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+<TITLE>TERMINFO 5 File Formats</TITLE>
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+<H1>TERMINFO 5 File Formats</H1>
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<PRE>
<!-- Manpage converted by man2html 3.0.1 -->
+<STRONG><A HREF="TERMINFO.5.html">TERMINFO(5)</A></STRONG> File Formats <STRONG><A HREF="TERMINFO.5.html">TERMINFO(5)</A></STRONG>
+
+
+
</PRE>
<H2>NAME</H2><PRE>
</PRE>
<H2>DESCRIPTION</H2><PRE>
- <I>Terminfo</I> is a data base describing terminals, used by
- screen-oriented programs such as <B><A HREF="nvi.1.html">nvi(1)</A></B>, <B><A HREF="rogue.1.html">rogue(1)</A></B> and
- libraries such as <B><A HREF="ncurses.3x.html">curses(3x)</A></B>. <I>Terminfo</I> describes termi-
+ <EM>Terminfo</EM> is a data base describing terminals, used by
+ screen-oriented programs such as <STRONG><A HREF="nvi.1.html">nvi(1)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="rogue.1.html">rogue(1)</A></STRONG> and
+ libraries such as <STRONG><A HREF="ncurses.3x.html">curses(3x)</A></STRONG>. <EM>Terminfo</EM> describes termi-
nals by giving a set of capabilities which they have, by
specifying how to perform screen operations, and by speci-
fying padding requirements and initialization sequences.
- Entries in <I>terminfo</I> consist of a sequence of `,' separated
- fields (embedded commas may be escaped with a backslash
- or notated as \072). White space after the `,' separator
- is ignored. The first entry for each terminal gives the
+ Entries in <EM>terminfo</EM> consist of a sequence of `,' separated
+ fields (embedded commas may be escaped with a backslash or
+ notated as \054). White space after the `,' separator is
+ ignored. The first entry for each terminal gives the
names which are known for the terminal, separated by `|'
characters. The first name given is the most common
abbreviation for the terminal, the last name given should
vt100-w. The following suffixes should be used where pos-
sible:
- <B>Suffix</B> <B>Meaning</B> <B>Example</B>
- -<I>nn</I> Number of lines on the screen aaa-60
- -<I>n</I>p Number of pages of memory c100-4p
+ <STRONG>Suffix</STRONG> <STRONG>Meaning</STRONG> <STRONG>Example</STRONG>
+ -<EM>nn</EM> Number of lines on the screen aaa-60
+ -<EM>n</EM>p Number of pages of memory c100-4p
-am With automargins (usually the default) vt100-am
-m Mono mode; suppress color ansi-m
-mc Magic cookie; spaces when highlighting wy30-mc
-vb Use visible bell instead of beep wy370-vb
-w Wide mode (> 80 columns, usually 132) vt100-w
- For more on terminal naming conventions, see the <B>term(7)</B>
+ For more on terminal naming conventions, see the <STRONG>term(7)</STRONG>
manual page.
- <B>Capabilities</B>
+ <STRONG>Capabilities</STRONG>
The following is a complete table of the capabilities
included in a terminfo description block and available to
terminfo-using code. In each line of the table,
- The <B>variable</B> is the name by which the programmer (at the
+ The <STRONG>variable</STRONG> is the name by which the programmer (at the
terminfo level) accesses the capability.
- The <B>capname</B> is the short name used in the text of the
+ The <STRONG>capname</STRONG> is the short name used in the text of the
database, and is used by a person updating the database.
Whenever possible, capnames are chosen to be the same as
or similar to the ANSI X3.64-1979 standard (now superseded
Semantics are also intended to match those of the specifi-
cation.
- The termcap code is the old <B>termcap</B> capability name (some
+ The termcap code is the old <STRONG>termcap</STRONG> capability name (some
capabilities are new, and have names which termcap did not
originate).
Capability names have no hard length limit, but an infor-
mal limit of 5 characters has been adopted to keep them
- short and to allow the tabs in the source file <B>Caps</B> to
+ short and to allow the tabs in the source file <STRONG>Caps</STRONG> to
line up nicely.
Finally, the description field attempts to convey the
(P) indicates that padding may be specified
#[1-9] in the description field indicates that the string
- is passed through tparm with parms as given (#<I>i</I>).
+ is passed through tparm with parms as given (#<EM>i</EM>).
(P*) indicates that padding may vary in proportion to
the number of lines affected
- (#<I>i</I>) indicates the <I>i</I>th parameter.
+ (#<EM>i</EM>) indicates the <EM>i</EM>th parameter.
These are the boolean capabilities:
- <B>Variable</B> <B>Cap-</B> <B>TCap</B> <B>Description</B>
- <B>Booleans</B> <B>name</B> <B>Code</B>
+ <STRONG>Variable</STRONG> <STRONG>Cap-</STRONG> <STRONG>TCap</STRONG> <STRONG>Description</STRONG>
+ <STRONG>Booleans</STRONG> <STRONG>name</STRONG> <STRONG>Code</STRONG>
auto_left_margin bw bw cub1 wraps from col-
umn 0 to last column
auto_right_margin am am terminal has auto-
can_change ccc cc terminal can re-
define existing col-
ors
-
ceol_standout_glitch xhp xs standout not erased
by overwriting (hp)
col_addr_glitch xhpa YA only positive motion
strikes with a blank
generic_type gn gn generic line type
hard_copy hc hc hardcopy terminal
+
hard_cursor chts HC cursor is hard to
see
has_meta_key km km Has a meta key
in insert mode
move_standout_mode msgr ms safe to move while
in standout mode
- needs_xon_xoff nxon nx padding won't work,
- xon/xoff required
+ needs_xon_xoff nxon nx padding will not
+ work, xon/xoff
+ required
no_esc_ctlc xsb xb beehive (f1=escape,
f2=ctrl C)
no_pad_char npc NP pad character does
not exist
non_dest_scroll_region ndscr ND scrolling region is
non-destructive
-
non_rev_rmcup nrrmc NR smcup does not
reverse rmcup
over_strike os os terminal can over-
strike
- prtr_silent mc5i 5i printer won't echo
- on screen
+ prtr_silent mc5i 5i printer will not
+ echo on screen
row_addr_glitch xvpa YD only positive motion
for vpa/mvpa caps
semi_auto_right_margin sam YE printing in last
column causes cr
status_line_esc_ok eslok es escape can be used
on the status line
- tilde_glitch hz hz can't print ~'s
+ tilde_glitch hz hz cannot print ~'s
(hazeltine)
transparent_underline ul ul underline character
overstrikes
These are the numeric capabilities:
- <B>Variable</B> <B>Cap-</B> <B>TCap</B> <B>Description</B>
- <B>Numeric</B> <B>name</B> <B>Code</B>
+ <STRONG>Variable</STRONG> <STRONG>Cap-</STRONG> <STRONG>TCap</STRONG> <STRONG>Description</STRONG>
+ <STRONG>Numeric</STRONG> <STRONG>name</STRONG> <STRONG>Code</STRONG>
columns cols co number of columns in
a line
init_tabs it it tabs initially every
label_height lh lh rows in each label
label_width lw lw columns in each
label
+
lines lines li number of lines on
screen or page
lines_of_memory lm lm lines of memory if >
maximum_windows wnum MW maximum number of
defineable windows
no_color_video ncv NC video attributes
- that can't be used
+ that cannot be used
with colors
num_labels nlab Nl number of labels on
screen
-
-
padding_baud_rate pb pb lowest baud rate
where padding needed
virtual_terminal vt vt virtual terminal
width_status_line wsl ws number of columns in
status line
- The following numeric capabilities are present in the
- SVr4.0 term structure, but are not yet documented in the
+ The following numeric capabilities are present in the
+ SVr4.0 term structure, but are not yet documented in the
man page. They came in with SVr4's printer support.
- <B>Variable</B> <B>Cap-</B> <B>TCap</B> <B>Description</B>
- <B>Numeric</B> <B>name</B> <B>Code</B>
+ <STRONG>Variable</STRONG> <STRONG>Cap-</STRONG> <STRONG>TCap</STRONG> <STRONG>Description</STRONG>
+ <STRONG>Numeric</STRONG> <STRONG>name</STRONG> <STRONG>Code</STRONG>
bit_image_entwining bitwin Yo number of passes for
each bit-image row
bit_image_type bitype Yp type of bit-image
output_res_char orc Yi horizontal resolu-
tion in units per
line
+
+
+
output_res_horz_inch orhi Yk horizontal resolu-
tion in units per
inch
These are the string capabilities:
- <B>Variable</B> <B>Cap-</B> <B>TCap</B> <B>Description</B>
- <B>String</B> <B>name</B> <B>Code</B>
+ <STRONG>Variable</STRONG> <STRONG>Cap-</STRONG> <STRONG>TCap</STRONG> <STRONG>Description</STRONG>
+ <STRONG>String</STRONG> <STRONG>name</STRONG> <STRONG>Code</STRONG>
acs_chars acsc ac graphics charset
pairs, based on
vt100
cup)
cursor_invisible civis vi make cursor invisi-
ble
- cursor_left cub1 le move left one space
+ cursor_left cub1 le move left one space
cursor_mem_address mrcup CM memory relative cur-
sor addressing, move
to row #1 columns #2
mode
enter_protected_mode prot mp turn on protected
mode
-
enter_reverse_mode rev mr turn on reverse
video mode
enter_secure_mode invis mk turn on blank mode
enter_subscript_mode ssubm ZN Enter subscript mode
enter_superscript_mode ssupm ZO Enter superscript
mode
+
enter_underline_mode smul us begin underline mode
enter_upward_mode sum ZP Start upward car-
riage motion
from_status_line fsl fs return from status
line
goto_window wingo WG go to window #1
-
hangup hup HU hang-up phone
init_1string is1 i1 initialization
string
insert_padding ip ip insert padding after
inserted character
key_a1 ka1 K1 upper left of keypad
+
+
key_a3 ka3 K3 upper right of key-
pad
key_b2 kb2 K2 center of keypad
screen key
key_exit kext @9 exit key
key_f0 kf0 k0 F0 function key
-
key_f1 kf1 k1 F1 function key
key_f10 kf10 k; F10 function key
key_f11 kf11 F1 F11 function key
key_f38 kf38 FS F38 function key
key_f39 kf39 FT F39 function key
key_f4 kf4 k4 F4 function key
+
key_f40 kf40 FU F40 function key
key_f41 kf41 FV F41 function key
key_f42 kf42 FW F42 function key
key_f55 kf55 Fj F55 function key
key_f56 kf56 Fk F56 function key
key_f57 kf57 Fl F57 function key
-
key_f58 kf58 Fm F58 function key
key_f59 kf59 Fn F59 function key
key_f6 kf6 k6 F6 function key
key_sdl kDL *5 shifted delete-line
key
key_select kslt *6 select key
+
key_send kEND *7 shifted end key
key_seol kEOL *8 shifted clear-to-
end-of-line key
key_sf kind kF scroll-forward key
key_sfind kFND *0 shifted find key
key_shelp kHLP #1 shifted help key
-
key_shome kHOM #2 shifted home key
key_sic kIC #3 shifted insert-char-
acter key
label_format fln Lf label format
label_off rmln LF turn off soft labels
label_on smln LO turn on soft labels
-
meta_off rmm mo turn off meta mode
meta_on smm mm turn on meta mode
(8th-bit on)
micro_column_address mhpa ZY Like column_address
in micro mode
+
micro_down mcud1 ZZ Like cursor_down in
micro mode
micro_left mcub1 Za Like cursor_left in
in micro mode
pkey_key pfkey pk program function key
#1 to type string #2
-
-
-
pkey_local pfloc pl program function key
#1 to execute string
#2
quick_dial qdial QD dial number #1 with-
out checking
remove_clock rmclk RC remove clock
+
+
repeat_char rep rp repeat char #1 #2
times (P*)
req_for_input rfi RF send next input char
mins #3 secs
set_color_pair scp sp Set current color
pair to #1
-
-
set_foreground setf Sf Set foreground color
#1
set_left_margin smgl ML set left soft margin
set
stop_bit_image rbim Zs Stop printing bit
image graphics
+
+
stop_char_set_def rcsd Zt End definition of
character set #1
subscript_characters subcs Zu List of subscript-
user2 u2 u2 User string #2
user3 u3 u3 User string #3
user4 u4 u4 User string #4
-
user5 u5 u5 User string #5
user6 u6 u6 User string #6
user7 u7 u7 User string #7
zero_motion zerom Zx No motion for subse-
quent character
- The following string capabilities are present in the
- SVr4.0 term structure, but were originally not documented
+ The following string capabilities are present in the
+ SVr4.0 term structure, but were originally not documented
in the man page.
