-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- Copyright (c) 1998-2013,2014 Free Software Foundation, Inc. --
+-- Copyright (c) 1998-2016,2017 Free Software Foundation, Inc. --
-- --
-- Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a --
-- copy of this software and associated documentation files (the --
-- sale, use or other dealings in this Software without prior written --
-- authorization. --
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- $Id: INSTALL,v 1.170 2014/04/12 23:10:33 tom Exp $
+-- $Id: INSTALL,v 1.197 2017/02/12 19:49:52 tom Exp $
---------------------------------------------------------------------
How to install Ncurses/Terminfo on your system
---------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You must have installed the terminfo database, or set the
environment variable $TERMINFO to point to a SVr4-compatible terminfo
database before running the test programs. Not all vendors' terminfo
- databases are SVr4-compatible, but most seem to be. Exceptions include
- DEC's Digital Unix (formerly known as OSF/1).
+ databases are SVr4-compatible, but most seem to be.
+
+ It is possible to configure ncurses to use other terminfo database formats.
+ A few are provided as examples in the include-directory (see --with-caps).
If you run the test programs WITHOUT installing terminfo, ncurses may
read the termcap file and cache that in $HOME/.terminfo, which will
thereafter be used instead of the terminfo database. See the comments
on "--enable-getcap-cache", to see why this is a Bad Thing.
- It is possible to configure ncurses to use other terminfo database formats.
- A few are provided as examples in the include-directory (see --with-caps).
-
The ncurses program is designed specifically to test the ncurses library.
You can use it to verify that the screen highlights work correctly, that
cursor addressing and window scrolling works OK, etc.
############################################################################
# CAVEAT EMPTOR: `install.data' run as root will NUKE any existing #
# terminfo database. If you have any custom or unusual entries SAVE them #
- # before you install ncurses. I have a file called terminfo.custom for #
- # this purpose. Don't forget to run tic on the file once you're done. #
+ # before you install ncurses. #
############################################################################
The terminfo(5) manual page must be preprocessed with tbl(1) before
--disable-largefile
Disable compiler flags needed to use large-file interfaces.
+ --disable-lib-suffixes
+ Suppress the "w", "t" or "tw" suffixes which normally would be added
+ to the library names for the --enable-widec and --with-pthread options.
+
--disable-libtool-version
when using --with-libtool, control how the major/minor version numbers
are used for constructing the library name.
Use --disable-libtool-version to use the libtool -version-info feature.
This corresponds to the setting used before patch 20100515.
+ Starting with patch 20141115, using this option causes the configure
+ script to apply the top-level VERSION file to the ABI version used
+ for libtool.
+
--disable-leaks
For testing, compile-in code that frees memory that normally would not
be freed, to simplify analysis of memory-leaks.
a screen, since (even after calling endwin()), it must be available
for use in the next call to refresh(). There are also chunks of
memory held for performance reasons. That makes it hard to analyze
- curses applications for memory leaks. To work around this, build
- a debugging version of the ncurses library which frees those chunks
+ curses applications for memory leaks. To work around this, build a
+ debugging version of the ncurses library which frees those chunks
which it can, and provides the _nc_free_and_exit() function to free
- the remainder on exit. The ncurses utility and test programs use this
- feature, e.g., via the ExitProgram() macro.
+ the remainder and then exit. The ncurses utility and test programs
+ use this feature, e.g., via the ExitProgram() macro.
+
+ Because this lies outside of the library's intended usage, it is not
+ normally considered part of the ABI. If there were some (as yet
+ unplanned) extension which frees memory in a manner that would let the
+ library resume and reallocate memory, then that would not use a "_nc_"
+ prefix.
--disable-lp64
The header files will ignore use of the _LP64 symbol to make chtype
rather than the include directory. This makes it simpler to avoid
compile-time conflicts with other versions of curses.h
+ Putting the header files into a subdirectory assumes that applications
+ will follow the (standard) practice of including the headers with
+ reference to the subdirectory name. For instance, the normal ncurses
+ header would be included using
+
+ #include <ncurses/curses.h>
+ #include <ncurses/term.h>
+
+ while the ncursesw headers would be found this way:
+
+ #include <ncursesw/curses.h>
+ #include <ncursesw/term.h>
+
+ In either case (with or without the --disable-overwrite option),
+ almost all applications are designed to include a related set of
+ curses header files from the same directory.
