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
       interaction 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.  Routines flagged with "*" are  ncurses-
       specific, not present in SVr4.

       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 argument.

       E_BAD_STATE
            Routine was called from an initialization or termination 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(3)).

       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 libncurses.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.

       The menu facility was documented in SVr4.2 in Character User  Interface
       Programming (UNIX SVR4.2).

       It is not part of X/Open Curses.

       Aside from ncurses, there are few implementations:

       o   systems based on SVr4 source code, e.g., Solaris.

       o   NetBSD curses.

       A  few  functions  in  this  implementation  are  extensions  added for
       ncurses,   but   not   provided   by   other   implementations,   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 6.4 (patch 20221231).



                                                                      form(3x)