STRONG>il1</STRONG>; this is done only from the
1551 first position of a line. The cursor must then appear on the newly
1552 blank line. If the terminal can delete the line which the cursor is
1553 on, then this should be given as <STRONG>dl1</STRONG>; this is done only from the first
1554 position on the line to be deleted. Versions of <STRONG>il1</STRONG> and <STRONG>dl1</STRONG> which take
1555 a single parameter and insert or delete that many lines can be given as
1556 <STRONG>il</STRONG> and <STRONG>dl</STRONG>.
1558 If the terminal has a settable scrolling region (like the vt100) the
1559 command to set this can be described with the <STRONG>csr</STRONG> capability, which
1560 takes two parameters: the top and bottom lines of the scrolling region.
1561 The cursor position is, alas, undefined after using this command.
1563 It is possible to get the effect of insert or delete line using <STRONG>csr</STRONG> on
1564 a properly chosen region; the <STRONG>sc</STRONG> and <STRONG>rc</STRONG> (save and restore cursor) com-
1565 mands may be useful for ensuring that your synthesized insert/delete
1566 string does not move the cursor. (Note that the <STRONG><A HREF="ncurses.3x.html">ncurses(3x)</A></STRONG> library
1567 does this synthesis automatically, so you need not compose
1568 insert/delete strings for an entry with <STRONG>csr</STRONG>).
1570 Yet another way to construct insert and delete might be to use a combi-
1571 nation of index with the memory-lock feature found on some terminals
1572 (like the HP-700/90 series, which however also has insert/delete).
1574 Inserting lines at the top or bottom of the screen can also be done
1575 using <STRONG>ri</STRONG> or <STRONG>ind</STRONG> on many terminals without a true insert/delete line,
1576 and is often faster even on terminals with those features.
1578 The boolean <STRONG>non_dest_scroll_region</STRONG> should be set if each scrolling win-
1579 dow is effectively a view port on a screen-sized canvas. To test for
1580 this capability, create a scrolling region in the middle of the screen,
1581 write something to the bottom line, move the cursor to the top of the
1582 region, and do <STRONG>ri</STRONG> followed by <STRONG>dl1</STRONG> or <STRONG>ind</STRONG>. If the data scrolled off the
1583 bottom of the region by the <STRONG>ri</STRONG> re-appears, then scrolling is non-
1584 destructive. System V and XSI Curses expect that <STRONG>ind</STRONG>, <STRONG>ri</STRONG>, <STRONG>indn</STRONG>, and
1585 <STRONG>rin</STRONG> will simulate destructive scrolling; their documentation cautions
1586 you not to define <STRONG>csr</STRONG> unless this is true. This <STRONG>curses</STRONG> implementation
1587 is more liberal and will do explicit erases after scrolling if <STRONG>ndsrc</STRONG> is
1590 If the terminal has the ability to define a window as part of memory,
1591 which all commands affect, it should be given as the parameterized
1592 string <STRONG>wind</STRONG>. The four parameters are the starting and ending lines in
1593 memory and the starting and ending columns in memory, in that order.
1595 If the terminal can retain display memory above, then the <STRONG>da</STRONG> capability
1596 should be given; if display memory can be retained below, then <STRONG>db</STRONG>
1597 should be given. These indicate that deleting a line or scrolling may
1598 bring non-blank lines up from below or that scrolling back with <STRONG>ri</STRONG> may
1599 bring down non-blank lines.
1602 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-Insert_Delete-Character">Insert/Delete Character</a></H3><PRE>
1603 There are two basic kinds of intelligent terminals with respect to
1604 insert/delete character which can be described using <EM>terminfo.</EM> The
1605 most common insert/delete character operations affect only the charac-
1606 ters on the current line and shift characters off the end of the line
1607 rigidly. Other terminals, such as the Concept 100 and the Perkin Elmer
1608 Owl, make a distinction between typed and untyped blanks on the screen,
1609 shifting upon an insert or delete only to an untyped blank on the
1610 screen which is either eliminated, or expanded to two untyped blanks.
1612 You can determine the kind of terminal you have by clearing the screen
1613 and then typing text separated by cursor motions. Type "abc def"
1614 using local cursor motions (not spaces) between the "abc" and the
1615 "def". Then position the cursor before the "abc" and put the terminal
1616 in insert mode. If typing characters causes the rest of the line to
1617 shift rigidly and characters to fall off the end, then your terminal
1618 does not distinguish between blanks and untyped positions. If the
1619 "abc" shifts over to the "def" which then move together around the end
1620 of the current line and onto the next as you insert, you have the sec-
1621 ond type of terminal, and should give the capability <STRONG>in</STRONG>, which stands
1624 While these are two logically separate attributes (one line versus
1625 multi-line insert mode, and special treatment of untyped spaces) we
1626 have seen no terminals whose insert mode cannot be described with the
1629 Terminfo can describe both terminals which have an insert mode, and
1630 terminals which send a simple sequence to open a blank position on the
1631 current line. Give as <STRONG>smir</STRONG> the sequence to get into insert mode. Give
1632 as <STRONG>rmir</STRONG> the sequence to leave insert mode. Now give as <STRONG>ich1</STRONG> any
1633 sequence needed to be sent just before sending the character to be
1634 inserted. Most terminals with a true insert mode will not give <STRONG>ich1</STRONG>;
1635 terminals which send a sequence to open a screen position should give
1638 If your terminal has both, insert mode is usually preferable to <STRONG>ich1</STRONG>.
1639 Technically, you should not give both unless the terminal actually
1640 requires both to be used in combination. Accordingly, some non-curses
1641 applications get confused if both are present; the symptom is doubled
1642 characters in an update using insert. This requirement is now rare;
1643 most <STRONG>ich</STRONG> sequences do not require previous smir, and most smir insert
1644 modes do not require <STRONG>ich1</STRONG> before each character. Therefore, the new
1645 <STRONG>curses</STRONG> actually assumes this is the case and uses either <STRONG>rmir</STRONG>/<STRONG>smir</STRONG> or
1646 <STRONG>ich</STRONG>/<STRONG>ich1</STRONG> as appropriate (but not both). If you have to write an entry
1647 to be used under new curses for a terminal old enough to need both,
1648 include the <STRONG>rmir</STRONG>/<STRONG>smir</STRONG> sequences in <STRONG>ich1</STRONG>.
1650 If post insert padding is needed, give this as a number of milliseconds
1651 in <STRONG>ip</STRONG> (a string option). Any other sequence which may need to be sent
1652 after an insert of a single character may also be given in <STRONG>ip</STRONG>. If your
1653 terminal needs both to be placed into an "insert mode" and a special
1654 code to precede each inserted character, then both <STRONG>smir</STRONG>/<STRONG>rmir</STRONG> and <STRONG>ich1</STRONG>
1655 can be given, and both will be used. The <STRONG>ich</STRONG> capability, with one
1656 parameter, <EM>n</EM>, will repeat the effects of <STRONG>ich1</STRONG> <EM>n</EM> times.