+
+ Manipulating the --includedir configure option to put header files
+ directly in a subdirectory of the normal include-directory defeats
+ this, and breaks builds of portable applications. Likewise, putting
+ some headers in /usr/include, and others in a subdirectory is a good
+ way to break builds.
+
+ When configured with --disable-overwrite, the installed header files'
+ embedded #include's are adjusted to use the same style of includes
+ noted above. In particular, the unctrl.h header is included from
+ curses.h, which means that a makefile which tells the compiler to
+ include directly from the subdirectory will fail to compile correctly.
+ Without some special effort, it will either fail to compile at all,
+ or the compiler may find a different unctrl.h file.
+
--disable-relink
If --enable-rpath is given, the generated makefiles normally will
rebuild the libraries during install. Use this option to simply
list documented in X/Open. ncurses provides varargs support for this
function. Use --disable-tparm-varargs to disable this support.
+ --disable-wattr-macros
+ The 6.0 ABI adds support for extended colors and for extended mouse.
+ The former is a noticeable problem when developers inadvertantly
+ compile using the ncurses6 header files and link with an ncurses5
+ library, because the wattr* macros use a new field in the WINDOW
+ structure. These macros are used in several applications.
+
+ Since ncurses provides an actual function for each of these macros,
+ suppressing them from the curses.h header allows the ncurses5 libraries
+ to be used in most applications.
+
+ NOTE: The extended colors also are used in the cchar_t structure, but
+ fewer applications use that.
+
+ NOTE: This workaround does not help with mismatches in the ncurses
+ mouse version. The extended mouse feature uses one less fewer bit for
+ each button, so that only the first button will work as expected with
+ a mismatch between header and library. Again, most applications will
+ work, since most use only the first button.
+
--enable-assertions
For testing, compile-in assertion code. This is used only for a few
places where ncurses cannot easily recover by returning an error code.
compatible with libncursesw 5.4. None of the interfaces change, but
applications which have mouse mask mmask_t's must be recompiled.
+ --enable-ext-putwin
+ Modify the file-format written by putwin() to use printable text rather
+ than binary files, allowing getwin() to read screen dumps written by
+ differently-configured ncurses libraries. The extended getwin() can
+ still read binary screen dumps from the "same" configuration of
+ ncurses. This does not change the ABI (the binary interface seen by
+ calling applications).
+
--enable-getcap
Use the 4.4BSD getcap code if available, or a bundled version of it to
fetch termcap entries. Entries read in this way cannot use (make
terminfo entries. This is the default, unless you have disabled the
extended functions.
+ --enable-opaque-curses
+ --enable-opaque-form
+ --enable-opaque-menu
+ --enable-opaque-panel
+ Define symbol in curses.h which controls whether some library
+ structures are treated as "opaque". The --enable-opaque-curses option
+ is overridden by the --enable-reentrant option.
+
--enable-pc-files
If pkg-config is found (see --with-pkg-config), generate ".pc" files
for each of the libraries, and install them in pkg-config's library
call can be interrupted for SIGWINCH.
--enable-reentrant
- Compile experimental configuration which improves reentrant use of the
- library by reducing global and static variables. This option is also
- set if --with-pthread is used.
+ Compile configuration which improves reentrant use of the library by
+ reducing global and static variables. This option is also set if
+ --with-pthread is used.
Enabling this option adds a "t" to the library names, except for the
special case when --enable-weak-symbols is also used.
For testing, compile and link with Gray Watson's dmalloc library.
This also sets the --disable-leaks option.
+ --with-export-syms[=XXX]
+ Limit exported symbols using libtool. The configure script
+ automatically chooses an appropriate ".sym" file, which lists the
+ symbols which are part of the ABI.