- <B>Variable</B> <B>Cap-</B> <B>TCap</B> <B>Description</B>
- <B>String</B> <B>name</B> <B>Code</B>
+ <STRONG>Variable</STRONG> <STRONG>Cap-</STRONG> <STRONG>TCap</STRONG> <STRONG>Description</STRONG>
+ <STRONG>String</STRONG> <STRONG>name</STRONG> <STRONG>Code</STRONG>
alt_scancode_esc scesa S8 Alternate escape
for scancode emu-
lation
port
display_pc_char dispc S1 Display PC charac-
ter #1
+
+
end_bit_image_region endbi Yy End a bit-image
region
enter_pc_charset_mode smpch S2 Enter PC character
display mode
exit_scancode_mode rmsc S5 Exit PC scancode
mode
-
-
-
get_mouse getm Gm Curses should get
button events,
parameter #1 not
position
scancode_escape scesc S7 Escape for scan-
code emulation
- set0_des_seq s0ds s0 Shift to code set
- 0 (EUC set 0,
- ASCII)
- set1_des_seq s1ds s1 Shift to code set
- 1
- set2_des_seq s2ds s2 Shift to code set
- 2
- set3_des_seq s3ds s3 Shift to code set
- 3
+ set0_des_seq s0ds s0 Shift to codeset 0
+ (EUC set 0, ASCII)
+ set1_des_seq s1ds s1 Shift to codeset 1
+ set2_des_seq s2ds s2 Shift to codeset 2
+ set3_des_seq s3ds s3 Shift to codeset 3
set_a_background setab AB Set background
color to #1, using
ANSI escape
bottom margins to
#1, #2
- The XSI Curses standard added these. They are some
- post-4.1 versions of System V curses, e.g., Solaris 2.5
- and IRIX 6.x. The <B>ncurses</B> termcap names for them are
+ The XSI Curses standard added these. They are some
+ post-4.1 versions of System V curses, e.g., Solaris 2.5
+ and IRIX 6.x. The <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG> termcap names for them are
invented; according to the XSI Curses standard, they have
- no termcap names. If your compiled terminfo entries use
- these, they may not be binary-compatible with System V
+ no termcap names. If your compiled terminfo entries use
+ these, they may not be binary-compatible with System V
terminfo entries after SVr4.1; beware!
- <B>Variable</B> <B>Cap-</B> <B>TCap</B> <B>Description</B>
- <B>String</B> <B>name</B> <B>Code</B>
+ <STRONG>Variable</STRONG> <STRONG>Cap-</STRONG> <STRONG>TCap</STRONG> <STRONG>Description</STRONG>
+ <STRONG>String</STRONG> <STRONG>name</STRONG> <STRONG>Code</STRONG>
enter_horizontal_hl_mode ehhlm Xh Enter horizontal
highlight mode
+
+
enter_left_hl_mode elhlm Xl Enter left highlight
mode
enter_low_hl_mode elohlm Xo Enter low highlight
an inch
- <B>A</B> <B>Sample</B> <B>Entry</B>
+ <STRONG>A</STRONG> <STRONG>Sample</STRONG> <STRONG>Entry</STRONG>
The following entry, describing an ANSI-standard terminal,
- is representative of what a <B>terminfo</B> entry for a modern
+ is representative of what a <STRONG>terminfo</STRONG> entry for a modern
terminal typically looks like.
ansi|ansi/pc-term compatible with color,
sgr0=\E[0;10m, tbc=\E[2g, u6=\E[%d;%dR, u7=\E[6n,
u8=\E[?%[;0123456789]c, u9=\E[c, vpa=\E[%p1%dd,
- Entries may continue onto multiple lines by placing white
- space at the beginning of each line except the first.
- Comments may be included on lines beginning with ``#''.
- Capabilities in <I>terminfo</I> are of three types: Boolean capa-
+ Entries may continue onto multiple lines by placing white
+ space at the beginning of each line except the first.
+ Comments may be included on lines beginning with ``#''.
+ Capabilities in <EM>terminfo</EM> are of three types: Boolean capa-
bilities which indicate that the terminal has some partic-
- ular feature, numeric capabilities giving the size of the
- terminal or the size of particular delays, and string
- capabilities, which give a sequence which can be used to
+ ular feature, numeric capabilities giving the size of the
+ terminal or the size of particular delays, and string
+ capabilities, which give a sequence which can be used to
perform particular terminal operations.
- <B>Types</B> <B>of</B> <B>Capabilities</B>
- All capabilities have names. For instance, the fact that
- ANSI-standard terminals have <I>automatic</I> <I>margins</I> (i.e., an
- automatic return and line-feed when the end of a line is
- reached) is indicated by the capability <B>am</B>. Hence the
- description of ansi includes <B>am</B>. Numeric capabilities are
- followed by the character `#' and then a positive value.
- Thus <B>cols</B>, which indicates the number of columns the ter-
- minal has, gives the value `80' for ansi. Values for
+ <STRONG>Types</STRONG> <STRONG>of</STRONG> <STRONG>Capabilities</STRONG>
+ All capabilities have names. For instance, the fact that
+ ANSI-standard terminals have <EM>automatic</EM> <EM>margins</EM> (i.e., an
+ automatic return and line-feed when the end of a line is
+ reached) is indicated by the capability <STRONG>am</STRONG>. Hence the
+ description of ansi includes <STRONG>am</STRONG>. Numeric capabilities are
+ followed by the character `#' and then a positive value.
+ Thus <STRONG>cols</STRONG>, which indicates the number of columns the ter-
+ minal has, gives the value `80' for ansi. Values for
numeric capabilities may be specified in decimal, octal or
- hexadecimal, using the C programming language conventions
+ hexadecimal, using the C programming language conventions
(e.g., 255, 0377 and 0xff or 0xFF).
- Finally, string valued capabilities, such as <B>el</B> (clear to
+ Finally, string valued capabilities, such as <STRONG>el</STRONG> (clear to
end of line sequence) are given by the two-character code,
- an `=', and then a string ending at the next following
+ an `=', and then a string ending at the next following
`,'.
- A number of escape sequences are provided in the string
+ A number of escape sequences are provided in the string
valued capabilities for easy encoding of characters there.
- Both <B>\E</B> and <B>\e</B> map to an ESCAPE character, <B>^x</B> maps to a
- control-x for any appropriate x, and the sequences <B>\n</B> <B>\l</B>
- <B>\r</B> <B>\t</B> <B>\b</B> <B>\f</B> <B>\s</B> give a newline, line-feed, return, tab,
- backspace, form-feed, and space. Other escapes include <B>\^</B>
- for <B>^</B>, <B>\\</B> for <B>\</B>, <B>\</B>, for comma, <B>\:</B> for <B>:</B>, and <B>\0</B> for null.
- (<B>\0</B> will produce \200, which does not terminate a string
+ Both <STRONG>\E</STRONG> and <STRONG>\e</STRONG> map to an ESCAPE character, <STRONG>^x</STRONG> maps to a
+ control-x for any appropriate x, and the sequences <STRONG>\n</STRONG> <STRONG>\l</STRONG>
+ <STRONG>\r</STRONG> <STRONG>\t</STRONG> <STRONG>\b</STRONG> <STRONG>\f</STRONG> <STRONG>\s</STRONG> give a newline, line-feed, return, tab,
+ backspace, form-feed, and space. Other escapes include <STRONG>\^</STRONG>
+ for <STRONG>^</STRONG>, <STRONG>\\</STRONG> for <STRONG>\</STRONG>, <STRONG>\</STRONG>, for comma, <STRONG>\:</STRONG> for <STRONG>:</STRONG>, and <STRONG>\0</STRONG> for null.
+ (<STRONG>\0</STRONG> will produce \200, which does not terminate a string
but behaves as a null character on most terminals, provid-
- ing CS7 is specified. See <B><A HREF="stty.1.html">stty(1)</A></B>.) Finally, characters
- may be given as three octal digits after a <B>\</B>.
+ ing CS7 is specified. See <STRONG><A HREF="stty.1.html">stty(1)</A></STRONG>.) Finally, characters
+ may be given as three octal digits after a <STRONG>\</STRONG>.
- A delay in milliseconds may appear anywhere in a string
- capability, enclosed in $<..> brackets, as in <B>el</B>=\EK$<5>,
- and padding characters are supplied by <I>tputs</I> to provide
- this delay. The delay must be a number with at most one
+ A delay in milliseconds may appear anywhere in a string
+ capability, enclosed in $<..> brackets, as in <STRONG>el</STRONG>=\EK$<5>,
+ and padding characters are supplied by <EM>tputs</EM> to provide
+ this delay. The delay must be a number with at most one
decimal place of precision; it may be followed by suffixes
- `*' or '/' or both. A `*' indicates that the padding
- required is proportional to the number of lines affected
- by the operation, and the amount given is the per-
- affected-unit padding required. (In the case of insert
- character, the factor is still the number of <I>lines</I>
- affected.) Normally, padding is advisory if the device
- has the <B>xon</B> capability; it is used for cost computation
- but does not trigger delays. A `/' suffix indicates that
- the padding is mandatory and forces a delay of the given
- number of milliseconds even on devices for which <B>xon</B> is
+ `*' or '/' or both. A `*' indicates that the padding
+ required is proportional to the number of lines affected
+ by the operation, and the amount given is the per-
+ affected-unit padding required. (In the case of insert
+ character, the factor is still the number of <EM>lines</EM>
+ affected.) Normally, padding is advisory if the device
+ has the <STRONG>xon</STRONG> capability; it is used for cost computation
+ but does not trigger delays. A `/' suffix indicates that
+ the padding is mandatory and forces a delay of the given
+ number of milliseconds even on devices for which <STRONG>xon</STRONG> is
present to indicate flow control.
- Sometimes individual capabilities must be commented out.
- To do this, put a period before the capability name. For
- example, see the second <B>ind</B> in the example above.
+ Sometimes individual capabilities must be commented out.
+ To do this, put a period before the capability name. For
+ example, see the second <STRONG>ind</STRONG> in the example above.
- <B>Fetching</B> <B>Compiled</B> <B>Descriptions</B>
- If the environment variable TERMINFO is set, it is inter-
- preted as the pathname of a directory containing the com-
+ <STRONG>Fetching</STRONG> <STRONG>Compiled</STRONG> <STRONG>Descriptions</STRONG>
+ If the environment variable TERMINFO is set, it is inter-
+ preted as the pathname of a directory containing the com-
piled description you are working on. Only that directory
is searched.
- If TERMINFO is not set, the <B>ncurses</B> version of the ter-
- minfo reader code will instead look in the directory
- <B>$HOME/.terminfo</B> for a compiled description. If it fails
- to find one there, and the environment variable TER-
- MINFO_DIRS is set, it will interpret the contents of that
- variable as a list of colon- separated directories to be
- searched (an empty entry is interpreted as a command to
- search <I>/usr/share/terminfo</I>). If no description is found
- in any of the TERMINFO_DIRS directories, the fetch fails.
-
- If neither TERMINFO nor TERMINFO_DIRS is set, the last
- place tried will be the system terminfo directory,
- <I>/usr/share/terminfo</I>.
-
- (Neither the <B>$HOME/.terminfo</B> lookups nor TERMINFO_DIRS
- extensions are supported under stock System V ter-
+ If TERMINFO is not set, the <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG> version of the ter-
+ minfo reader code will instead look in the directory
+ <STRONG>$HOME/.terminfo</STRONG> for a compiled description. If it fails
+ to find one there, and the environment variable TER-
+ MINFO_DIRS is set, it will interpret the contents of that
+ variable as a list of colon- separated directories to be
+ searched (an empty entry is interpreted as a command to
+ search <EM>/usr/share/terminfo</EM>). If no description is found
+ in any of the TERMINFO_DIRS directories, the fetch fails.
+
+ If neither TERMINFO nor TERMINFO_DIRS is set, the last
+ place tried will be the system terminfo directory,
+ <EM>/usr/share/terminfo</EM>.
+
+ (Neither the <STRONG>$HOME/.terminfo</STRONG> lookups nor TERMINFO_DIRS
+ extensions are supported under stock System V ter-
minfo/curses.)