1658 If padding is necessary between characters typed while not in insert
1659 mode, give this as a number of milliseconds padding in <STRONG>rmp</STRONG>.
1661 It is occasionally necessary to move around while in insert mode to
1662 delete characters on the same line (e.g., if there is a tab after the
1663 insertion position). If your terminal allows motion while in insert
1664 mode you can give the capability <STRONG>mir</STRONG> to speed up inserting in this
1665 case. Omitting <STRONG>mir</STRONG> will affect only speed. Some terminals (notably
1666 Datamedia's) must not have <STRONG>mir</STRONG> because of the way their insert mode
1669 Finally, you can specify <STRONG>dch1</STRONG> to delete a single character, <STRONG>dch</STRONG> with
1670 one parameter, <EM>n</EM>, to delete <EM>n</EM> <EM>characters,</EM> and delete mode by giving
1671 <STRONG>smdc</STRONG> and <STRONG>rmdc</STRONG> to enter and exit delete mode (any mode the terminal
1672 needs to be placed in for <STRONG>dch1</STRONG> to work).
1674 A command to erase <EM>n</EM> characters (equivalent to outputting <EM>n</EM> blanks
1675 without moving the cursor) can be given as <STRONG>ech</STRONG> with one parameter.
1678 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-Highlighting_-Underlining_-and-Visible-Bells">Highlighting, Underlining, and Visible Bells</a></H3><PRE>
1679 If your terminal has one or more kinds of display attributes, these can
1680 be represented in a number of different ways. You should choose one
1681 display form as <EM>standout</EM> <EM>mode</EM>, representing a good, high contrast,
1682 easy-on-the-eyes, format for highlighting error messages and other
1683 attention getters. (If you have a choice, reverse video plus half-
1684 bright is good, or reverse video alone.) The sequences to enter and
1685 exit standout mode are given as <STRONG>smso</STRONG> and <STRONG>rmso</STRONG>, respectively. If the
1686 code to change into or out of standout mode leaves one or even two
1687 blank spaces on the screen, as the TVI 912 and Teleray 1061 do, then
1688 <STRONG>xmc</STRONG> should be given to tell how many spaces are left.
1690 Codes to begin underlining and end underlining can be given as <STRONG>smul</STRONG> and
1691 <STRONG>rmul</STRONG> respectively. If the terminal has a code to underline the current
1692 character and move the cursor one space to the right, such as the
1693 Microterm Mime, this can be given as <STRONG>uc</STRONG>.
1695 Other capabilities to enter various highlighting modes include <STRONG>blink</STRONG>
1696 (blinking) <STRONG>bold</STRONG> (bold or extra bright) <STRONG>dim</STRONG> (dim or half-bright) <STRONG>invis</STRONG>
1697 (blanking or invisible text) <STRONG>prot</STRONG> (protected) <STRONG>rev</STRONG> (reverse video) <STRONG>sgr0</STRONG>
1698 (turn off <EM>all</EM> attribute modes) <STRONG>smacs</STRONG> (enter alternate character set
1699 mode) and <STRONG>rmacs</STRONG> (exit alternate character set mode). Turning on any of
1700 these modes singly may or may not turn off other modes.
1702 If there is a sequence to set arbitrary combinations of modes, this
1703 should be given as <STRONG>sgr</STRONG> (set attributes), taking 9 parameters. Each
1704 parameter is either 0 or nonzero, as the corresponding attribute is on
1705 or off. The 9 parameters are, in order: standout, underline, reverse,
1706 blink, dim, bold, blank, protect, alternate character set. Not all
1707 modes need be supported by <STRONG>sgr</STRONG>, only those for which corresponding sep-
1708 arate attribute commands exist.
1710 For example, the DEC vt220 supports most of the modes:
1712 <STRONG>tparm</STRONG> <STRONG>parameter</STRONG> <STRONG>attribute</STRONG> <STRONG>escape</STRONG> <STRONG>sequence</STRONG>
1715 p1 standout \E[0;1;7m
1716 p2 underline \E[0;4m
1719 p5 dim not available
1723 p9 altcharset ^O (off) ^N (on)
1725 We begin each escape sequence by turning off any existing modes, since
1726 there is no quick way to determine whether they are active. Standout
1727 is set up to be the combination of reverse and bold. The vt220 termi-
1728 nal has a protect mode, though it is not commonly used in sgr because
1729 it protects characters on the screen from the host's erasures. The
1730 altcharset mode also is different in that it is either ^O or ^N,
1731 depending on whether it is off or on. If all modes are turned on, the
1732 resulting sequence is \E[0;1;4;5;7;8m^N.
1734 Some sequences are common to different modes. For example, ;7 is out-
1735 put when either p1 or p3 is true, that is, if either standout or
1736 reverse modes are turned on.
1738 Writing out the above sequences, along with their dependencies yields
1740 <STRONG>sequence</STRONG> <STRONG>when</STRONG> <STRONG>to</STRONG> <STRONG>output</STRONG> <STRONG>terminfo</STRONG> <STRONG>translation</STRONG>
1743 ;1 if p1 or p6 %?%p1%p6%|%t;1%;
1744 ;4 if p2 %?%p2%|%t;4%;
1745 ;5 if p4 %?%p4%|%t;5%;
1746 ;7 if p1 or p3 %?%p1%p3%|%t;7%;
1747 ;8 if p7 %?%p7%|%t;8%;
1749 ^N or ^O if p9 ^N, else ^O %?%p9%t^N%e^O%;
1751 Putting this all together into the sgr sequence gives:
1753 sgr=\E[0%?%p1%p6%|%t;1%;%?%p2%t;4%;%?%p4%t;5%;
1754 %?%p1%p3%|%t;7%;%?%p7%t;8%;m%?%p9%t\016%e\017%;,
1756 Remember that if you specify sgr, you must also specify sgr0. Also,
1757 some implementations rely on sgr being given if sgr0 is, Not all ter-
1758 minfo entries necessarily have an sgr string, however. Many terminfo
1759 entries are derived from termcap entries which have no sgr string. The
1760 only drawback to adding an sgr string is that termcap also assumes that
1761 sgr0 does not exit alternate character set mode.
1763 Terminals with the "magic cookie" glitch (<STRONG>xmc</STRONG>) deposit special "cook-
1764 ies" when they receive mode-setting sequences, which affect the display
1765 algorithm rather than having extra bits for each character. Some ter-
1766 minals, such as the HP 2621, automatically leave standout mode when
1767 they move to a new line or the cursor is addressed. Programs using
1768 standout mode should exit standout mode before moving the cursor or
1769 sending a newline, unless the <STRONG>msgr</STRONG> capability, asserting that it is
1770 safe to move in standout mode, is present.
1772 If the terminal has a way of flashing the screen to indicate an error
1773 quietly (a bell replacement) then this can be given as <STRONG>flash</STRONG>; it must
1774 not move the cursor.