+
+ --with-extra-suffix[=XXX]
+ Add the given suffix to header- and library-names to simplify
+ installing incompatible ncurses libraries, e.g., those using a
+ different ABI. The renaming affects the name of the
+ include-subdirectory if --disable-overwrite is given.
+
--with-fallbacks=XXX
Specify a list of fallback terminal descriptions which will be
compiled into the ncurses library. See CONFIGURING FALLBACK ENTRIES.
--with-hashed-db=/usr/local/BigBase
to find the corresponding include- and lib-directories under the
given directory. Alternatively, you can specify a directory leaf
- name, e.g.,
+ name, e.g.,
--with-hashed-db=db4
to make the configure script look for files in a subdirectory such as
/usr/include/db4/db.h
using the appropriate patch for autoconf from
http://invisible-island.net/autoconf/
+ --with-libtool-opts=XXX
+ Specify additional libtool options.
+
--with-manpage-aliases
Tell the configure script you wish to create entries in the
man-directory for aliases to manpages which list them, e.g., the
copying the man-page for each alias.
--with-manpage-tbl
- Tell the configure script that you with to preprocess the manpages
+ Tell the configure script that you wish to preprocess the manpages
by running them through tbl to generate tables understandable by
nroff.
those using termcap, do not use the higher speeds. Your application
(or system, in general) may or may not.
+ --with-pc-suffix=SUFFIX
+ If ".pc" files are installed, optionally add a suffix to the files
+ and corresponding package names to separate unusual configurations.
+ If no option value is given (or if it is "none"), no suffix is added.
+
--with-pkg-config=[DIR]
Check for pkg-config, optionally specifying its path.
shared libraries, you may encounter problems with the linker.
For example, it may prevent you from running the build tree's
copy of tic (for installing the terminfo database) because it
- loads the system's copy of the ncurses shared libraries. In that
- case, using the misc/shlib script may be helpful, since it sets
- $LD_LIBRARY_PATH to point to the build tree, e.g.,
+ loads the system's copy of the ncurses shared libraries.
+
+ In that case, using the misc/shlib script may be helpful, since it
+ sets $LD_LIBRARY_PATH to point to the build tree, e.g.,
+
./misc/shlib make install
+ Alternatively, for most platforms, the linker accepts a list of
+ directories which will be searched for libraries at run-time. The
+ configure script allows you to modify this list using the
+ RPATH_LIST environment variable. It is a colon-separated list of
+ directories (default: the "libdir" set via the configure script).
+ If you set that to put "../lib" first in the list, the linker will
+ look first at the build-directory, and avoid conflict with libraries
+ already installed. One drawback to this approach is that libraries
+ can be accidentally searched in any "../lib" directory.
+
NOTE: If you use the --with-ada-sharedlib option, you should also
set this option, to ensure that C-language modules needed for the
Ada binding use appropriate compiler options.
Specify a search-list of terminfo directories which will be compiled
into the ncurses library (default: DATADIR/terminfo)
+ This is a colon-separated list, like the TERMINFO_DIRS environment
+ variable.
+
--with-termlib[=XXX]
When building the ncurses library, organize this as two parts: the
curses library (libncurses) and the low-level terminfo library
Configure the trace() function as part of the all models of the ncurses
library. Normally it is part of the debug (libncurses_g) library only.
+ --with-versioned-syms[=XXX]
+ The Solaris, GNU and reportedly some other linkers (ld) accept a
+ "--version-script" option which tells the linker to annotate the
+ resulting objects with version identifiers.
+
+ Use "objdump -T" on a library to see the annotations.
+
+ The configure script attempts to automatically apply a suitable ".map"
+ file to provide this information for Linux. Solaris mapfiles differ:
+
+ a) comments are not accepted
+ b) wildcards are not accepted, except for a special case of "_*".
+ c) each symbol listed in the map file must exist in the library
+
+ The Solaris limitations conflict with the development goal of providing
+ a small set of ".map" files as examples, which cover the most common
+ configurations. Because that coverage is done by merging together
+ several builds, some symbols will be listed in the the ".map" files
+ that do not happen to be present in one configuration or another.
