form 3x

form(3x)                                                       form(3x)




NAME

       form - curses extension for programming forms


SYNOPSIS

       #include <form.h>


DESCRIPTION

       The  form library provides terminal-independent facilities
       for composing form screens  on  character-cell  terminals.
       The  library  includes:  field  routines, which create and
       modify form fields; and form routines, which group  fields
       into forms, display forms on the screen, and handle inter-
       action with the user.

       The form library uses the curses libraries.   To  use  the
       form library, link with the options -lform -lcurses.

       Your program should set up the locale, e.g.,

            setlocale(LC_ALL, "");

       so that input/output processing will work.

       A  curses  initialization  routine such as initscr must be
       called before using any of these functions.


Current Default Values for Field Attributes

       The form library  maintains  a  default  value  for  field
       attributes.   You  can  get or set this default by calling
       the appropriate set_ or  retrieval  routine  with  a  NULL
       field pointer.  Changing this default with a set_ function
       affects future field creations, but does  not  change  the
       rendering of fields already created.


Routine Name Index

       The  following  table lists each form routine and the name
       of the manual page on which it is described.

       curses Routine Name     Manual Page Name
       --------------------------------------------------
       current_field           form_page(3x)
       data_ahead              form_data(3x)
       data_behind             form_data(3x)
       dup_field               form_field_new(3x)
       dynamic_field_info      form_field_info(3x)
       field_arg               form_field_validation(3x)
       field_back              form_field_attributes(3x)
       field_buffer            form_field_buffer(3x)
       field_count             form_field(3x)
       field_fore              form_field_attributes(3x)
       field_index             form_page(3x)
       field_info              form_field_info(3x)
       field_init              form_hook(3x)
       field_just              form_field_just(3x)
       field_opts              form_field_opts(3x)
       field_opts_off          form_field_opts(3x)
       field_opts_on           form_field_opts(3x)
       field_pad               form_field_attributes(3x)
       field_status            form_field_buffer(3x)
       field_term              form_hook(3x)
       field_type              form_field_validation(3x)

       field_userptr           form_field_userptr(3x)
       form_driver             form_driver(3x)
       form_driver_w           form_driver(3x)*
       form_fields             form_field(3x)
       form_init               form_hook(3x)
       form_opts               form_opts(3x)
       form_opts_off           form_opts(3x)
       form_opts_on            form_opts(3x)
       form_page               form_page(3x)
       form_request_by_name    form_requestname(3x)
       form_request_name       form_requestname(3x)
       form_sub                form_win(3x)
       form_term               form_hook(3x)
       form_userptr            form_userptr(3x)
       form_win                form_win(3x)
       free_field              form_field_new(3x)
       free_fieldtype          form_fieldtype(3x)
       free_form               form_new(3x)
       link_field              form_field_new(3x)
       link_fieldtype          form_fieldtype(3x)
       move_field              form_field(3x)
       new_field               form_field_new(3x)
       new_fieldtype           form_fieldtype(3x)
       new_form                form_new(3x)
       new_page                form_new_page(3x)
       pos_form_cursor         form_cursor(3x)
       post_form               form_post(3x)
       scale_form              form_win(3x)
       set_current_field       form_page(3x)
       set_field_back          form_field_attributes(3x)
       set_field_buffer        form_field_buffer(3x)
       set_field_fore          form_field_attributes(3x)
       set_field_init          form_hook(3x)
       set_field_just          form_field_just(3x)
       set_field_opts          form_field_opts(3x)
       set_field_pad           form_field_attributes(3x)
       set_field_status        form_field_buffer(3x)
       set_field_term          form_hook(3x)
       set_field_type          form_field_validation(3x)
       set_field_userptr       form_field_userptr(3x)
       set_fieldtype_arg       form_fieldtype(3x)
       set_fieldtype_choice    form_fieldtype(3x)
       set_form_fields         form_field(3x)
       set_form_init           form_hook(3x)
       set_form_opts           form_field_opts(3x)
       set_form_page           form_page(3x)
       set_form_sub            form_win(3x)
       set_form_term           form_hook(3x)
       set_form_userptr        form_userptr(3x)
       set_form_win            form_win(3x)
       set_max_field           form_field_buffer(3x)
       set_new_page            form_new_page(3x)
       unfocus_current_field   form_page(3x)
       unpost_form             form_post(3x)


RETURN VALUE

       Routines that return pointers return NULL  on  error,  and
       set  errno  to  the  corresponding  error-code returned by
       functions returning an integer.  Routines that  return  an
       integer return one of the following error codes:

       E_OK The routine succeeded.

       E_BAD_ARGUMENT
            Routine  detected  an incorrect or out-of-range argu-
            ment.

       E_BAD_STATE
            Routine was called from an initialization or termina-
            tion function.

       E_CONNECTED
            The field is already connected to a form.

       E_INVALID_FIELD
            Contents of a field are not valid.

       E_NOT_CONNECTED
            No fields are connected to the form.

       E_NOT_POSTED
            The form has not been posted.

       E_NO_ROOM
            Form is too large for its window.

       E_POSTED
            The form is already posted.

       E_REQUEST_DENIED
            The form driver could not process the request.

       E_SYSTEM_ERROR
            System error occurred (see errno).

       E_UNKNOWN_COMMAND
            The form driver code saw an unknown request code.


NOTES

       The header file <form.h> automatically includes the header
       files <curses.h> and <eti.h>.

       In your library list, libform.a  should  be  before  libn-
       curses.a; that is, you want to say "-lform -lncurses", not
       the other way around (which would give you  a  link  error
       when using static libraries).


PORTABILITY

       These  routines  emulate the System V forms library.  They
       were not supported on Version 7 or BSD versions.

       A few functions are extensions added  for  ncurses,  e.g.,
       form_driver_w, unfocus_current_field.


AUTHORS

       Juergen  Pfeifer.  Manual pages and adaptation for ncurses
       by Eric S. Raymond.


SEE ALSO

       curses(3x) and related pages whose names begin "form_" for
       detailed descriptions of the entry points.

       This describes ncurses version 6.0 (patch 20170401).



                                                               form(3x)