1776 If the cursor needs to be made more visible than normal when it is not
1777 on the bottom line (to make, for example, a non-blinking underline into
1778 an easier to find block or blinking underline) give this sequence as
1779 <STRONG>cvvis</STRONG>. If there is a way to make the cursor completely invisible, give
1780 that as <STRONG>civis</STRONG>. The capability <STRONG>cnorm</STRONG> should be given which undoes the
1781 effects of both of these modes.
1783 If your terminal correctly generates underlined characters (with no
1784 special codes needed) even though it does not overstrike, then you
1785 should give the capability <STRONG>ul</STRONG>. If a character overstriking another
1786 leaves both characters on the screen, specify the capability <STRONG>os</STRONG>. If
1787 overstrikes are erasable with a blank, then this should be indicated by
1788 giving <STRONG>eo</STRONG>.
1791 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-Keypad-and-Function-Keys">Keypad and Function Keys</a></H3><PRE>
1792 If the terminal has a keypad that transmits codes when the keys are
1793 pressed, this information can be given. Note that it is not possible
1794 to handle terminals where the keypad only works in local (this applies,
1795 for example, to the unshifted HP 2621 keys). If the keypad can be set
1796 to transmit or not transmit, give these codes as <STRONG>smkx</STRONG> and <STRONG>rmkx</STRONG>. Other-
1797 wise the keypad is assumed to always transmit.
1799 The codes sent by the left arrow, right arrow, up arrow, down arrow,
1800 and home keys can be given as <STRONG>kcub1,</STRONG> <STRONG>kcuf1,</STRONG> <STRONG>kcuu1,</STRONG> <STRONG>kcud1,</STRONG> and <STRONG>khome</STRONG>
1801 respectively. If there are function keys such as f0, f1, ..., f10, the
1802 codes they send can be given as <STRONG>kf0,</STRONG> <STRONG>kf1,</STRONG> <STRONG>...,</STRONG> <STRONG>kf10</STRONG>. If these keys
1803 have labels other than the default f0 through f10, the labels can be
1804 given as <STRONG>lf0,</STRONG> <STRONG>lf1,</STRONG> <STRONG>...,</STRONG> <STRONG>lf10</STRONG>.
1806 The codes transmitted by certain other special keys can be given:
1808 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>kll</STRONG> (home down),
1810 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>kbs</STRONG> (backspace),
1812 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>ktbc</STRONG> (clear all tabs),
1814 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>kctab</STRONG> (clear the tab stop in this column),
1816 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>kclr</STRONG> (clear screen or erase key),
1818 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>kdch1</STRONG> (delete character),
1820 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>kdl1</STRONG> (delete line),
1822 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>krmir</STRONG> (exit insert mode),
1824 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>kel</STRONG> (clear to end of line),
1826 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>ked</STRONG> (clear to end of screen),
1828 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>kich1</STRONG> (insert character or enter insert mode),
1830 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>kil1</STRONG> (insert line),
1832 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>knp</STRONG> (next page),
1834 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>kpp</STRONG> (previous page),
1836 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>kind</STRONG> (scroll forward/down),
1838 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>kri</STRONG> (scroll backward/up),
1840 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>khts</STRONG> (set a tab stop in this column).
1842 In addition, if the keypad has a 3 by 3 array of keys including the
1843 four arrow keys, the other five keys can be given as <STRONG>ka1</STRONG>, <STRONG>ka3</STRONG>, <STRONG>kb2</STRONG>,
1844 <STRONG>kc1</STRONG>, and <STRONG>kc3</STRONG>. These keys are useful when the effects of a 3 by 3
1845 directional pad are needed.
1847 Strings to program function keys can be given as <STRONG>pfkey</STRONG>, <STRONG>pfloc</STRONG>, and <STRONG>pfx</STRONG>.
1848 A string to program screen labels should be specified as <STRONG>pln</STRONG>. Each of
1849 these strings takes two parameters: the function key number to program
1850 (from 0 to 10) and the string to program it with. Function key numbers
1851 out of this range may program undefined keys in a terminal dependent
1852 manner. The difference between the capabilities is that <STRONG>pfkey</STRONG> causes
1853 pressing the given key to be the same as the user typing the given
1854 string; <STRONG>pfloc</STRONG> causes the string to be executed by the terminal in
1855 local; and <STRONG>pfx</STRONG> causes the string to be transmitted to the computer.
1857 The capabilities <STRONG>nlab</STRONG>, <STRONG>lw</STRONG> and <STRONG>lh</STRONG> define the number of programmable
1858 screen labels and their width and height. If there are commands to
1859 turn the labels on and off, give them in <STRONG>smln</STRONG> and <STRONG>rmln</STRONG>. <STRONG>smln</STRONG> is nor-
1860 mally output after one or more pln sequences to make sure that the
1861 change becomes visible.
1864 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-Tabs-and-Initialization">Tabs and Initialization</a></H3><PRE>
1865 If the terminal has hardware tabs, the command to advance to the next
1866 tab stop can be given as <STRONG>ht</STRONG> (usually control I). A "back-tab" command
1867 which moves leftward to the preceding tab stop can be given as <STRONG>cbt</STRONG>. By
1868 convention, if the teletype modes indicate that tabs are being expanded
1869 by the computer rather than being sent to the terminal, programs should
1870 not use <STRONG>ht</STRONG> or <STRONG>cbt</STRONG> even if they are present, since the user may not have
1871 the tab stops properly set. If the terminal has hardware tabs which
1872 are initially set every <EM>n</EM> spaces when the terminal is powered up, the
1873 numeric parameter <STRONG>it</STRONG> is given, showing the number of spaces the tabs
1874 are set to. This is normally used by the <STRONG>tset</STRONG> command to determine
1875 whether to set the mode for hardware tab expansion, and whether to set
1876 the tab stops. If the terminal has tab stops that can be saved in non-
1877 volatile memory, the terminfo description can assume that they are
1880 Other capabilities include <STRONG>is1</STRONG>, <STRONG>is2</STRONG>, and <STRONG>is3</STRONG>, initialization strings
1881 for the terminal, <STRONG>iprog</STRONG>, the path name of a program to be run to ini-
1882 tialize the terminal, and <STRONG>if</STRONG>, the name of a file containing long ini-
1883 tialization strings. These strings are expected to set the terminal
1884 into modes consistent with the rest of the terminfo description. They
1885 are normally sent to the terminal, by the <EM>init</EM> option of the <STRONG>tput</STRONG> pro-
1886 gram, each time the user logs in. They will be printed in the follow-
1890 <STRONG>iprog</STRONG>
1892 output <STRONG>is1</STRONG> <STRONG>is2</STRONG>
1894 set the margins using
1895 <STRONG>mgc</STRONG>, <STRONG>smgl</STRONG> and <STRONG>smgr</STRONG>
1898 <STRONG>tbc</STRONG> and <STRONG>hts</STRONG>
1904 output <STRONG>is3</STRONG>.
1906 Most initialization is done with <STRONG>is2</STRONG>. Special terminal modes can be
1907 set up without duplicating strings by putting the common sequences in
1908 <STRONG>is2</STRONG> and special cases in <STRONG>is1</STRONG> and <STRONG>is3</STRONG>.