+
+ The sample ".map" (and ".sym") files are generated using a set of
+ scripts which build several configurations for each release version,
+ checking to see which of the "_nc_" symbols can be made local. In
+ addition to the ncurses libraries and programs, the symbols used
+ by the "tack" program are made global.
+
+ These sample ".map" files will not cover all possible combinations.
+ In some cases, e.g., when using the --with-weak-symbols option, you
+ may prefer to use a different ".map" file by setting this option's
+ value.
+
--with-xterm-kbs=XXX
Configure xterm's terminfo entries to use either BS (^H, i.e., ASCII
backspace) or DEL (^?, or 127). XXX can be BS (or bs, 8) or DEL
COMPATIBILITY WITH OLDER VERSIONS OF NCURSES:
--------------------------------------------
- Because ncurses implements the X/Open Curses Specification, its interface
- is fairly stable. That does not mean the interface does not change.
- Changes are made to the documented interfaces when we find differences
- between ncurses and X/Open or implementations which they certify (such as
- Solaris). We add extensions to those interfaces to solve problems not
- addressed by the original curses design, but those must not conflict with
- the X/Open documentation.
+ Because ncurses implements X/Open Curses, its interface is fairly stable.
+ That does not mean the interface does not change. Changes are made to the
+ documented interfaces when we find differences between ncurses and X/Open
+ or implementations which largely correspond to X/Open (such as Solaris).
+ We add extensions to those interfaces to solve problems not addressed by
+ the original curses design, but those must not conflict with the X/Open
+ documentation.
Here are some of the major interface changes, and related problems which
you may encounter when building a system with different versions of
ncurses:
+ 6.0 (Aug 08, 2015)
+ Interface changes:
+
+ + The 6.0 ABI modifies the defaults for these configure options:
+ --enable-const
+ --enable-ext-colors
+ --enable-ext-mouse
+ --enable-ext-putwin
+ --enable-interop
+ --enable-lp64
+ --enable-sp-funcs
+ --with-chtype=uint32_t
+ --with-mmask_t=uint32_t
+ --with-tparm-arg=intptr_t
+
+ + ncurses supports symbol versioning. If you use this feature, about
+ half of the "_nc_" private symbols are changed to local symbols.
+
+ + a few applications may need to explicitly flush the standard output
+ when switching between printf's and (curses) printw.
+
+ Added extensions:
+
+ + use_tioctl is an improvement over use_env
+
+ + added wgetdelay to support the NCURSES_OPAQUE feature.
+
+ Added internal functions (other than "_sp" variants):
+ _nc_init_termtype
+ _nc_mvcur
+ _nc_putchar
+ _nc_setenv_num
+ _nc_trace_mmask_t
+
+ Removed internal functions:
+ none
+
+ Modified internal functions:
+ _nc_do_color - change parameters from short/bool to int
+ _nc_keypad - change parameter from bool to int
+ _nc_setupscreen - change parameter from bool to int
+ _nc_signal_handler - change parameter from bool to int
+
+ 5.9 (Apr 04, 2011)
5.8 (Feb 26, 2011)
Interface changes:
Configuration and Installation:
On platforms where ncurses is assumed to be installed in /usr/lib,
- the configure script uses "/usr" as a default:
+ the configure script uses "/usr" as a default. These include any
+ that use the Linux kernel, as well as these special cases:
- GNU/Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, Cygwin
+ FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, Cygwin, MinGW
For other platforms, the default is "/usr/local". See the discussion
of the "--disable-overwrite" option.
They have to do with the ncurses library, which uses terminfo rather
than termcap for describing terminal characteristics.
-Though the ncurses library is terminfo-based, it will interpret your
+Though the ncurses library is terminfo-based, it can interpret your
TERMCAP variable (if present), any local termcap files you reference
-through it, and the system termcap file. However, in order to avoid
-slowing down your application startup, it will only do this once per
-terminal type!
+through it, and the system termcap file. However, to avoid slowing
+down your application startup, it does this only once per terminal type!
The first time you load a given terminal type from your termcap
database, the library initialization code will automatically write it
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