default_colors 3x

default_colors(3x)                                   default_colors(3x)




NAME

       use_default_colors, assume_default_colors - use terminal's
       default colors


SYNOPSIS

       #include <curses.h>

       int use_default_colors(void);
       int assume_default_colors(int fg, int bg);


DESCRIPTION

       The use_default_colors and assume_default_colors functions
       are  extensions to the curses library.  They are used with
       terminals that support  ISO  6429  color,  or  equivalent.
       These terminals allow the application to reset color to an
       unspecified default value (e.g., with SGR 39 or SGR 49).

       Applications that paint  a  colored  background  over  the
       whole  screen  do not take advantage of SGR 39 and SGR 49.
       Some applications are designed to work  with  the  default
       background,  using  colors  only  for  text.  For example,
       there are several implementations of the ls program  which
       use  colors to denote different file types or permissions.
       These "color ls" programs do not  necessarily  modify  the
       background  color, typically using only the setaf terminfo
       capability  to  set  the  foreground  color.   Full-screen
       applications  that  use default colors can achieve similar
       visual effects.

       The first function, use_default_colors  tells  the  curses
       library  to  assign terminal default foreground/background
       colors to color number  -1.  So  init_pair(x,COLOR_RED,-1)
       will  initialize  pair  x as red on default background and
       init_pair(x,-1,COLOR_BLUE)  will  initialize  pair  x   as
       default foreground on blue.

       The  other,  assume_default_colors  is  a refinement which
       tells which colors to paint for color pair 0.  This  func-
       tion  recognizes  a special color number -1, which denotes
       the default terminal color.

       The following are equivalent:
              use_default_colors();
              assume_default_colors(-1,-1);

       These are ncurses extensions.  For other curses  implemen-
       tations,  color  number -1 does not mean anything, just as
       for ncurses before a successful call of use_default_colors
       or assume_default_colors.

       Other  curses  implementations do not allow an application
       to modify color pair 0.  They assume that  the  background
       is COLOR_BLACK, but do not ensure that the color pair 0 is
       painted to match the assumption.  If your application does
       not use either use_default_colors or assume_default_colors
       ncurses will paint a white foreground  (text)  with  black
       background for color pair 0.


RETURN VALUE

       These functions return the integer ERR upon failure and OK
       on success.  They will fail if either  the  terminal  does
       not  support  the orig_pair or orig_colors capability.  If
       the initialize_pair capability is not found,  this  causes
       an error as well.


NOTES

       Associated  with  this  extension,  the init_pair function
       accepts negative arguments to specify  default  foreground
       or background colors.

       The  use_default_colors function was added to support ded.
       This is a full-screen application  which  uses  curses  to
       manage only part of the screen.  The bottom portion of the
       screen, which is of adjustable size, is left uncolored  to
       display  the results from shell commands.  The top portion
       of the screen colors filenames using  a  scheme  like  the
       "color  ls" programs.  Attempting to manage the background
       color of the screen for this application would give unsat-
       isfactory  results  for a variety of reasons.  This exten-
       sion was devised after noting that color xterm (and  simi-
       lar  programs)  provides a background color which does not
       necessarily correspond to any of the ANSI colors.  While a
       special  terminfo  entry  could  be constructed using nine
       colors, there was no mechanism provided within  curses  to
       account  for  the  related  orig_pair and back_color_erase
       capabilities.

       The assume_default_colors function was added  to  solve  a
       different  problem:  support  for applications which would
       use  environment  variables  and  other  configuration  to
       bypass  curses'  notion  of the terminal's default colors,
       setting specific values.


PORTABILITY

       These routines are specific to  ncurses.   They  were  not
       supported  on  Version 7, BSD or System V implementations.
       It is recommended that any code depending on them be  con-
       ditioned using NCURSES_VERSION.


SEE ALSO

       curs_color(3x), ded(1).


AUTHOR

       Thomas  Dickey  (from  an analysis of the requirements for
       color xterm for XFree86 3.1.2C, February 1996).



                                                     default_colors(3x)