1910 A set of sequences that does a harder reset from a totally unknown
1911 state can be given as <STRONG>rs1</STRONG>, <STRONG>rs2</STRONG>, <STRONG>rf</STRONG> and <STRONG>rs3</STRONG>, analogous to <STRONG>is1</STRONG> <STRONG>,</STRONG> <STRONG>is2</STRONG> <STRONG>,</STRONG> <STRONG>if</STRONG>
1912 and <STRONG>is3</STRONG> respectively. These strings are output by the <STRONG>reset</STRONG> program,
1913 which is used when the terminal gets into a wedged state. Commands are
1914 normally placed in <STRONG>rs1</STRONG>, <STRONG>rs2</STRONG> <STRONG>rs3</STRONG> and <STRONG>rf</STRONG> only if they produce annoying
1915 effects on the screen and are not necessary when logging in. For exam-
1916 ple, the command to set the vt100 into 80-column mode would normally be
1917 part of <STRONG>is2</STRONG>, but it causes an annoying glitch of the screen and is not
1918 normally needed since the terminal is usually already in 80 column
1921 The <STRONG>reset</STRONG> program writes strings including <STRONG>iprog</STRONG>, etc., in the same
1922 order as the <EM>init</EM> program, using <STRONG>rs1</STRONG>, etc., instead of <STRONG>is1</STRONG>, etc. If
1923 any of <STRONG>rs1</STRONG>, <STRONG>rs2</STRONG>, <STRONG>rs3</STRONG>, or <STRONG>rf</STRONG> reset capability strings are missing, the
1924 <STRONG>reset</STRONG> program falls back upon the corresponding initialization capabil-
1927 If there are commands to set and clear tab stops, they can be given as
1928 <STRONG>tbc</STRONG> (clear all tab stops) and <STRONG>hts</STRONG> (set a tab stop in the current column
1929 of every row). If a more complex sequence is needed to set the tabs
1930 than can be described by this, the sequence can be placed in <STRONG>is2</STRONG> or <STRONG>if</STRONG>.
1933 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-Delays-and-Padding">Delays and Padding</a></H3><PRE>
1934 Many older and slower terminals do not support either XON/XOFF or DTR
1935 handshaking, including hard copy terminals and some very archaic CRTs
1936 (including, for example, DEC VT100s). These may require padding char-
1937 acters after certain cursor motions and screen changes.
1939 If the terminal uses xon/xoff handshaking for flow control (that is, it
1940 automatically emits ^S back to the host when its input buffers are
1941 close to full), set <STRONG>xon</STRONG>. This capability suppresses the emission of
1942 padding. You can also set it for memory-mapped console devices effec-
1943 tively that do not have a speed limit. Padding information should
1944 still be included so that routines can make better decisions about rel-
1945 ative costs, but actual pad characters will not be transmitted.
1947 If <STRONG>pb</STRONG> (padding baud rate) is given, padding is suppressed at baud rates
1948 below the value of <STRONG>pb</STRONG>. If the entry has no padding baud rate, then
1949 whether padding is emitted or not is completely controlled by <STRONG>xon</STRONG>.
1951 If the terminal requires other than a null (zero) character as a pad,
1952 then this can be given as <STRONG>pad</STRONG>. Only the first character of the <STRONG>pad</STRONG>
1956 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-Status-Lines">Status Lines</a></H3><PRE>
1957 Some terminals have an extra "status line" which is not normally used
1958 by software (and thus not counted in the terminal's <STRONG>lines</STRONG> capability).
1960 The simplest case is a status line which is cursor-addressable but not
1961 part of the main scrolling region on the screen; the Heathkit H19 has a
1962 status line of this kind, as would a 24-line VT100 with a 23-line
1963 scrolling region set up on initialization. This situation is indicated
1964 by the <STRONG>hs</STRONG> capability.
1966 Some terminals with status lines need special sequences to access the
1967 status line. These may be expressed as a string with single parameter
1968 <STRONG>tsl</STRONG> which takes the cursor to a given zero-origin column on the status
1969 line. The capability <STRONG>fsl</STRONG> must return to the main-screen cursor posi-
1970 tions before the last <STRONG>tsl</STRONG>. You may need to embed the string values of
1971 <STRONG>sc</STRONG> (save cursor) and <STRONG>rc</STRONG> (restore cursor) in <STRONG>tsl</STRONG> and <STRONG>fsl</STRONG> to accomplish
1974 The status line is normally assumed to be the same width as the width
1975 of the terminal. If this is untrue, you can specify it with the
1976 numeric capability <STRONG>wsl</STRONG>.
1978 A command to erase or blank the status line may be specified as <STRONG>dsl</STRONG>.
1980 The boolean capability <STRONG>eslok</STRONG> specifies that escape sequences, tabs,
1981 etc., work ordinarily in the status line.
1983 The <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG> implementation does not yet use any of these capabilities.
1984 They are documented here in case they ever become important.
1987 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-Line-Graphics">Line Graphics</a></H3><PRE>
1988 Many terminals have alternate character sets useful for forms-drawing.
1989 Terminfo and <STRONG>curses</STRONG> have built-in support for most of the drawing char-
1990 acters supported by the VT100, with some characters from the AT&T
1991 4410v1 added. This alternate character set may be specified by the
1992 <STRONG>acsc</STRONG> capability.
1994 <STRONG>Glyph</STRONG> <STRONG>ACS</STRONG> <STRONG>Ascii</STRONG> <STRONG>acsc</STRONG> <STRONG>acsc</STRONG>
1995 <STRONG>Name</STRONG> <STRONG>Name</STRONG> <STRONG>Default</STRONG> <STRONG>Char</STRONG> <STRONG>Value</STRONG>
1996 --------------------------------------------------------------------
1997 arrow pointing right ACS_RARROW > + 0x2b
1998 arrow pointing left ACS_LARROW < , 0x2c
1999 arrow pointing up ACS_UARROW ^ - 0x2d
2000 arrow pointing down ACS_DARROW v . 0x2e
2001 solid square block ACS_BLOCK # 0 0x30
2002 diamond ACS_DIAMOND + ` 0x60
2003 checker board (stipple) ACS_CKBOARD : a 0x61
2004 degree symbol ACS_DEGREE \ f 0x66
2005 plus/minus ACS_PLMINUS # g 0x67
2006 board of squares ACS_BOARD # h 0x68
2008 lantern symbol ACS_LANTERN # i 0x69
2009 lower right corner ACS_LRCORNER + j 0x6a
2010 upper right corner ACS_URCORNER + k 0x6b
2011 upper left corner ACS_ULCORNER + l 0x6c
2012 lower left corner ACS_LLCORNER + m 0x6d
2013 large plus or crossover ACS_PLUS + n 0x6e
2014 scan line 1 ACS_S1 ~ o 0x6f
2015 scan line 3 ACS_S3 - p 0x70
2016 horizontal line ACS_HLINE - q 0x71
2017 scan line 7 ACS_S7 - r 0x72
2018 scan line 9 ACS_S9 _ s 0x73
2019 tee pointing right ACS_LTEE + t 0x74
2020 tee pointing left ACS_RTEE + u 0x75
2021 tee pointing up ACS_BTEE + v 0x76
2022 tee pointing down ACS_TTEE + w 0x77
2023 vertical line ACS_VLINE | x 0x78
2024 less-than-or-equal-to ACS_LEQUAL < y 0x79
2025 greater-than-or-equal-to ACS_GEQUAL > z 0x7a
2026 greek pi ACS_PI * { 0x7b
2027 not-equal ACS_NEQUAL ! | 0x7c
2028 UK pound sign ACS_STERLING f } 0x7d
2029 bullet ACS_BULLET o ~ 0x7e
2031 A few notes apply to the table itself:
2033 <STRONG>o</STRONG> X/Open Curses incorrectly states that the mapping for <EM>lantern</EM> is
2034 uppercase "I" although Unix implementations use the lowercase "i"
2037 <STRONG>o</STRONG> The DEC VT100 implemented graphics using the alternate character
2038 set feature, temporarily switching <EM>modes</EM> and sending characters in
2039 the range 0x60 (96) to 0x7e (126) (the <STRONG>acsc</STRONG> <STRONG>Value</STRONG> column in the ta-
2042 <STRONG>o</STRONG> The AT&T terminal added graphics characters outside that range.