- <B>Preparing</B> <B>Descriptions</B>
- We now outline how to prepare descriptions of terminals.
- The most effective way to prepare a terminal description
- is by imitating the description of a similar terminal in
- <I>terminfo</I> and to build up a description gradually, using
- partial descriptions with <I>vi</I> or some other screen-oriented
- program to check that they are correct. Be aware that a
+ <STRONG>Preparing</STRONG> <STRONG>Descriptions</STRONG>
+ We now outline how to prepare descriptions of terminals.
+ The most effective way to prepare a terminal description
+ is by imitating the description of a similar terminal in
+ <EM>terminfo</EM> and to build up a description gradually, using
+ partial descriptions with <EM>vi</EM> or some other screen-oriented
+ program to check that they are correct. Be aware that a
very unusual terminal may expose deficiencies in the abil-
- ity of the <I>terminfo</I> file to describe it or bugs in the
+ ity of the <EM>terminfo</EM> file to describe it or bugs in the
screen-handling code of the test program.
- To get the padding for insert line right (if the terminal
+ To get the padding for insert line right (if the terminal
manufacturer did not document it) a severe test is to edit
- a large file at 9600 baud, delete 16 or so lines from the
- middle of the screen, then hit the `u' key several times
- quickly. If the terminal messes up, more padding is usu-
- ally needed. A similar test can be used for insert char-
+ a large file at 9600 baud, delete 16 or so lines from the
+ middle of the screen, then hit the `u' key several times
+ quickly. If the terminal messes up, more padding is usu-
+ ally needed. A similar test can be used for insert char-
acter.
- <B>Basic</B> <B>Capabilities</B>
- The number of columns on each line for the terminal is
- given by the <B>cols</B> numeric capability. If the terminal is
- a CRT, then the number of lines on the screen is given by
- the <B>lines</B> capability. If the terminal wraps around to the
- beginning of the next line when it reaches the right
- margin, then it should have the <B>am</B> capability. If the
- terminal can clear its screen, leaving the cursor in the
- home position, then this is given by the <B>clear</B> string
- capability. If the terminal overstrikes (rather than
- clearing a position when a character is struck over) then
- it should have the <B>os</B> capability. If the terminal is a
- printing terminal, with no soft copy unit, give it both <B>hc</B>
- and <B>os</B>. (<B>os</B> applies to storage scope terminals, such as
- TEKTRONIX 4010 series, as well as hard copy and APL termi-
- nals.) If there is a code to move the cursor to the left
- edge of the current row, give this as <B>cr</B>. (Normally this
- will be carriage return, control M.) If there is a code
- to produce an audible signal (bell, beep, etc) give this
- as <B>bel</B>.
+ <STRONG>Basic</STRONG> <STRONG>Capabilities</STRONG>
+ The number of columns on each line for the terminal is
+ given by the <STRONG>cols</STRONG> numeric capability. If the terminal is
+ a CRT, then the number of lines on the screen is given by
+ the <STRONG>lines</STRONG> capability. If the terminal wraps around to the
+ beginning of the next line when it reaches the right mar-
+ gin, then it should have the <STRONG>am</STRONG> capability. If the termi-
+ nal can clear its screen, leaving the cursor in the home
+ position, then this is given by the <STRONG>clear</STRONG> string capabil-
+ ity. If the terminal overstrikes (rather than clearing a
+ position when a character is struck over) then it should
+ have the <STRONG>os</STRONG> capability. If the terminal is a printing
+ terminal, with no soft copy unit, give it both <STRONG>hc</STRONG> and <STRONG>os</STRONG>.
+ (<STRONG>os</STRONG> applies to storage scope terminals, such as TEKTRONIX
+ 4010 series, as well as hard copy and APL terminals.) If
+ there is a code to move the cursor to the left edge of the
+ current row, give this as <STRONG>cr</STRONG>. (Normally this will be car-
+ riage return, control M.) If there is a code to produce
+ an audible signal (bell, beep, etc) give this as <STRONG>bel</STRONG>.
If there is a code to move the cursor one position to the
left (such as backspace) that capability should be given
- as <B>cub1</B>. Similarly, codes to move to the right, up, and
- down should be given as <B>cuf1</B>, <B>cuu1</B>, and <B>cud1</B>. These local
+ as <STRONG>cub1</STRONG>. Similarly, codes to move to the right, up, and
+ down should be given as <STRONG>cuf1</STRONG>, <STRONG>cuu1</STRONG>, and <STRONG>cud1</STRONG>. These local
cursor motions should not alter the text they pass over,
- for example, you would not normally use `<B>cuf1</B>= ' because
+ for example, you would not normally use `<STRONG>cuf1</STRONG>= ' because
the space would erase the character moved over.
A very important point here is that the local cursor
- motions encoded in <I>terminfo</I> are undefined at the left and
+ motions encoded in <EM>terminfo</EM> are undefined at the left and
top edges of a CRT terminal. Programs should never
- attempt to backspace around the left edge, unless <B>bw</B> is
+ attempt to backspace around the left edge, unless <STRONG>bw</STRONG> is
given, and never attempt to go up locally off the top. In
order to scroll text up, a program will go to the bottom
- left corner of the screen and send the <B>ind</B> (index) string.
+ left corner of the screen and send the <STRONG>ind</STRONG> (index) string.
To scroll text down, a program goes to the top left corner
- of the screen and sends the <B>ri</B> (reverse index) string.
- The strings <B>ind</B> and <B>ri</B> are undefined when not on their
+ of the screen and sends the <STRONG>ri</STRONG> (reverse index) string.
+ The strings <STRONG>ind</STRONG> and <STRONG>ri</STRONG> are undefined when not on their
respective corners of the screen.
- Parameterized versions of the scrolling sequences are <B>indn</B>
- and <B>rin</B> which have the same semantics as <B>ind</B> and <B>ri</B> except
+ Parameterized versions of the scrolling sequences are <STRONG>indn</STRONG>
+ and <STRONG>rin</STRONG> which have the same semantics as <STRONG>ind</STRONG> and <STRONG>ri</STRONG> except
that they take one parameter, and scroll that many lines.
They are also undefined except at the appropriate edge of
the screen.
- The <B>am</B> capability tells whether the cursor sticks at the
+ The <STRONG>am</STRONG> capability tells whether the cursor sticks at the
right edge of the screen when text is output, but this
- does not necessarily apply to a <B>cuf1</B> from the last column.
+ does not necessarily apply to a <STRONG>cuf1</STRONG> from the last column.
The only local motion which is defined from the left edge
- is if <B>bw</B> is given, then a <B>cub1</B> from the left edge will
- move to the right edge of the previous row. If <B>bw</B> is not
+ is if <STRONG>bw</STRONG> is given, then a <STRONG>cub1</STRONG> from the left edge will
+ move to the right edge of the previous row. If <STRONG>bw</STRONG> is not
given, the effect is undefined. This is useful for draw-
ing a box around the edge of the screen, for example. If
the terminal has switch selectable automatic margins, the
- <I>terminfo</I> file usually assumes that this is on; i.e., <B>am</B>.
+ <EM>terminfo</EM> file usually assumes that this is on; i.e., <STRONG>am</STRONG>.
If the terminal has a command which moves to the first
- column of the next line, that command can be given as <B>nel</B>
+ column of the next line, that command can be given as <STRONG>nel</STRONG>
(newline). It does not matter if the command clears the
remainder of the current line, so if the terminal has no
- <B>cr</B> and <B>lf</B> it may still be possible to craft a working <B>nel</B>
+ <STRONG>cr</STRONG> and <STRONG>lf</STRONG> it may still be possible to craft a working <STRONG>nel</STRONG>
out of one or both of them.
These capabilities suffice to describe hard-copy and
ind=^J, lines#24,
- <B>Parameterized</B> <B>Strings</B>
+ <STRONG>Parameterized</STRONG> <STRONG>Strings</STRONG>
Cursor addressing and other strings requiring parameters
in the terminal are described by a parameterized string
- capability, with <B><A HREF="printf.3S.html">printf(3S)</A></B> like escapes <B>%x</B> in it. For
- example, to address the cursor, the <B>cup</B> capability is
+ capability, with <STRONG><A HREF="printf.3S.html">printf(3S)</A></STRONG> like escapes <STRONG>%x</STRONG> in it. For
+ example, to address the cursor, the <STRONG>cup</STRONG> capability is
given, using two parameters: the row and column to address
to. (Rows and columns are numbered from zero and refer to
the physical screen visible to the user, not to any unseen
memory.) If the terminal has memory relative cursor
- addressing, that can be indicated by <B>mrcup</B>.
+ addressing, that can be indicated by <STRONG>mrcup</STRONG>.
- The parameter mechanism uses a stack and special <B>%</B> codes
+ The parameter mechanism uses a stack and special <STRONG>%</STRONG> codes
to manipulate it. Typically a sequence will push one of
the parameters onto the stack and then print it in some
- format. Often more complex operations are necessary.
-
- The <B>%</B> encodings have the following meanings:
-
- %% outputs `%'
- %<I>[[</I>:<I>]flags][width[.precision]][</I>doxXs<I>]</I>
- as in <B>printf</B>, flags are [-+#] and space
- %c print pop() like %c in printf()
- %s print pop() like %s in printf()
-
- %p[1-9] push <I>i</I>'th parm
- %P[a-z] set dynamic variable [a-z] to pop()
- %g[a-z] get dynamic variable [a-z] and push it
- %P[A-Z] set static variable [a-z] to pop()
- %g[A-Z] get static variable [a-z] and push it
- %'<I>c</I>' char constant <I>c</I>
- %{<I>nn</I>} integer constant <I>nn</I>
- %l push strlen(pop)
-
- %+ %- %* %/ %m
- arithmetic (%m is mod): push(pop() op pop())
-
- %& %| %^ bit operations: push(pop() op pop())
- %= %> %< logical operations: push(pop() op pop())
- %A, %O logical and & or operations (for conditionals)
- %! %~ unary operations push(op pop())
- %i add 1 to first two parameters (for ANSI terminals)
-
- %? expr %t thenpart %e elsepart %;
- if-then-else, %e elsepart is optional.
- else-if's are possible a la Algol 68:
- %? c1 %t b1 %e c2 %t b2 %e c3 %t b3 %e c4 %t b4 %e %;
- ci are conditions, bi are bodies.
+ format. Print (e.g., "%d") is a special case. Other
+ operations, including "%t" pop their operand from the
+ stack. It is noted that more complex operations are often
+ necessary, e.g., in the <STRONG>sgr</STRONG> string.
+
+ The <STRONG>%</STRONG> encodings have the following meanings:
+
+
+ %% outputs `%'
+
+ %<EM>[[</EM>:<EM>]flags][width[.precision]][</EM>doxXs<EM>]</EM>
+ as in <STRONG>printf</STRONG>, flags are [-+#] and space
+
+ %c print pop() like %c in <STRONG>printf</STRONG>
+
+ %s print pop() like %s in <STRONG>printf</STRONG>
+
+ %p[1-9]
+ push <EM>i</EM>'th parameter
+
+ %P[a-z]
+ set dynamic variable [a-z] to pop()
+
+ %g[a-z]
+ get dynamic variable [a-z] and push it
+
+ %P[A-Z]
+ set static variable [a-z] to pop()
+
+ %g[A-Z]
+ get static variable [a-z] and push it
+
+ The terms "static" and "dynamic" are misleading.
+ Historically, these are simply two different sets of
+ variables, whose values are not reset between calls
+ to <STRONG>tparm</STRONG>. However, that fact is not documented in
+ other implementations. Relying on it will adversely
+ impact portability to other implementations.
+
+ %'<EM>c</EM>' char constant <EM>c</EM>
+
+ %{<EM>nn</EM>}
+ integer constant <EM>nn</EM>
+
+ %l push strlen(pop)
+
+ %+ %- %* %/ %m
+ arithmetic (%m is mod): push(pop() op pop())
+
+ %& %| %^
+ bit operations: push(pop() op pop())
+
+ %= %> %<
+ logical operations: push(pop() op pop())
+
+ %A, %O
+ logical and & or operations (for conditionals)
+
+ %! %~
+ unary operations push(op pop())
+
+ %i add 1 to first two parameters (for ANSI terminals)
+
+ %? <EM>expr</EM> %t <EM>thenpart</EM> %e <EM>elsepart</EM> %;
+ if-then-else, %e <EM>elsepart</EM> is optional. else-if's are
+ possible a la Algol 68:
+ %? c1 %t b1 %e c2 %t b2 %e c3 %t b3 %e c4 %t b4 %e %;
+ ci are conditions, bi are bodies.