2044 Some of the characters within the range do not match the VT100;
2045 presumably they were used in the AT&T terminal: <EM>board</EM> <EM>of</EM> <EM>squares</EM>
2046 replaces the VT100 <EM>newline</EM> symbol, while <EM>lantern</EM> <EM>symbol</EM> replaces
2047 the VT100 <EM>vertical</EM> <EM>tab</EM> symbol. The other VT100 symbols for control
2048 characters (<EM>horizontal</EM> <EM>tab</EM>, <EM>carriage</EM> <EM>return</EM> and <EM>line-feed</EM>) are not
2051 The best way to define a new device's graphics set is to add a column
2052 to a copy of this table for your terminal, giving the character which
2053 (when emitted between <STRONG>smacs</STRONG>/<STRONG>rmacs</STRONG> switches) will be rendered as the
2054 corresponding graphic. Then read off the VT100/your terminal character
2055 pairs right to left in sequence; these become the ACSC string.
2058 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-Color-Handling">Color Handling</a></H3><PRE>
2059 The curses library functions <STRONG>init_pair</STRONG> and <STRONG>init_color</STRONG> manipulate the
2060 <EM>color</EM> <EM>pairs</EM> and <EM>color</EM> <EM>values</EM> discussed in this section (see
2061 <STRONG><A HREF="curs_color.3x.html">curs_color(3x)</A></STRONG> for details on these and related functions).
2063 Most color terminals are either "Tektronix-like" or "HP-like":
2065 <STRONG>o</STRONG> Tektronix-like terminals have a predefined set of <EM>N</EM> colors (where <EM>N</EM>
2066 is usually 8), and can set character-cell foreground and background
2067 characters independently, mixing them into <EM>N</EM> * <EM>N</EM> color-pairs.
2069 <STRONG>o</STRONG> On HP-like terminals, the user must set each color pair up sepa-
2070 rately (foreground and background are not independently settable).
2071 Up to <EM>M</EM> color-pairs may be set up from 2*<EM>M</EM> different colors. ANSI-
2072 compatible terminals are Tektronix-like.
2074 Some basic color capabilities are independent of the color method. The
2075 numeric capabilities <STRONG>colors</STRONG> and <STRONG>pairs</STRONG> specify the maximum numbers of
2076 colors and color-pairs that can be displayed simultaneously. The <STRONG>op</STRONG>
2077 (original pair) string resets foreground and background colors to their
2078 default values for the terminal. The <STRONG>oc</STRONG> string resets all colors or
2079 color-pairs to their default values for the terminal. Some terminals
2080 (including many PC terminal emulators) erase screen areas with the cur-
2081 rent background color rather than the power-up default background;
2082 these should have the boolean capability <STRONG>bce</STRONG>.
2084 While the curses library works with <EM>color</EM> <EM>pairs</EM> (reflecting the inabil-
2085 ity of some devices to set foreground and background colors indepen-
2086 dently), there are separate capabilities for setting these features:
2088 <STRONG>o</STRONG> To change the current foreground or background color on a Tek-
2089 tronix-type terminal, use <STRONG>setaf</STRONG> (set ANSI foreground) and <STRONG>setab</STRONG>
2090 (set ANSI background) or <STRONG>setf</STRONG> (set foreground) and <STRONG>setb</STRONG> (set back-
2091 ground). These take one parameter, the color number. The SVr4
2092 documentation describes only <STRONG>setaf</STRONG>/<STRONG>setab</STRONG>; the XPG4 draft says that
2093 "If the terminal supports ANSI escape sequences to set background
2094 and foreground, they should be coded as <STRONG>setaf</STRONG> and <STRONG>setab</STRONG>, respec-
2097 <STRONG>o</STRONG> If the terminal supports other escape sequences to set background
2098 and foreground, they should be coded as <STRONG>setf</STRONG> and <STRONG>setb</STRONG>, respec-
2099 tively. The <STRONG>vidputs</STRONG> and the <STRONG><A HREF="curs_refresh.3x.html">refresh(3x)</A></STRONG> functions use the <STRONG>setaf</STRONG>
2100 and <STRONG>setab</STRONG> capabilities if they are defined.
2102 The <STRONG>setaf</STRONG>/<STRONG>setab</STRONG> and <STRONG>setf</STRONG>/<STRONG>setb</STRONG> capabilities take a single numeric argu-
2103 ment each. Argument values 0-7 of <STRONG>setaf</STRONG>/<STRONG>setab</STRONG> are portably defined as
2104 follows (the middle column is the symbolic #define available in the
2105 header for the <STRONG>curses</STRONG> or <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG> libraries). The terminal hardware is
2106 free to map these as it likes, but the RGB values indicate normal loca-
2107 tions in color space.
2109 <STRONG>Color</STRONG> <STRONG>#define</STRONG> <STRONG>Value</STRONG> <STRONG>RGB</STRONG>
2110 black <STRONG>COLOR_BLACK</STRONG> 0 0, 0, 0
2111 red <STRONG>COLOR_RED</STRONG> 1 max,0,0
2112 green <STRONG>COLOR_GREEN</STRONG> 2 0,max,0
2113 yellow <STRONG>COLOR_YELLOW</STRONG> 3 max,max,0
2114 blue <STRONG>COLOR_BLUE</STRONG> 4 0,0,max
2115 magenta <STRONG>COLOR_MAGENTA</STRONG> 5 max,0,max
2116 cyan <STRONG>COLOR_CYAN</STRONG> 6 0,max,max
2117 white <STRONG>COLOR_WHITE</STRONG> 7 max,max,max
2119 The argument values of <STRONG>setf</STRONG>/<STRONG>setb</STRONG> historically correspond to a different
2122 <STRONG>Color</STRONG> <STRONG>#define</STRONG> <STRONG>Value</STRONG> <STRONG>RGB</STRONG>
2123 black <STRONG>COLOR_BLACK</STRONG> 0 0, 0, 0
2124 blue <STRONG>COLOR_BLUE</STRONG> 1 0,0,max
2125 green <STRONG>COLOR_GREEN</STRONG> 2 0,max,0
2126 cyan <STRONG>COLOR_CYAN</STRONG> 3 0,max,max
2127 red <STRONG>COLOR_RED</STRONG> 4 max,0,0
2128 magenta <STRONG>COLOR_MAGENTA</STRONG> 5 max,0,max
2129 yellow <STRONG>COLOR_YELLOW</STRONG> 6 max,max,0
2130 white <STRONG>COLOR_WHITE</STRONG> 7 max,max,max
2132 It is important to not confuse the two sets of color capabilities; oth-
2133 erwise red/blue will be interchanged on the display.
2135 On an HP-like terminal, use <STRONG>scp</STRONG> with a color-pair number parameter to
2136 set which color pair is current.
2138 Some terminals allow the <EM>color</EM> <EM>values</EM> to be modified:
2140 <STRONG>o</STRONG> On a Tektronix-like terminal, the capability <STRONG>ccc</STRONG> may be present to
2141 indicate that colors can be modified. If so, the <STRONG>initc</STRONG> capability
2142 will take a color number (0 to <STRONG>colors</STRONG> - 1)and three more parameters
2143 which describe the color. These three parameters default to being
2144 interpreted as RGB (Red, Green, Blue) values. If the boolean capa-
2145 bility <STRONG>hls</STRONG> is present, they are instead as HLS (Hue, Lightness,
2146 Saturation) indices. The ranges are terminal-dependent.
2148 <STRONG>o</STRONG> On an HP-like terminal, <STRONG>initp</STRONG> may give a capability for changing a
2149 color-pair value. It will take seven parameters; a color-pair num-
2150 ber (0 to <STRONG>max_pairs</STRONG> - 1), and two triples describing first back-
2151 ground and then foreground colors. These parameters must be (Red,
2152 Green, Blue) or (Hue, Lightness, Saturation) depending on <STRONG>hls</STRONG>.
2154 On some color terminals, colors collide with highlights. You can reg-
2155 ister these collisions with the <STRONG>ncv</STRONG> capability. This is a bit-mask of
2156 attributes not to be used when colors are enabled. The correspondence
2157 with the attributes understood by <STRONG>curses</STRONG> is as follows:
2159 <STRONG>Attribute</STRONG> <STRONG>Bit</STRONG> <STRONG>Decimal</STRONG> <STRONG>Set</STRONG> <STRONG>by</STRONG>
2168 A_ALTCHARSET 8 256 sgr
2169 A_HORIZONTAL 9 512 sgr1
2172 A_RIGHT 12 4096 sgr1
2174 A_VERTICAL 14 16384 sgr1
2175 A_ITALIC 15 32768 sitm
2177 For example, on many IBM PC consoles, the underline attribute collides
2178 with the foreground color blue and is not available in color mode.
2179 These should have an <STRONG>ncv</STRONG> capability of 2.
2181 SVr4 curses does nothing with <STRONG>ncv</STRONG>, ncurses recognizes it and optimizes
2182 the output in favor of colors.
2185 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-Miscellaneous">Miscellaneous</a></H3><PRE>
2186 If the terminal requires other than a null (zero) character as a pad,
2187 then this can be given as pad. Only the first character of the pad
2188 string is used. If the terminal does not have a pad character, specify
2189 npc. Note that ncurses implements the termcap-compatible <STRONG>PC</STRONG> variable;
2190 though the application may set this value to something other than a
2191 null, ncurses will test <STRONG>npc</STRONG> first and use napms if the terminal has no
2194 If the terminal can move up or down half a line, this can be indicated
2195 with <STRONG>hu</STRONG> (half-line up) and <STRONG>hd</STRONG> (half-line down). This is primarily use-
2196 ful for superscripts and subscripts on hard-copy terminals. If a hard-
2197 copy terminal can eject to the next page (form feed), give this as <STRONG>ff</STRONG>
2198 (usually control L).
2200 If there is a command to repeat a given character a given number of
2201 times (to save time transmitting a large number of identical charac-
2202 ters) this can be indicated with the parameterized string <STRONG>rep</STRONG>. The
2203 first parameter is the character to be repeated and the second is the
2204 number of times to repeat it. Thus, tparm(repeat_char, 'x', 10) is the
2205 same as "xxxxxxxxxx".
2207 If the terminal has a settable command character, such as the TEKTRONIX
2208 4025, this can be indicated with <STRONG>cmdch</STRONG>. A prototype command character
2209 is chosen which is used in all capabilities. This character is given
2210 in the <STRONG>cmdch</STRONG> capability to identify it. The following convention is
2211 supported on some UNIX systems: The environment is to be searched for a
2212 <STRONG>CC</STRONG> variable, and if found, all occurrences of the prototype character
2213 are replaced with the character in the environment variable.
2215 Terminal descriptions that do not represent a specific kind of known
2216 terminal, such as <EM>switch</EM>, <EM>dialup</EM>, <EM>patch</EM>, and <EM>network</EM>, should include
2217 the <STRONG>gn</STRONG> (generic) capability so that programs can complain that they do
2218 not know how to talk to the terminal. (This capability does not apply
2219 to <EM>virtual</EM> terminal descriptions for which the escape sequences are
2222 If the terminal has a "meta key" which acts as a shift key, setting the
2223 8th bit of any character transmitted, this fact can be indicated with
2224 <STRONG>km</STRONG>. Otherwise, software will assume that the 8th bit is parity and it
2225 will usually be cleared. If strings exist to turn this "meta mode" on
2226 and off, they can be given as <STRONG>smm</STRONG> and <STRONG>rmm</STRONG>.
2228 If the terminal has more lines of memory than will fit on the screen at
2229 once, the number of lines of memory can be indicated with <STRONG>lm</STRONG>. A value
2230 of <STRONG>lm</STRONG>#0 indicates that the number of lines is not fixed, but that there
2231 is still more memory than fits on the screen.
2233 If the terminal is one of those supported by the UNIX virtual terminal
2234 protocol, the terminal number can be given as <STRONG>vt</STRONG>.
2236 Media copy strings which control an auxiliary printer connected to the
2237 terminal can be given as <STRONG>mc0</STRONG>: print the contents of the screen, <STRONG>mc4</STRONG>:
2238 turn off the printer, and <STRONG>mc5</STRONG>: turn on the printer. When the printer
2239 is on, all text sent to the terminal will be sent to the printer. It
2240 is undefined whether the text is also displayed on the terminal screen
2241 when the printer is on. A variation <STRONG>mc5p</STRONG> takes one parameter, and
2242 leaves the printer on for as many characters as the value of the param-
2243 eter, then turns the printer off. The parameter should not exceed 255.