Binary operations are in postfix form with the operands in
the usual order. That is, to get x-5 one would use
needs to be sent \E&a12c03Y padded for 6 milliseconds.
Note that the order of the rows and columns is inverted
here, and that the row and column are printed as two dig-
- its. Thus its <B>cup</B> capability is "cup=6\E&%p2%2dc%p1%2dY".
+ its. Thus its <STRONG>cup</STRONG> capability is "cup=6\E&%p2%2dc%p1%2dY".
The Microterm ACT-IV needs the current row and column sent
- preceded by a <B>^T</B>, with the row and column simply encoded
+ preceded by a <STRONG>^T</STRONG>, with the row and column simply encoded
in binary, "cup=^T%p1%c%p2%c". Terminals which use "%c"
- need to be able to backspace the cursor (<B>cub1</B>), and to
- move the cursor up one line on the screen (<B>cuu1</B>). This is
- necessary because it is not always safe to transmit <B>\n</B> <B>^D</B>
- and <B>\r</B>, as the system may change or discard them. (The
+ need to be able to backspace the cursor (<STRONG>cub1</STRONG>), and to
+ move the cursor up one line on the screen (<STRONG>cuu1</STRONG>). This is
+ necessary because it is not always safe to transmit <STRONG>\n</STRONG> <STRONG>^D</STRONG>
+ and <STRONG>\r</STRONG>, as the system may change or discard them. (The
library routines dealing with terminfo set tty modes so
that tabs are never expanded, so \t is safe to send. This
turns out to be essential for the Ann Arbor 4080.)
More complex arithmetic is possible using the stack.
- <B>Cursor</B> <B>Motions</B>
+ <STRONG>Cursor</STRONG> <STRONG>Motions</STRONG>
If the terminal has a fast way to home the cursor (to very
upper left corner of screen) then this can be given as
- <B>home</B>; similarly a fast way of getting to the lower left-
- hand corner can be given as <B>ll</B>; this may involve going up
- with <B>cuu1</B> from the home position, but a program should
- never do this itself (unless <B>ll</B> does) because it can make
+ <STRONG>home</STRONG>; similarly a fast way of getting to the lower left-
+ hand corner can be given as <STRONG>ll</STRONG>; this may involve going up
+ with <STRONG>cuu1</STRONG> from the home position, but a program should
+ never do this itself (unless <STRONG>ll</STRONG> does) because it can make
no assumption about the effect of moving up from the home
position. Note that the home position is the same as
addressing to (0,0): to the top left corner of the screen,
not of memory. (Thus, the \EH sequence on HP terminals
- cannot be used for <B>home</B>.)
+ cannot be used for <STRONG>home</STRONG>.)
If the terminal has row or column absolute cursor address-
ing, these can be given as single parameter capabilities
- <B>hpa</B> (horizontal position absolute) and <B>vpa</B> (vertical posi-
+ <STRONG>hpa</STRONG> (horizontal position absolute) and <STRONG>vpa</STRONG> (vertical posi-
tion absolute). Sometimes these are shorter than the more
general two parameter sequence (as with the hp2645) and
- can be used in preference to <B>cup</B>. If there are parameter-
- ized local motions (e.g., move <I>n</I> spaces to the right)
- these can be given as <B>cud</B>, <B>cub</B>, <B>cuf</B>, and <B>cuu</B> with a single
+ can be used in preference to <STRONG>cup</STRONG>. If there are parameter-
+ ized local motions (e.g., move <EM>n</EM> spaces to the right)
+ these can be given as <STRONG>cud</STRONG>, <STRONG>cub</STRONG>, <STRONG>cuf</STRONG>, and <STRONG>cuu</STRONG> with a single
parameter indicating how many spaces to move. These are
- primarily useful if the terminal does not have <B>cup</B>, such
+ primarily useful if the terminal does not have <STRONG>cup</STRONG>, such
as the TEKTRONIX 4025.
If the terminal needs to be in a special mode when running
a program that uses these capabilities, the codes to enter
- and exit this mode can be given as <B>smcup</B> and <B>rmcup</B>. This
+ and exit this mode can be given as <STRONG>smcup</STRONG> and <STRONG>rmcup</STRONG>. This
arises, for example, from terminals like the Concept with
more than one page of memory. If the terminal has only
memory relative cursor addressing and not screen relative
cursor addressing, a one screen-sized window must be fixed
into the terminal for cursor addressing to work properly.
- This is also used for the TEKTRONIX 4025, where <B>smcup</B> sets
+ This is also used for the TEKTRONIX 4025, where <STRONG>smcup</STRONG> sets
the command character to be the one used by terminfo. If
- the <B>smcup</B> sequence will not restore the screen after an
- <B>rmcup</B> sequence is output (to the state prior to outputting
- <B>rmcup</B>), specify <B>nrrmc</B>.
+ the <STRONG>smcup</STRONG> sequence will not restore the screen after an
+ <STRONG>rmcup</STRONG> sequence is output (to the state prior to outputting
+ <STRONG>rmcup</STRONG>), specify <STRONG>nrrmc</STRONG>.
- <B>Area</B> <B>Clears</B>
+ <STRONG>Area</STRONG> <STRONG>Clears</STRONG>
If the terminal can clear from the current position to the
end of the line, leaving the cursor where it is, this
- should be given as <B>el</B>. If the terminal can clear from the
+ should be given as <STRONG>el</STRONG>. If the terminal can clear from the
beginning of the line to the current position inclusive,
leaving the cursor where it is, this should be given as
- <B>el1</B>. If the terminal can clear from the current position
+ <STRONG>el1</STRONG>. If the terminal can clear from the current position
to the end of the display, then this should be given as
- <B>ed</B>. <B>Ed</B> is only defined from the first column of a line.
+ <STRONG>ed</STRONG>. <STRONG>Ed</STRONG> is only defined from the first column of a line.
(Thus, it can be simulated by a request to delete a large
- number of lines, if a true <B>ed</B> is not available.)
+ number of lines, if a true <STRONG>ed</STRONG> is not available.)
- <B>Insert/delete</B> <B>line</B> <B>and</B> <B>vertical</B> <B>motions</B>
+ <STRONG>Insert/delete</STRONG> <STRONG>line</STRONG> <STRONG>and</STRONG> <STRONG>vertical</STRONG> <STRONG>motions</STRONG>
If the terminal can open a new blank line before the line
- where the cursor is, this should be given as <B>il1</B>; this is
+ where the cursor is, this should be given as <STRONG>il1</STRONG>; this is
done only from the first position of a line. The cursor
must then appear on the newly blank line. If the terminal
can delete the line which the cursor is on, then this
- should be given as <B>dl1</B>; this is done only from the first
- position on the line to be deleted. Versions of <B>il1</B> and
- <B>dl1</B> which take a single parameter and insert or delete
- that many lines can be given as <B>il</B> and <B>dl</B>.
+ should be given as <STRONG>dl1</STRONG>; this is done only from the first
+ position on the line to be deleted. Versions of <STRONG>il1</STRONG> and
+ <STRONG>dl1</STRONG> which take a single parameter and insert or delete
+ that many lines can be given as <STRONG>il</STRONG> and <STRONG>dl</STRONG>.
If the terminal has a settable scrolling region (like the
vt100) the command to set this can be described with the
- <B>csr</B> capability, which takes two parameters: the top and
+ <STRONG>csr</STRONG> capability, which takes two parameters: the top and
bottom lines of the scrolling region. The cursor position
is, alas, undefined after using this command.
It is possible to get the effect of insert or delete line
- using <B>csr</B> on a properly chosen region; the <B>sc</B> and <B>rc</B> (save
+ using <STRONG>csr</STRONG> on a properly chosen region; the <STRONG>sc</STRONG> and <STRONG>rc</STRONG> (save
and restore cursor) commands may be useful for ensuring
that your synthesized insert/delete string does not move
- the cursor. (Note that the <B><A HREF="ncurses.3x.html">ncurses(3x)</A></B> library does this
+ the cursor. (Note that the <STRONG><A HREF="ncurses.3x.html">ncurses(3x)</A></STRONG> library does this
synthesis automatically, so you need not compose
- insert/delete strings for an entry with <B>csr</B>).
+ insert/delete strings for an entry with <STRONG>csr</STRONG>).
Yet another way to construct insert and delete might be to
use a combination of index with the memory-lock feature
however also has insert/delete).
Inserting lines at the top or bottom of the screen can
- also be done using <B>ri</B> or <B>ind</B> on many terminals without a
+ also be done using <STRONG>ri</STRONG> or <STRONG>ind</STRONG> on many terminals without a
true insert/delete line, and is often faster even on ter-
minals with those features.
- The boolean <B>non_dest_scroll_region</B> should be set if each
+ The boolean <STRONG>non_dest_scroll_region</STRONG> should be set if each
scrolling window is effectively a view port on a screen-
sized canvas. To test for this capability, create a
scrolling region in the middle of the screen, write some-
thing to the bottom line, move the cursor to the top of
- the region, and do <B>ri</B> followed by <B>dl1</B> or <B>ind</B>. If the data
- scrolled off the bottom of the region by the <B>ri</B> re-
+ the region, and do <STRONG>ri</STRONG> followed by <STRONG>dl1</STRONG> or <STRONG>ind</STRONG>. If the data
+ scrolled off the bottom of the region by the <STRONG>ri</STRONG> re-
appears, then scrolling is non-destructive. System V and
- XSI Curses expect that <B>ind</B>, <B>ri</B>, <B>indn</B>, and <B>rin</B> will simu-
+ XSI Curses expect that <STRONG>ind</STRONG>, <STRONG>ri</STRONG>, <STRONG>indn</STRONG>, and <STRONG>rin</STRONG> will simu-
late destructive scrolling; their documentation cautions
- you not to define <B>csr</B> unless this is true. This <B>curses</B>
+ you not to define <STRONG>csr</STRONG> unless this is true. This <STRONG>curses</STRONG>
implementation is more liberal and will do explicit erases
- after scrolling if <B>ndstr</B> is defined.
+ after scrolling if <STRONG>ndstr</STRONG> is defined.
If the terminal has the ability to define a window as part
of memory, which all commands affect, it should be given
- as the parameterized string <B>wind</B>. The four parameters are
+ as the parameterized string <STRONG>wind</STRONG>. The four parameters are
the starting and ending lines in memory and the starting
and ending columns in memory, in that order.
If the terminal can retain display memory above, then the
- <B>da</B> capability should be given; if display memory can be
- retained below, then <B>db</B> should be given. These indicate
+ <STRONG>da</STRONG> capability should be given; if display memory can be
+ retained below, then <STRONG>db</STRONG> should be given. These indicate
that deleting a line or scrolling may bring non-blank
- lines up from below or that scrolling back with <B>ri</B> may
+ lines up from below or that scrolling back with <STRONG>ri</STRONG> may
bring down non-blank lines.
- <B>Insert/Delete</B> <B>Character</B>
+ <STRONG>Insert/Delete</STRONG> <STRONG>Character</STRONG>
There are two basic kinds of intelligent terminals with
respect to insert/delete character which can be described
- using <I>terminfo.</I> The most common insert/delete character
+ using <EM>terminfo.</EM> The most common insert/delete character
operations affect only the characters on the current line
and shift characters off the end of the line rigidly.
Other terminals, such as the Concept 100 and the Perkin
positions. If the "abc" shifts over to the "def" which
then move together around the end of the current line and
onto the next as you insert, you have the second type of
- terminal, and should give the capability <B>in</B>, which stands
+ terminal, and should give the capability <STRONG>in</STRONG>, which stands
for "insert null". While these are two logically separate
- attributes (one line vs. multi-line insert mode, and spe-
- cial treatment of untyped spaces) we have seen no termi-
- nals whose insert mode cannot be described with the single
- attribute.
+ attributes (one line versus multi-line insert mode, and
+ special treatment of untyped spaces) we have seen no ter-
+ minals whose insert mode cannot be described with the sin-
+ gle attribute.