2244 All text, including <STRONG>mc4</STRONG>, is transparently passed to the printer while
2245 an <STRONG>mc5p</STRONG> is in effect.
2248 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-Glitches-and-Braindamage">Glitches and Braindamage</a></H3><PRE>
2249 Hazeltine terminals, which do not allow "~" characters to be displayed
2250 should indicate <STRONG>hz</STRONG>.
2252 Terminals which ignore a line-feed immediately after an <STRONG>am</STRONG> wrap, such
2253 as the Concept and vt100, should indicate <STRONG>xenl</STRONG>.
2255 If <STRONG>el</STRONG> is required to get rid of standout (instead of merely writing
2256 normal text on top of it), <STRONG>xhp</STRONG> should be given.
2258 Teleray terminals, where tabs turn all characters moved over to blanks,
2259 should indicate <STRONG>xt</STRONG> (destructive tabs). Note: the variable indicating
2260 this is now "dest_tabs_magic_smso"; in older versions, it was tel-
2261 eray_glitch. This glitch is also taken to mean that it is not possible
2262 to position the cursor on top of a "magic cookie", that to erase stand-
2263 out mode it is instead necessary to use delete and insert line. The
2264 ncurses implementation ignores this glitch.
2266 The Beehive Superbee, which is unable to correctly transmit the escape
2267 or control C characters, has <STRONG>xsb</STRONG>, indicating that the f1 key is used
2268 for escape and f2 for control C. (Only certain Superbees have this
2269 problem, depending on the ROM.) Note that in older terminfo versions,
2270 this capability was called "beehive_glitch"; it is now "no_esc_ctl_c".
2272 Other specific terminal problems may be corrected by adding more capa-
2273 bilities of the form <STRONG>x</STRONG><EM>x</EM>.
2276 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-Pitfalls-of-Long-Entries">Pitfalls of Long Entries</a></H3><PRE>
2277 Long terminfo entries are unlikely to be a problem; to date, no entry
2278 has even approached terminfo's 4096-byte string-table maximum. Unfor-
2279 tunately, the termcap translations are much more strictly limited (to
2280 1023 bytes), thus termcap translations of long terminfo entries can
2283 The man pages for 4.3BSD and older versions of <STRONG>tgetent</STRONG> instruct the
2284 user to allocate a 1024-byte buffer for the termcap entry. The entry
2285 gets null-terminated by the termcap library, so that makes the maximum
2286 safe length for a termcap entry 1k-1 (1023) bytes. Depending on what
2287 the application and the termcap library being used does, and where in
2288 the termcap file the terminal type that <STRONG>tgetent</STRONG> is searching for is,
2289 several bad things can happen.
2291 Some termcap libraries print a warning message or exit if they find an
2292 entry that's longer than 1023 bytes; others do not; others truncate the
2293 entries to 1023 bytes. Some application programs allocate more than
2294 the recommended 1K for the termcap entry; others do not.
2296 Each termcap entry has two important sizes associated with it: before
2297 "tc" expansion, and after "tc" expansion. "tc" is the capability that
2298 tacks on another termcap entry to the end of the current one, to add on
2299 its capabilities. If a termcap entry does not use the "tc" capability,
2300 then of course the two lengths are the same.
2302 The "before tc expansion" length is the most important one, because it
2303 affects more than just users of that particular terminal. This is the
2304 length of the entry as it exists in /etc/termcap, minus the backslash-
2305 newline pairs, which <STRONG>tgetent</STRONG> strips out while reading it. Some termcap
2306 libraries strip off the final newline, too (GNU termcap does not). Now
2309 <STRONG>o</STRONG> a termcap entry before expansion is more than 1023 bytes long,
2311 <STRONG>o</STRONG> and the application has only allocated a 1k buffer,
2313 <STRONG>o</STRONG> and the termcap library (like the one in BSD/OS 1.1 and GNU) reads
2314 the whole entry into the buffer, no matter what its length, to see
2315 if it is the entry it wants,
2317 <STRONG>o</STRONG> and <STRONG>tgetent</STRONG> is searching for a terminal type that either is the
2318 long entry, appears in the termcap file after the long entry, or
2319 does not appear in the file at all (so that <STRONG>tgetent</STRONG> has to search
2320 the whole termcap file).
2322 Then <STRONG>tgetent</STRONG> will overwrite memory, perhaps its stack, and probably
2323 core dump the program. Programs like telnet are particularly vulnera-
2324 ble; modern telnets pass along values like the terminal type automati-
2325 cally. The results are almost as undesirable with a termcap library,
2326 like SunOS 4.1.3 and Ultrix 4.4, that prints warning messages when it
2327 reads an overly long termcap entry. If a termcap library truncates
2328 long entries, like OSF/1 3.0, it is immune to dying here but will
2329 return incorrect data for the terminal.
2331 The "after tc expansion" length will have a similar effect to the
2332 above, but only for people who actually set TERM to that terminal type,
2333 since <STRONG>tgetent</STRONG> only does "tc" expansion once it is found the terminal
2334 type it was looking for, not while searching.
2336 In summary, a termcap entry that is longer than 1023 bytes can cause,
2337 on various combinations of termcap libraries and applications, a core
2338 dump, warnings, or incorrect operation. If it is too long even before
2339 "tc" expansion, it will have this effect even for users of some other
2340 terminal types and users whose TERM variable does not have a termcap
2343 When in -C (translate to termcap) mode, the <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG> implementation of
2344 <STRONG><A HREF="tic.1m.html">tic(1m)</A></STRONG> issues warning messages when the pre-tc length of a termcap
2345 translation is too long. The -c (check) option also checks resolved
2346 (after tc expansion) lengths.
2349 </PRE><H3><a name="h3-Binary-Compatibility">Binary Compatibility</a></H3><PRE>
2350 It is not wise to count on portability of binary terminfo entries
2351 between commercial UNIX versions. The problem is that there are at
2352 least two versions of terminfo (under HP-UX and AIX) which diverged
2353 from System V terminfo after SVr1, and have added extension capabili-
2354 ties to the string table that (in the binary format) collide with Sys-
2355 tem V and XSI Curses extensions.
2358 </PRE><H2><a name="h2-EXTENSIONS">EXTENSIONS</a></H2><PRE>
2359 Searching for terminal descriptions in <STRONG>$HOME/.terminfo</STRONG> and TER-
2360 MINFO_DIRS is not supported by older implementations.
2362 Some SVr4 <STRONG>curses</STRONG> implementations, and all previous to SVr4, do not
2363 interpret the %A and %O operators in parameter strings.
2365 SVr4/XPG4 do not specify whether <STRONG>msgr</STRONG> licenses movement while in an
2366 alternate-character-set mode (such modes may, among other things, map
2367 CR and NL to characters that do not trigger local motions). The
2368 <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG> implementation ignores <STRONG>msgr</STRONG> in <STRONG>ALTCHARSET</STRONG> mode. This raises
2369 the possibility that an XPG4 implementation making the opposite inter-
2370 pretation may need terminfo entries made for <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG> to have <STRONG>msgr</STRONG>
2373 The <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG> library handles insert-character and insert-character modes
2374 in a slightly non-standard way to get better update efficiency. See
2375 the <STRONG>Insert/Delete</STRONG> <STRONG>Character</STRONG> subsection above.