Terminfo can describe both terminals which have an insert
mode, and terminals which send a simple sequence to open a
- blank position on the current line. Give as <B>smir</B> the
- sequence to get into insert mode. Give as <B>rmir</B> the
- sequence to leave insert mode. Now give as <B>ich1</B> any
+ blank position on the current line. Give as <STRONG>smir</STRONG> the
+ sequence to get into insert mode. Give as <STRONG>rmir</STRONG> the
+ sequence to leave insert mode. Now give as <STRONG>ich1</STRONG> any
sequence needed to be sent just before sending the charac-
ter to be inserted. Most terminals with a true insert
- mode will not give <B>ich1</B>; terminals which send a sequence
+ mode will not give <STRONG>ich1</STRONG>; terminals which send a sequence
to open a screen position should give it here.
If your terminal has both, insert mode is usually prefer-
- able to <B>ich1</B>. Technically, you should not give both
+ able to <STRONG>ich1</STRONG>. Technically, you should not give both
unless the terminal actually requires both to be used in
combination. Accordingly, some non-curses applications
get confused if both are present; the symptom is doubled
characters in an update using insert. This requirement is
- now rare; most <B>ich</B> sequences do not require previous smir,
- and most smir insert modes do not require <B>ich1</B> before each
- character. Therefore, the new <B>curses</B> actually assumes
- this is the case and uses either <B>rmir</B>/<B>smir</B> or <B>ich</B>/<B>ich1</B> as
+ now rare; most <STRONG>ich</STRONG> sequences do not require previous smir,
+ and most smir insert modes do not require <STRONG>ich1</STRONG> before each
+ character. Therefore, the new <STRONG>curses</STRONG> actually assumes
+ this is the case and uses either <STRONG>rmir</STRONG>/<STRONG>smir</STRONG> or <STRONG>ich</STRONG>/<STRONG>ich1</STRONG> as
appropriate (but not both). If you have to write an entry
to be used under new curses for a terminal old enough to
- need both, include the <B>rmir</B>/<B>smir</B> sequences in <B>ich1</B>.
+ need both, include the <STRONG>rmir</STRONG>/<STRONG>smir</STRONG> sequences in <STRONG>ich1</STRONG>.
If post insert padding is needed, give this as a number of
- milliseconds in <B>ip</B> (a string option). Any other sequence
+ milliseconds in <STRONG>ip</STRONG> (a string option). Any other sequence
which may need to be sent after an insert of a single
- character may also be given in <B>ip</B>. If your terminal needs
+ character may also be given in <STRONG>ip</STRONG>. If your terminal needs
both to be placed into an `insert mode' and a special code
- to precede each inserted character, then both <B>smir</B>/<B>rmir</B>
- and <B>ich1</B> can be given, and both will be used. The <B>ich</B>
- capability, with one parameter, <I>n</I>, will repeat the effects
- of <B>ich1</B> <I>n</I> times.
+ to precede each inserted character, then both <STRONG>smir</STRONG>/<STRONG>rmir</STRONG>
+ and <STRONG>ich1</STRONG> can be given, and both will be used. The <STRONG>ich</STRONG>
+ capability, with one parameter, <EM>n</EM>, will repeat the effects
+ of <STRONG>ich1</STRONG> <EM>n</EM> times.
If padding is necessary between characters typed while not
in insert mode, give this as a number of milliseconds
- padding in <B>rmp</B>.
+ padding in <STRONG>rmp</STRONG>.
It is occasionally necessary to move around while in
insert mode to delete characters on the same line (e.g.,
if there is a tab after the insertion position). If your
terminal allows motion while in insert mode you can give
- the capability <B>mir</B> to speed up inserting in this case.
- Omitting <B>mir</B> will affect only speed. Some terminals
- (notably Datamedia's) must not have <B>mir</B> because of the way
+ the capability <STRONG>mir</STRONG> to speed up inserting in this case.
+ Omitting <STRONG>mir</STRONG> will affect only speed. Some terminals
+ (notably Datamedia's) must not have <STRONG>mir</STRONG> because of the way
their insert mode works.
- Finally, you can specify <B>dch1</B> to delete a single charac-
- ter, <B>dch</B> with one parameter, <I>n</I>, to delete <I>n</I> <I>characters,</I>
- and delete mode by giving <B>smdc</B> and <B>rmdc</B> to enter and exit
+ Finally, you can specify <STRONG>dch1</STRONG> to delete a single charac-
+ ter, <STRONG>dch</STRONG> with one parameter, <EM>n</EM>, to delete <EM>n</EM> <EM>characters,</EM>
+ and delete mode by giving <STRONG>smdc</STRONG> and <STRONG>rmdc</STRONG> to enter and exit
delete mode (any mode the terminal needs to be placed in
- for <B>dch1</B> to work).
+ for <STRONG>dch1</STRONG> to work).
- A command to erase <I>n</I> characters (equivalent to outputting
- <I>n</I> blanks without moving the cursor) can be given as <B>ech</B>
+ A command to erase <EM>n</EM> characters (equivalent to outputting
+ <EM>n</EM> blanks without moving the cursor) can be given as <STRONG>ech</STRONG>
with one parameter.
- <B>Highlighting,</B> <B>Underlining,</B> <B>and</B> <B>Visible</B> <B>Bells</B>
+ <STRONG>Highlighting,</STRONG> <STRONG>Underlining,</STRONG> <STRONG>and</STRONG> <STRONG>Visible</STRONG> <STRONG>Bells</STRONG>
If your terminal has one or more kinds of display
attributes, these can be represented in a number of dif-
- ferent ways. You should choose one display form as <I>stand-</I>
- <I>out</I> <I>mode</I>, representing a good, high contrast, easy-on-the-
+ ferent ways. You should choose one display form as <EM>stand-</EM>
+ <EM>out</EM> <EM>mode</EM>, representing a good, high contrast, easy-on-the-
eyes, format for highlighting error messages and other
attention getters. (If you have a choice, reverse video
plus half-bright is good, or reverse video alone.) The
sequences to enter and exit standout mode are given as
- <B>smso</B> and <B>rmso</B>, respectively. If the code to change into
+ <STRONG>smso</STRONG> and <STRONG>rmso</STRONG>, respectively. If the code to change into
or out of standout mode leaves one or even two blank
spaces on the screen, as the TVI 912 and Teleray 1061 do,
- then <B>xmc</B> should be given to tell how many spaces are left.
+ then <STRONG>xmc</STRONG> should be given to tell how many spaces are left.
Codes to begin underlining and end underlining can be
- given as <B>smul</B> and <B>rmul</B> respectively. If the terminal has
+ given as <STRONG>smul</STRONG> and <STRONG>rmul</STRONG> respectively. If the terminal has
a code to underline the current character and move the
cursor one space to the right, such as the Microterm Mime,
- this can be given as <B>uc</B>.
+ this can be given as <STRONG>uc</STRONG>.
Other capabilities to enter various highlighting modes
- include <B>blink</B> (blinking) <B>bold</B> (bold or extra bright) <B>dim</B>
- (dim or half-bright) <B>invis</B> (blanking or invisible text)
- <B>prot</B> (protected) <B>rev</B> (reverse video) <B>sgr0</B> (turn off <I>all</I>
- attribute modes) <B>smacs</B> (enter alternate character set
- mode) and <B>rmacs</B> (exit alternate character set mode).
+ include <STRONG>blink</STRONG> (blinking) <STRONG>bold</STRONG> (bold or extra bright) <STRONG>dim</STRONG>
+ (dim or half-bright) <STRONG>invis</STRONG> (blanking or invisible text)
+ <STRONG>prot</STRONG> (protected) <STRONG>rev</STRONG> (reverse video) <STRONG>sgr0</STRONG> (turn off <EM>all</EM>
+ attribute modes) <STRONG>smacs</STRONG> (enter alternate character set
+ mode) and <STRONG>rmacs</STRONG> (exit alternate character set mode).
Turning on any of these modes singly may or may not turn
off other modes.
If there is a sequence to set arbitrary combinations of
- modes, this should be given as <B>sgr</B> (set attributes), tak-
+ modes, this should be given as <STRONG>sgr</STRONG> (set attributes), tak-
ing 9 parameters. Each parameter is either 0 or nonzero,
as the corresponding attribute is on or off. The 9 param-
eters are, in order: standout, underline, reverse, blink,
dim, bold, blank, protect, alternate character set. Not
- all modes need be supported by <B>sgr</B>, only those for which
+ all modes need be supported by <STRONG>sgr</STRONG>, only those for which
corresponding separate attribute commands exist.
For example, the DEC vt220 supports most of the modes:
- <B>tparm</B> <B>parameter</B> <B>attribute</B> <B>escape</B> <B>sequence</B>
+ <STRONG>tparm</STRONG> <STRONG>parameter</STRONG> <STRONG>attribute</STRONG> <STRONG>escape</STRONG> <STRONG>sequence</STRONG>
none none \E[0m
p1 standout \E[0;1;7m
p2 underline \E[0;4m
+
p3 reverse \E[0;7m
p4 blink \E[0;5m
p5 dim not available
Writing out the above sequences, along with their depen-
dencies yields
- <B>sequence</B> <B>when</B> <B>to</B> <B>output</B> <B>terminfo</B> <B>translation</B>
+ <STRONG>sequence</STRONG> <STRONG>when</STRONG> <STRONG>to</STRONG> <STRONG>output</STRONG> <STRONG>terminfo</STRONG> <STRONG>translation</STRONG>
\E[0 always \E[0
;1 if p1 or p6 %?%p1%p6%|%t;1%;
;4 if p2 %?%p2%|%t;4%;
-
;5 if p4 %?%p4%|%t;5%;
;7 if p1 or p3 %?%p1%p3%|%t;7%;
;8 if p7 %?%p7%|%t;8%;
Remember that if you specify sgr, you must also specify
sgr0.
- Terminals with the ``magic cookie'' glitch (<B>xmc</B>) deposit
+ Terminals with the ``magic cookie'' glitch (<STRONG>xmc</STRONG>) deposit
special ``cookies'' when they receive mode-setting
sequences, which affect the display algorithm rather than
having extra bits for each character. Some terminals,
when they move to a new line or the cursor is addressed.
Programs using standout mode should exit standout mode
before moving the cursor or sending a newline, unless the
- <B>msgr</B> capability, asserting that it is safe to move in
+ <STRONG>msgr</STRONG> capability, asserting that it is safe to move in
standout mode, is present.
If the terminal has a way of flashing the screen to indi-
cate an error quietly (a bell replacement) then this can
- be given as <B>flash</B>; it must not move the cursor.
+ be given as <STRONG>flash</STRONG>; it must not move the cursor.
If the cursor needs to be made more visible than normal
when it is not on the bottom line (to make, for example, a
non-blinking underline into an easier to find block or
- blinking underline) give this sequence as <B>cvvis</B>. If there
+ blinking underline) give this sequence as <STRONG>cvvis</STRONG>. If there
is a way to make the cursor completely invisible, give
- that as <B>civis</B>. The capability <B>cnorm</B> should be given which
+ that as <STRONG>civis</STRONG>. The capability <STRONG>cnorm</STRONG> should be given which
undoes the effects of both of these modes.
If your terminal correctly generates underlined characters
(with no special codes needed) even though it does not
- overstrike, then you should give the capability <B>ul</B>. If a
+ overstrike, then you should give the capability <STRONG>ul</STRONG>. If a
character overstriking another leaves both characters on
- the screen, specify the capability <B>os</B>. If overstrikes are
+ the screen, specify the capability <STRONG>os</STRONG>. If overstrikes are
erasable with a blank, then this should be indicated by
- giving <B>eo</B>.
+ giving <STRONG>eo</STRONG>.
- <B>Keypad</B> <B>and</B> <B>Function</B> <B>Keys</B>
+ <STRONG>Keypad</STRONG> <STRONG>and</STRONG> <STRONG>Function</STRONG> <STRONG>Keys</STRONG>
If the terminal has a keypad that transmits codes when the
- keys are pressed, this information can be given. Note that
- it is not possible to handle terminals where the keypad
- only works in local (this applies, for example, to the
+ keys are pressed, this information can be given. Note
+ that it is not possible to handle terminals where the key-
+ pad only works in local (this applies, for example, to the
unshifted HP 2621 keys). If the keypad can be set to
- transmit or not transmit, give these codes as <B>smkx</B> and
- <B>rmkx</B>. Otherwise the keypad is assumed to always transmit.
+ transmit or not transmit, give these codes as <STRONG>smkx</STRONG> and
+ <STRONG>rmkx</STRONG>. Otherwise the keypad is assumed to always transmit.
The codes sent by the left arrow, right arrow, up arrow,
- down arrow, and home keys can be given as <B>kcub1,</B> <B>kcuf1,</B>
- <B>kcuu1,</B> <B>kcud1,</B> and <B>khome</B> respectively. If there are func-
+ down arrow, and home keys can be given as <STRONG>kcub1,</STRONG> <STRONG>kcuf1,</STRONG>
+ <STRONG>kcuu1,</STRONG> <STRONG>kcud1,</STRONG> and <STRONG>khome</STRONG> respectively. If there are func-
tion keys such as f0, f1, ..., f10, the codes they send
- can be given as <B>kf0,</B> <B>kf1,</B> <B>...,</B> <B>kf10</B>. If these keys have
+ can be given as <STRONG>kf0,</STRONG> <STRONG>kf1,</STRONG> <STRONG>...,</STRONG> <STRONG>kf10</STRONG>. If these keys have
labels other than the default f0 through f10, the labels
- can be given as <B>lf0,</B> <B>lf1,</B> <B>...,</B> <B>lf10</B>. The codes transmit-
- ted by certain other special keys can be given: <B>kll</B> (home
- down), <B>kbs</B> (backspace), <B>ktbc</B> (clear all tabs), <B>kctab</B>
- (clear the tab stop in this column), <B>kclr</B> (clear screen or
- erase key), <B>kdch1</B> (delete character), <B>kdl1</B> (delete line),
- <B>krmir</B> (exit insert mode), <B>kel</B> (clear to end of line), <B>ked</B>
- (clear to end of screen), <B>kich1</B> (insert character or enter
- insert mode), <B>kil1</B> (insert line), <B>knp</B> (next page), <B>kpp</B>
- (previous page), <B>kind</B> (scroll forward/down), <B>kri</B> (scroll
- backward/up), <B>khts</B> (set a tab stop in this column). In
+ can be given as <STRONG>lf0,</STRONG> <STRONG>lf1,</STRONG> <STRONG>...,</STRONG> <STRONG>lf10</STRONG>. The codes transmit-
+ ted by certain other special keys can be given: <STRONG>kll</STRONG> (home
+ down), <STRONG>kbs</STRONG> (backspace), <STRONG>ktbc</STRONG> (clear all tabs), <STRONG>kctab</STRONG>
+ (clear the tab stop in this column), <STRONG>kclr</STRONG> (clear screen or
+ erase key), <STRONG>kdch1</STRONG> (delete character), <STRONG>kdl1</STRONG> (delete line),
+ <STRONG>krmir</STRONG> (exit insert mode), <STRONG>kel</STRONG> (clear to end of line), <STRONG>ked</STRONG>
+ (clear to end of screen), <STRONG>kich1</STRONG> (insert character or enter
+ insert mode), <STRONG>kil1</STRONG> (insert line), <STRONG>knp</STRONG> (next page), <STRONG>kpp</STRONG>
+ (previous page), <STRONG>kind</STRONG> (scroll forward/down), <STRONG>kri</STRONG> (scroll
+ backward/up), <STRONG>khts</STRONG> (set a tab stop in this column). In
addition, if the keypad has a 3 by 3 array of keys includ-
ing the four arrow keys, the other five keys can be given
- as <B>ka1</B>, <B>ka3</B>, <B>kb2</B>, <B>kc1</B>, and <B>kc3</B>. These keys are useful
+ as <STRONG>ka1</STRONG>, <STRONG>ka3</STRONG>, <STRONG>kb2</STRONG>, <STRONG>kc1</STRONG>, and <STRONG>kc3</STRONG>. These keys are useful
when the effects of a 3 by 3 directional pad are needed.
- Strings to program function keys can be given as <B>pfkey</B>,
- <B>pfloc</B>, and <B>pfx</B>. A string to program screen labels should
- be specified as <B>pln</B>. Each of these strings takes two
+ Strings to program function keys can be given as <STRONG>pfkey</STRONG>,
+ <STRONG>pfloc</STRONG>, and <STRONG>pfx</STRONG>. A string to program screen labels should
+ be specified as <STRONG>pln</STRONG>. Each of these strings takes two
parameters: the function key number to program (from 0 to
10) and the string to program it with. Function key num-
bers out of this range may program undefined keys in a
terminal dependent manner. The difference between the
- capabilities is that <B>pfkey</B> causes pressing the given key
- to be the same as the user typing the given string; <B>pfloc</B>
+ capabilities is that <STRONG>pfkey</STRONG> causes pressing the given key
+ to be the same as the user typing the given string; <STRONG>pfloc</STRONG>
causes the string to be executed by the terminal in local;
- and <B>pfx</B> causes the string to be transmitted to the com-
+ and <STRONG>pfx</STRONG> causes the string to be transmitted to the com-
puter.
- The capabilities <B>nlab</B>, <B>lw</B> and <B>lh</B> define the number of pro-
+ The capabilities <STRONG>nlab</STRONG>, <STRONG>lw</STRONG> and <STRONG>lh</STRONG> define the number of pro-
grammable screen labels and their width and height. If
there are commands to turn the labels on and off, give
- them in <B>smln</B> and <B>rmln</B>. <B>smln</B> is normally output after one
+ them in <STRONG>smln</STRONG> and <STRONG>rmln</STRONG>. <STRONG>smln</STRONG> is normally output after one
or more pln sequences to make sure that the change becomes
visible.
- <B>Tabs</B> <B>and</B> <B>Initialization</B>
+ <STRONG>Tabs</STRONG> <STRONG>and</STRONG> <STRONG>Initialization</STRONG>
If the terminal has hardware tabs, the command to advance
- to the next tab stop can be given as <B>ht</B> (usually control
+ to the next tab stop can be given as <STRONG>ht</STRONG> (usually control
I). A ``back-tab'' command which moves leftward to the
- preceding tab stop can be given as <B>cbt</B>. By convention, if
+ preceding tab stop can be given as <STRONG>cbt</STRONG>. By convention, if
the teletype modes indicate that tabs are being expanded
by the computer rather than being sent to the terminal,
- programs should not use <B>ht</B> or <B>cbt</B> even if they are pre-
+ programs should not use <STRONG>ht</STRONG> or <STRONG>cbt</STRONG> even if they are pre-
sent, since the user may not have the tab stops properly
set. If the terminal has hardware tabs which are ini-
- tially set every <I>n</I> spaces when the terminal is powered up,
- the numeric parameter <B>it</B> is given, showing the number of
+ tially set every <EM>n</EM> spaces when the terminal is powered up,
+ the numeric parameter <STRONG>it</STRONG> is given, showing the number of
spaces the tabs are set to. This is normally used by the
- <I>tset</I> command to determine whether to set the mode for
+ <EM>tset</EM> command to determine whether to set the mode for
hardware tab expansion, and whether to set the tab stops.
If the terminal has tab stops that can be saved in non-
volatile memory, the terminfo description can assume that
they are properly set.
- Other capabilities include <B>is1</B>, <B>is2</B>, and <B>is3</B>, initializa-
- tion strings for the terminal, <B>iprog</B>, the path name of a
- program to be run to initialize the terminal, and <B>if</B>, the
+ Other capabilities include <STRONG>is1</STRONG>, <STRONG>is2</STRONG>, and <STRONG>is3</STRONG>, initializa-
+ tion strings for the terminal, <STRONG>iprog</STRONG>, the path name of a
+ program to be run to initialize the terminal, and <STRONG>if</STRONG>, the
name of a file containing long initialization strings.
These strings are expected to set the terminal into modes
consistent with the rest of the terminfo description.
- They are normally sent to the terminal, by the <I>init</I> option
- of the <I>tput</I> program, each time the user logs in. They
+ They are normally sent to the terminal, by the <EM>init</EM> option
+ of the <EM>tput</EM> program, each time the user logs in. They
will be printed in the following order: run the program
- <B>iprog</B>; output <B>is1</B>; <B>is2</B>; set the margins using <B>mgc</B>, <B>smgl</B>
- and <B>smgr</B>; set tabs using <B>tbc</B> and <B>hts</B>; print the file <B>if</B>;
- and finally output <B>is3</B>.
+ <STRONG>iprog</STRONG>; output <STRONG>is1</STRONG>; <STRONG>is2</STRONG>; set the margins using <STRONG>mgc</STRONG>, <STRONG>smgl</STRONG>
+ and <STRONG>smgr</STRONG>; set tabs using <STRONG>tbc</STRONG> and <STRONG>hts</STRONG>; print the file <STRONG>if</STRONG>;
+ and finally output <STRONG>is3</STRONG>.
- Most initialization is done with <B>is2</B>. Special terminal
+ Most initialization is done with <STRONG>is2</STRONG>. Special terminal
modes can be set up without duplicating strings by putting
- the common sequences in <B>is2</B> and special cases in <B>is1</B> and
- <B>is3</B>. A pair of sequences that does a harder reset from a
- totally unknown state can be analogously given as <B>rs1</B>,
- <B>rs2</B>, <B>rf</B>, and <B>rs3</B>, analogous to <B>is2</B> and <B>if</B>. These strings
- are output by the <I>reset</I> program, which is used when the
+ the common sequences in <STRONG>is2</STRONG> and special cases in <STRONG>is1</STRONG> and
+ <STRONG>is3</STRONG>. A pair of sequences that does a harder reset from a
+ totally unknown state can be analogously given as <STRONG>rs1</STRONG>,
+ <STRONG>rs2</STRONG>, <STRONG>rf</STRONG>, and <STRONG>rs3</STRONG>, analogous to <STRONG>is2</STRONG> and <STRONG>if</STRONG>. These strings
+ are output by the <EM>reset</EM> program, which is used when the
terminal gets into a wedged state. Commands are normally
- placed in <B>rs1</B>, <B>rs2</B> <B>rs3</B> and <B>rf</B> only if they produce annoy-
+ placed in <STRONG>rs1</STRONG>, <STRONG>rs2</STRONG> <STRONG>rs3</STRONG> and <STRONG>rf</STRONG> only if they produce annoy-
ing effects on the screen and are not necessary when log-
ging in. For example, the command to set the vt100 into
- 80-column mode would normally be part of <B>is2</B>, but it
+ 80-column mode would normally be part of <STRONG>is2</STRONG>, but it
causes an annoying glitch of the screen and is not nor-
mally needed since the terminal is usually already in 80
column mode.
If there are commands to set and clear tab stops, they can
- be given as <B>tbc</B> (clear all tab stops) and <B>hts</B> (set a tab
+ be given as <STRONG>tbc</STRONG> (clear all tab stops) and <STRONG>hts</STRONG> (set a tab
stop in the current column of every row). If a more com-
plex sequence is needed to set the tabs than can be
- described by this, the sequence can be placed in <B>is2</B> or
- <B>if</B>.
+ described by this, the sequence can be placed in <STRONG>is2</STRONG> or
+ <STRONG>if</STRONG>.
- <B>Delays</B> <B>and</B> <B>Padding</B>
+ <STRONG>Delays</STRONG> <STRONG>and</STRONG> <STRONG>Padding</STRONG>
Many older and slower terminals don't support either
XON/XOFF or DTR handshaking, including hard copy terminals
and some very archaic CRTs (including, for example, DEC
If the terminal uses xon/xoff handshaking for flow control
(that is, it automatically emits ^S back to the host when
- its input buffers are close to full), set <B>xon</B>. This capa-
+ its input buffers are close to full), set <STRONG>xon</STRONG>. This capa-
bility suppresses the emission of padding. You can also
set it for memory-mapped console devices effectively that
don't have a speed limit. Padding information should
sions about relative costs, but actual pad characters will
not be transmitted.
- If <B>pb</B> (padding baud rate) is given, padding is suppressed
- at baud rates below the value of <B>pb</B>. If the entry has no
+ If <STRONG>pb</STRONG> (padding baud rate) is given, padding is suppressed
+ at baud rates below the value of <STRONG>pb</STRONG>. If the entry has no
padding baud rate, then whether padding is emitted or not
- is completely controlled by <B>xon</B>.
+ is completely controlled by <STRONG>xon</STRONG>.
If the terminal requires other than a null (zero) charac-
- ter as a pad, then this can be given as <B>pad</B>. Only the
- first character of the <B>pad</B> string is used.
+ ter as a pad, then this can be given as <STRONG>pad</STRONG>. Only the
+ first character of the <STRONG>pad</STRONG> string is used.