2377 The parameter substitutions for <STRONG>set_clock</STRONG> and <STRONG>display_clock</STRONG> are not
2378 documented in SVr4 or the XSI Curses standard. They are deduced from
2379 the documentation for the AT&T 505 terminal.
2381 Be careful assigning the <STRONG>kmous</STRONG> capability. The <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG> library wants
2382 to interpret it as <STRONG>KEY_MOUSE</STRONG>, for use by terminals and emulators like
2383 xterm that can return mouse-tracking information in the keyboard-input
2386 X/Open Curses does not mention italics. Portable applications must
2387 assume that numeric capabilities are signed 16-bit values. This
2388 includes the <EM>no</EM><STRONG>_</STRONG><EM>color</EM><STRONG>_</STRONG><EM>video</EM> (ncv) capability. The 32768 mask value
2389 used for italics with ncv can be confused with an absent or cancelled
2390 ncv. If italics should work with colors, then the ncv value must be
2391 specified, even if it is zero.
2393 Different commercial ports of terminfo and curses support different
2394 subsets of the XSI Curses standard and (in some cases) different exten-
2395 sion sets. Here is a summary, accurate as of October 1995:
2397 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>SVR4,</STRONG> <STRONG>Solaris,</STRONG> <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG> -- These support all SVr4 capabilities.
2399 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>SGI</STRONG> -- Supports the SVr4 set, adds one undocumented extended string
2400 capability (<STRONG>set_pglen</STRONG>).
2402 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>SVr1,</STRONG> <STRONG>Ultrix</STRONG> -- These support a restricted subset of terminfo capa-
2403 bilities. The booleans end with <STRONG>xon_xoff</STRONG>; the numerics with
2404 <STRONG>width_status_line</STRONG>; and the strings with <STRONG>prtr_non</STRONG>.
2406 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>HP/UX</STRONG> -- Supports the SVr1 subset, plus the SVr[234] numerics
2407 <STRONG>num_labels</STRONG>, <STRONG>label_height</STRONG>, <STRONG>label_width</STRONG>, plus function keys 11
2408 through 63, plus <STRONG>plab_norm</STRONG>, <STRONG>label_on</STRONG>, and <STRONG>label_off</STRONG>, plus some
2409 incompatible extensions in the string table.
2411 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>AIX</STRONG> -- Supports the SVr1 subset, plus function keys 11 through 63,
2412 plus a number of incompatible string table extensions.
2414 <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>OSF</STRONG> -- Supports both the SVr4 set and the AIX extensions.
2417 </PRE><H2><a name="h2-FILES">FILES</a></H2><PRE>
2418 /usr/share/terminfo/?/* files containing terminal descriptions
2421 </PRE><H2><a name="h2-SEE-ALSO">SEE ALSO</a></H2><PRE>
2422 <STRONG><A HREF="tic.1m.html">tic(1m)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="infocmp.1m.html">infocmp(1m)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="ncurses.3x.html">curses(3x)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="curs_color.3x.html">curs_color(3x)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG>printf(3)</STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="term.5.html">term(5)</A></STRONG>.
2423 <STRONG><A HREF="term_variables.3x.html">term_variables(3x)</A></STRONG>. <STRONG><A HREF="user_caps.5.html">user_caps(5)</A></STRONG>.
2426 </PRE><H2><a name="h2-AUTHORS">AUTHORS</a></H2><PRE>
2427 Zeyd M. Ben-Halim, Eric S. Raymond, Thomas E. Dickey. Based on pcurses
2432 <STRONG><A HREF="terminfo.5.html">terminfo(5)</A></STRONG>
2436 <li><a href="#h2-NAME">NAME</a></li>
2437 <li><a href="#h2-SYNOPSIS">SYNOPSIS</a></li>
2438 <li><a href="#h2-DESCRIPTION">DESCRIPTION</a>
2440 <li><a href="#h3-Terminfo-Entry-Syntax">Terminfo Entry Syntax</a></li>
2441 <li><a href="#h3-Terminfo-Capabilities-Syntax">Terminfo Capabilities Syntax</a></li>
2442 <li><a href="#h3-Similar-Terminals">Similar Terminals</a></li>
2443 <li><a href="#h3-Predefined-Capabilities">Predefined Capabilities</a></li>
2444 <li><a href="#h3-User-Defined-Capabilities">User-Defined Capabilities</a></li>
2445 <li><a href="#h3-A-Sample-Entry">A Sample Entry</a></li>
2446 <li><a href="#h3-Types-of-Capabilities">Types of Capabilities</a></li>
2447 <li><a href="#h3-Fetching-Compiled-Descriptions">Fetching Compiled Descriptions</a></li>
2448 <li><a href="#h3-Preparing-Descriptions">Preparing Descriptions</a></li>
2449 <li><a href="#h3-Basic-Capabilities">Basic Capabilities</a></li>
2450 <li><a href="#h3-Parameterized-Strings">Parameterized Strings</a></li>
2451 <li><a href="#h3-Cursor-Motions">Cursor Motions</a></li>
2452 <li><a href="#h3-Area-Clears">Area Clears</a></li>
2453 <li><a href="#h3-Insert_delete-line-and-vertical-motions">Insert/delete line and vertical motions</a></li>
2454 <li><a href="#h3-Insert_Delete-Character">Insert/Delete Character</a></li>
2455 <li><a href="#h3-Highlighting_-Underlining_-and-Visible-Bells">Highlighting, Underlining, and Visible Bells</a></li>
2456 <li><a href="#h3-Keypad-and-Function-Keys">Keypad and Function Keys</a></li>
2457 <li><a href="#h3-Tabs-and-Initialization">Tabs and Initialization</a></li>
2458 <li><a href="#h3-Delays-and-Padding">Delays and Padding</a></li>
2459 <li><a href="#h3-Status-Lines">Status Lines</a></li>
2460 <li><a href="#h3-Line-Graphics">Line Graphics</a></li>
2461 <li><a href="#h3-Color-Handling">Color Handling</a></li>
2462 <li><a href="#h3-Miscellaneous">Miscellaneous</a></li>
2463 <li><a href="#h3-Glitches-and-Braindamage">Glitches and Braindamage</a></li>
2464 <li><a href="#h3-Pitfalls-of-Long-Entries">Pitfalls of Long Entries</a></li>
2465 <li><a href="#h3-Binary-Compatibility">Binary Compatibility</a></li>
2468 <li><a href="#h2-EXTENSIONS">EXTENSIONS</a></li>
2469 <li><a href="#h2-FILES">FILES</a></li>
2470 <li><a href="#h2-SEE-ALSO">SEE ALSO</a></li>
2471 <li><a href="#h2-AUTHORS">AUTHORS</a></li>
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