- <B>Status</B> <B>Lines</B>
+ <STRONG>Status</STRONG> <STRONG>Lines</STRONG>
Some terminals have an extra `status line' which is not
normally used by software (and thus not counted in the
- terminal's <B>lines</B> capability).
+ terminal's <STRONG>lines</STRONG> capability).
The simplest case is a status line which is cursor-
addressable but not part of the main scrolling region on
the screen; the Heathkit H19 has a status line of this
kind, as would a 24-line VT100 with a 23-line scrolling
region set up on initialization. This situation is indi-
- cated by the <B>hs</B> capability.
+ cated by the <STRONG>hs</STRONG> capability.
Some terminals with status lines need special sequences to
access the status line. These may be expressed as a
- string with single parameter <B>tsl</B> which takes the cursor to
+ string with single parameter <STRONG>tsl</STRONG> which takes the cursor to
a given zero-origin column on the status line. The capa-
- bility <B>fsl</B> must return to the main-screen cursor positions
- before the last <B>tsl</B>. You may need to embed the string
- values of <B>sc</B> (save cursor) and <B>rc</B> (restore cursor) in <B>tsl</B>
- and <B>fsl</B> to accomplish this.
+ bility <STRONG>fsl</STRONG> must return to the main-screen cursor positions
+ before the last <STRONG>tsl</STRONG>. You may need to embed the string
+ values of <STRONG>sc</STRONG> (save cursor) and <STRONG>rc</STRONG> (restore cursor) in <STRONG>tsl</STRONG>
+ and <STRONG>fsl</STRONG> to accomplish this.
The status line is normally assumed to be the same width
as the width of the terminal. If this is untrue, you can
- specify it with the numeric capability <B>wsl</B>.
+ specify it with the numeric capability <STRONG>wsl</STRONG>.
A command to erase or blank the status line may be speci-
- fied as <B>dsl</B>.
+ fied as <STRONG>dsl</STRONG>.
- The boolean capability <B>eslok</B> specifies that escape
- sequences, tabs, etc. work ordinarily in the status line.
+ The boolean capability <STRONG>eslok</STRONG> specifies that escape
+ sequences, tabs, etc., work ordinarily in the status line.
- The <B>ncurses</B> implementation does not yet use any of these
+ The <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG> implementation does not yet use any of these
capabilities. They are documented here in case they ever
become important.
- <B>Line</B> <B>Graphics</B>
+ <STRONG>Line</STRONG> <STRONG>Graphics</STRONG>
Many terminals have alternate character sets useful for
- forms-drawing. Terminfo and <B>curses</B> build in support for
+ forms-drawing. Terminfo and <STRONG>curses</STRONG> build in support for
the drawing characters supported by the VT100, with some
characters from the AT&T 4410v1 added. This alternate
- character set may be specified by the <B>acsc</B> capability.
+ character set may be specified by the <STRONG>acsc</STRONG> capability.
- <B>Glyph</B> <B>ACS</B> <B>Ascii</B> <B>VT100</B>
- <B>Name</B> <B>Name</B> <B>Default</B> <B>Name</B>
+ <STRONG>Glyph</STRONG> <STRONG>ACS</STRONG> <STRONG>Ascii</STRONG> <STRONG>VT100</STRONG>
+ <STRONG>Name</STRONG> <STRONG>Name</STRONG> <STRONG>Default</STRONG> <STRONG>Name</STRONG>
UK pound sign ACS_STERLING f }
arrow pointing down ACS_DARROW v .
arrow pointing left ACS_LARROW < ,
bullet ACS_BULLET o ~
checker board (stipple) ACS_CKBOARD : a
degree symbol ACS_DEGREE \ f
+
diamond ACS_DIAMOND + `
greater-than-or-equal-to ACS_GEQUAL > z
greek pi ACS_PI * {
The best way to define a new device's graphics set is to
add a column to a copy of this table for your terminal,
giving the character which (when emitted between
- <B>smacs</B>/<B>rmacs</B> switches) will be rendered as the correspond-
+ <STRONG>smacs</STRONG>/<STRONG>rmacs</STRONG> switches) will be rendered as the correspond-
ing graphic. Then read off the VT100/your terminal char-
acter pairs right to left in sequence; these become the
ACSC string.
- <B>Color</B> <B>Handling</B>
+ <STRONG>Color</STRONG> <STRONG>Handling</STRONG>
Most color terminals are either `Tektronix-like' or `HP-
like'. Tektronix-like terminals have a predefined set of
N colors (where N usually 8), and can set character-cell
ANSI-compatible terminals are Tektronix-like.
Some basic color capabilities are independent of the color
- method. The numeric capabilities <B>colors</B> and <B>pairs</B> specify
+ method. The numeric capabilities <STRONG>colors</STRONG> and <STRONG>pairs</STRONG> specify
the maximum numbers of colors and color-pairs that can be
- displayed simultaneously. The <B>op</B> (original pair) string
+ displayed simultaneously. The <STRONG>op</STRONG> (original pair) string
resets foreground and background colors to their default
- values for the terminal. The <B>oc</B> string resets all colors
+ values for the terminal. The <STRONG>oc</STRONG> string resets all colors
or color-pairs to their default values for the terminal.
Some terminals (including many PC terminal emulators)
erase screen areas with the current background color
rather than the power-up default background; these should
- have the boolean capability <B>bce</B>.
+ have the boolean capability <STRONG>bce</STRONG>.
To change the current foreground or background color on a
- Tektronix-type terminal, use <B>setaf</B> (set ANSI foreground)
- and <B>setab</B> (set ANSI background) or <B>setf</B> (set foreground)
- and <B>setb</B> (set background). These take one parameter, the
+ Tektronix-type terminal, use <STRONG>setaf</STRONG> (set ANSI foreground)
+ and <STRONG>setab</STRONG> (set ANSI background) or <STRONG>setf</STRONG> (set foreground)
+ and <STRONG>setb</STRONG> (set background). These take one parameter, the
color number. The SVr4 documentation describes only
- <B>setaf</B>/<B>setab</B>; the XPG4 draft says that "If the terminal
+ <STRONG>setaf</STRONG>/<STRONG>setab</STRONG>; the XPG4 draft says that "If the terminal
supports ANSI escape sequences to set background and fore-
- ground, they should be coded as <B>setaf</B> and <B>setab</B>, respec-
+ ground, they should be coded as <STRONG>setaf</STRONG> and <STRONG>setab</STRONG>, respec-
tively. If the terminal supports other escape sequences
to set background and foreground, they should be coded as
- <B>setf</B> and <B>setb</B>, respectively. The <I>vidputs()</I> function and
- the refresh functions use <B>setaf</B> and <B>setab</B> if they are
+ <STRONG>setf</STRONG> and <STRONG>setb</STRONG>, respectively. The <EM>vidputs()</EM> function and
+ the refresh functions use <STRONG>setaf</STRONG> and <STRONG>setab</STRONG> if they are
defined."
- The <B>setaf</B>/<B>setab</B> and <B>setf</B>/<B>setb</B> capabilities take a single
- numeric argument each. Argument values 0-7 are portably
- defined as follows (the middle column is the symbolic
- #define available in the header for the <B>curses</B> or <B>ncurses</B>
- libraries). The terminal hardware is free to map these as
- it likes, but the RGB values indicate normal locations in
- color space.
-
- <B>Color</B> <B>#define</B> <B>Value</B> <B>RGB</B>
- black <B>COLOR_BLACK</B> 0 0, 0, 0
- red <B>COLOR_RED</B> 1 max,0,0
- green <B>COLOR_GREEN</B> 2 0,max,0
- yellow <B>COLOR_YELLOW</B> 3 max,max,0
- blue <B>COLOR_BLUE</B> 4 0,0,max
- magenta <B>COLOR_MAGENTA</B> 5 max,0,max
- cyan <B>COLOR_CYAN</B> 6 0,max,max
- white <B>COLOR_WHITE</B> 7 max,max,max
-
- On an HP-like terminal, use <B>scp</B> with a color-pair number
+ The <STRONG>setaf</STRONG>/<STRONG>setab</STRONG> and <STRONG>setf</STRONG>/<STRONG>setb</STRONG> capabilities take a single
+ numeric argument each. Argument values 0-7 of <STRONG>setaf</STRONG>/<STRONG>setab</STRONG>
+ are portably defined as follows (the middle column is the
+ symbolic #define available in the header for the <STRONG>curses</STRONG> or
+ <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG> libraries). The terminal hardware is free to map
+ these as it likes, but the RGB values indicate normal
+ locations in color space.
+
+ <STRONG>Color</STRONG> <STRONG>#define</STRONG> <STRONG>Value</STRONG> <STRONG>RGB</STRONG>
+ black <STRONG>COLOR_BLACK</STRONG> 0 0, 0, 0
+ red <STRONG>COLOR_RED</STRONG> 1 max,0,0
+ green <STRONG>COLOR_GREEN</STRONG> 2 0,max,0
+ yellow <STRONG>COLOR_YELLOW</STRONG> 3 max,max,0
+ blue <STRONG>COLOR_BLUE</STRONG> 4 0,0,max
+ magenta <STRONG>COLOR_MAGENTA</STRONG> 5 max,0,max
+ cyan <STRONG>COLOR_CYAN</STRONG> 6 0,max,max
+ white <STRONG>COLOR_WHITE</STRONG> 7 max,max,max
+
+ The argument values of <STRONG>setf</STRONG>/<STRONG>setb</STRONG> historically correspond
+ to a different mapping, i.e.,
+ <STRONG>Color</STRONG> <STRONG>#define</STRONG> <STRONG>Value</STRONG> <STRONG>RGB</STRONG>
+ black <STRONG>COLOR_BLACK</STRONG> 0 0, 0, 0
+ blue <STRONG>COLOR_BLUE</STRONG> 1 0,0,max
+ green <STRONG>COLOR_GREEN</STRONG> 2 0,max,0
+ cyan <STRONG>COLOR_CYAN</STRONG> 3 0,max,max
+ red <STRONG>COLOR_RED</STRONG> 4 max,0,0
+ magenta <STRONG>COLOR_MAGENTA</STRONG> 5 max,0,max
+ yellow <STRONG>COLOR_YELLOW</STRONG> 6 max,max,0
+ white <STRONG>COLOR_WHITE</STRONG> 7 max,max,max
+ It is important to not confuse the two sets of color capa-
+ bilities; otherwise red/blue will be interchanged on the
+ display.
+
+ On an HP-like terminal, use <STRONG>scp</STRONG> with a color-pair number
parameter to set which color pair is current.
- On a Tektronix-like terminal, the capability <B>ccc</B> may be
- present to indicate that colors can be modified. If so,
- the <B>initc</B> capability will take a color number (0 to <B>colors</B>
- - 1)and three more parameters which describe the color.
+ On a Tektronix-like terminal, the capability <STRONG>ccc</STRONG> may be
+ present to indicate that colors can be modified. If so,
+ the <STRONG>initc</STRONG> capability will take a color number (0 to <STRONG>colors</STRONG>
+ - 1)and three more parameters which describe the color.
These three parameters default to being interpreted as RGB
- (Red, Green, Blue) values. If the boolean capability <B>hls</B>
+ (Red, Green, Blue) values. If the boolean capability <STRONG>hls</STRONG>
is present, they are instead as HLS (Hue, Lightness, Satu-
ration) indices. The ranges are terminal-dependent.
- On an HP-like terminal, <B>initp</B> may give a capability for
- changing a color-pair value. It will take seven parame-
- ters; a color-pair number (0 to <B>max_pairs</B> - 1), and two
- triples describing first background and then foreground
- colors. These parameters must be (Red, Green, Blue) or
- (Hue, Lightness, Saturation) depending on <B>hls</B>.
+ On an HP-like terminal, <STRONG>initp</STRONG> may give a capability for
+ changing a color-pair value. It will take seven parame-
+ ters; a color-pair number (0 to <STRONG>max_pairs</STRONG> - 1), and two
+ triples describing first background and then foreground
+ colors. These parameters must be (Red, Green, Blue) or
+ (Hue, Lightness, Saturation) depending on <STRONG>hls</STRONG>.
- On some color terminals, colors collide with highlights.
- You can register these collisions with the <B>ncv</B> capability.
- This is a bit-mask of attributes not to be used when col-
- ors are enabled. The correspondence with the attributes
- understood by <B>curses</B> is as follows:
+ On some color terminals, colors collide with highlights.
+ You can register these collisions with the <STRONG>ncv</STRONG> capability.
+ This is a bit-mask of attributes not to be used when col-
+ ors are enabled. The correspondence with the attributes
+ understood by <STRONG>curses</STRONG> is as follows:
- <B>Attribute</B> <B>Bit</B> <B>Decimal</B>
+ <STRONG>Attribute</STRONG> <STRONG>Bit</STRONG> <STRONG>Decimal</STRONG>
A_STANDOUT 0 1
A_UNDERLINE 1 2
+
A_REVERSE 2 4
A_BLINK 3 8
A_DIM 4 16
A_PROTECT 7 128
A_ALTCHARSET 8 256
- For example, on many IBM PC consoles, the underline
- attribute collides with the foreground color blue and is
- not available in color mode. These should have an <B>ncv</B>
+ For example, on many IBM PC consoles, the underline
+ attribute collides with the foreground color blue and is
+ not available in color mode. These should have an <STRONG>ncv</STRONG>
capability of 2.
- SVr4 curses does nothing with <B>ncv</B>, ncurses recognizes it
+ SVr4 curses does nothing with <STRONG>ncv</STRONG>, ncurses recognizes it
and optimizes the output in favor of colors.
- <B>Miscellaneous</B>
- If the terminal requires other than a null (zero) charac-
- ter as a pad, then this can be given as pad. Only the
- first character of the pad string is used. If the termi-
+ <STRONG>Miscellaneous</STRONG>
+ If the terminal requires other than a null (zero) charac-
+ ter as a pad, then this can be given as pad. Only the
+ first character of the pad string is used. If the termi-
nal does not have a pad character, specify npc. Note that
- ncurses implements the termcap-compatible <B>PC</B> variable;
- though the application may set this value to something
- other than a null, ncurses will test <B>npc</B> first and use
+ ncurses implements the termcap-compatible <STRONG>PC</STRONG> variable;
+ though the application may set this value to something
+ other than a null, ncurses will test <STRONG>npc</STRONG> first and use
napms if the terminal has no pad character.
- If the terminal can move up or down half a line, this can
- be indicated with <B>hu</B> (half-line up) and <B>hd</B> (half-line
- down). This is primarily useful for superscripts and
- subscripts on hard-copy terminals. If a hard-copy termi-
- nal can eject to the next page (form feed), give this as
- <B>ff</B> (usually control L).
-
- If there is a command to repeat a given character a given
- number of times (to save time transmitting a large number
- of identical characters) this can be indicated with the
- parameterized string <B>rep</B>. The first parameter is the
- character to be repeated and the second is the number of
- times to repeat it. Thus, tparm(repeat_char, 'x', 10) is
+ If the terminal can move up or down half a line, this can
+ be indicated with <STRONG>hu</STRONG> (half-line up) and <STRONG>hd</STRONG> (half-line
+ down). This is primarily useful for superscripts and sub-
+ scripts on hard-copy terminals. If a hard-copy terminal
+ can eject to the next page (form feed), give this as <STRONG>ff</STRONG>
+ (usually control L).
+
+ If there is a command to repeat a given character a given
+ number of times (to save time transmitting a large number
+ of identical characters) this can be indicated with the
+ parameterized string <STRONG>rep</STRONG>. The first parameter is the
+ character to be repeated and the second is the number of
+ times to repeat it. Thus, tparm(repeat_char, 'x', 10) is
the same as `xxxxxxxxxx'.
- If the terminal has a settable command character, such as
- the TEKTRONIX 4025, this can be indicated with <B>cmdch</B>. A
+ If the terminal has a settable command character, such as
+ the TEKTRONIX 4025, this can be indicated with <STRONG>cmdch</STRONG>. A
prototype command character is chosen which is used in all
- capabilities. This character is given in the <B>cmdch</B> capa-
- bility to identify it. The following convention is sup-
- ported on some UNIX systems: The environment is to be
- searched for a <B>CC</B> variable, and if found, all occurrences
+ capabilities. This character is given in the <STRONG>cmdch</STRONG> capa-
+ bility to identify it. The following convention is sup-
+ ported on some UNIX systems: The environment is to be
+ searched for a <STRONG>CC</STRONG> variable, and if found, all occurrences
of the prototype character are replaced with the character
in the environment variable.
- Terminal descriptions that do not represent a specific
- kind of known terminal, such as <I>switch</I>, <I>dialup</I>, <I>patch</I>, and
- <I>network</I>, should include the <B>gn</B> (generic) capability so
- that programs can complain that they do not know how to
- talk to the terminal. (This capability does not apply to
- <I>virtual</I> terminal descriptions for which the escape
+ Terminal descriptions that do not represent a specific
+ kind of known terminal, such as <EM>switch</EM>, <EM>dialup</EM>, <EM>patch</EM>, and
+ <EM>network</EM>, should include the <STRONG>gn</STRONG> (generic) capability so
+ that programs can complain that they do not know how to
+ talk to the terminal. (This capability does not apply to
+ <EM>virtual</EM> terminal descriptions for which the escape
sequences are known.)
- If the terminal has a ``meta key'' which acts as a shift
- key, setting the 8th bit of any character transmitted,
- this fact can be indicated with <B>km</B>. Otherwise, software
+ If the terminal has a ``meta key'' which acts as a shift
+ key, setting the 8th bit of any character transmitted,
+ this fact can be indicated with <STRONG>km</STRONG>. Otherwise, software
will assume that the 8th bit is parity and it will usually
- be cleared. If strings exist to turn this ``meta mode''
- on and off, they can be given as <B>smm</B> and <B>rmm</B>.
+ be cleared. If strings exist to turn this ``meta mode''
+ on and off, they can be given as <STRONG>smm</STRONG> and <STRONG>rmm</STRONG>.
- If the terminal has more lines of memory than will fit on
- the screen at once, the number of lines of memory can be
- indicated with <B>lm</B>. A value of <B>lm</B>#0 indicates that the
+ If the terminal has more lines of memory than will fit on
+ the screen at once, the number of lines of memory can be
+ indicated with <STRONG>lm</STRONG>. A value of <STRONG>lm</STRONG>#0 indicates that the
number of lines is not fixed, but that there is still more
memory than fits on the screen.
If the terminal is one of those supported by the UNIX vir-
- tual terminal protocol, the terminal number can be given
- as <B>vt</B>.
+ tual terminal protocol, the terminal number can be given
+ as <STRONG>vt</STRONG>.
Media copy strings which control an auxiliary printer con-
- nected to the terminal can be given as <B>mc0</B>: print the con-
- tents of the screen, <B>mc4</B>: turn off the printer, and <B>mc5</B>:
- turn on the printer. When the printer is on, all text
- sent to the terminal will be sent to the printer. It is
+ nected to the terminal can be given as <STRONG>mc0</STRONG>: print the con-
+ tents of the screen, <STRONG>mc4</STRONG>: turn off the printer, and <STRONG>mc5</STRONG>:
+ turn on the printer. When the printer is on, all text
+ sent to the terminal will be sent to the printer. It is
undefined whether the text is also displayed on the termi-
- nal screen when the printer is on. A variation <B>mc5p</B> takes
+ nal screen when the printer is on. A variation <STRONG>mc5p</STRONG> takes
one parameter, and leaves the printer on for as many char-
- acters as the value of the parameter, then turns the
- printer off. The parameter should not exceed 255. All
- text, including <B>mc4</B>, is transparently passed to the
- printer while an <B>mc5p</B> is in effect.
+ acters as the value of the parameter, then turns the
+ printer off. The parameter should not exceed 255. All
+ text, including <STRONG>mc4</STRONG>, is transparently passed to the
+ printer while an <STRONG>mc5p</STRONG> is in effect.
- <B>Glitches</B> <B>and</B> <B>Braindamage</B>
- Hazeltine terminals, which do not allow `~' characters to
- be displayed should indicate <B>hz</B>.
+ <STRONG>Glitches</STRONG> <STRONG>and</STRONG> <STRONG>Braindamage</STRONG>
+ Hazeltine terminals, which do not allow `~' characters to
+ be displayed should indicate <STRONG>hz</STRONG>.
- Terminals which ignore a line-feed immediately after an <B>am</B>
- wrap, such as the Concept and vt100, should indicate <B>xenl</B>.
+ Terminals which ignore a line-feed immediately after an <STRONG>am</STRONG>
+ wrap, such as the Concept and vt100, should indicate <STRONG>xenl</STRONG>.
- If <B>el</B> is required to get rid of standout (instead of
- merely writing normal text on top of it), <B>xhp</B> should be
+ If <STRONG>el</STRONG> is required to get rid of standout (instead of
+ merely writing normal text on top of it), <STRONG>xhp</STRONG> should be
given.
- Teleray terminals, where tabs turn all characters moved
- over to blanks, should indicate <B>xt</B> (destructive tabs).
- Note: the variable indicating this is now
- `dest_tabs_magic_smso'; in older versions, it was tel-
+ Teleray terminals, where tabs turn all characters moved
+ over to blanks, should indicate <STRONG>xt</STRONG> (destructive tabs).
+ Note: the variable indicating this is now
+ `dest_tabs_magic_smso'; in older versions, it was tel-
eray_glitch. This glitch is also taken to mean that it is
- not possible to position the cursor on top of a ``magic
+ not possible to position the cursor on top of a ``magic
cookie'', that to erase standout mode it is instead neces-
sary to use delete and insert line. The ncurses implemen-
tation ignores this glitch.
- The Beehive Superbee, which is unable to correctly trans-
- mit the escape or control C characters, has <B>xsb</B>, indicat-
- ing that the f1 key is used for escape and f2 for control
- C. (Only certain Superbees have this problem, depending
- on the ROM.) Note that in older terminfo versions, this
- capability was called `beehive_glitch'; it is now
+ The Beehive Superbee, which is unable to correctly trans-
+ mit the escape or control C characters, has <STRONG>xsb</STRONG>, indicat-
+ ing that the f1 key is used for escape and f2 for control
+ C. (Only certain Superbees have this problem, depending
+ on the ROM.) Note that in older terminfo versions, this
+ capability was called `beehive_glitch'; it is now
`no_esc_ctl_c'.
- Other specific terminal problems may be corrected by
- adding more capabilities of the form <B>x</B><I>x</I>.
+ Other specific terminal problems may be corrected by
+ adding more capabilities of the form <STRONG>x</STRONG><EM>x</EM>.
- <B>Similar</B> <B>Terminals</B>
+ <STRONG>Similar</STRONG> <STRONG>Terminals</STRONG>
If there are two very similar terminals, one (the variant)
- can be defined as being just like the other (the base)
- with certain exceptions. In the definition of the vari-
- ant, the string capability <B>use</B> can be given with the name
- of the base terminal. The capabilities given before <B>use</B>
- override those in the base type named by <B>use</B>. If there
- are multiple <B>use</B> capabilities, they are merged in reverse
- order. That is, the rightmost <B>use</B> reference is processed
- first, then the one to its left, and so forth. Capabili-
- ties given explicitly in the entry override those brought
- in by <B>use</B> references.
-
- A capability can be canceled by placing <B>xx@</B> to the left of
- the use reference that imports it, where <I>xx</I> is the capa-
+ can be defined as being just like the other (the base)
+ with certain exceptions. In the definition of the vari-
+ ant, the string capability <STRONG>use</STRONG> can be given with the name
+ of the base terminal. The capabilities given before <STRONG>use</STRONG>
+ override those in the base type named by <STRONG>use</STRONG>. If there
+ are multiple <STRONG>use</STRONG> capabilities, they are merged in reverse
+ order. That is, the rightmost <STRONG>use</STRONG> reference is processed
+ first, then the one to its left, and so forth. Capabili-
+ ties given explicitly in the entry override those brought
+ in by <STRONG>use</STRONG> references.
+
+ A capability can be canceled by placing <STRONG>xx@</STRONG> to the left of
+ the use reference that imports it, where <EM>xx</EM> is the capa-
bility. For example, the entry
2621-nl, smkx@, rmkx@, use=2621,
- defines a 2621-nl that does not have the <B>smkx</B> or <B>rmkx</B>
- capabilities, and hence does not turn on the function key
- labels when in visual mode. This is useful for different
+ defines a 2621-nl that does not have the <STRONG>smkx</STRONG> or <STRONG>rmkx</STRONG>
+ capabilities, and hence does not turn on the function key
+ labels when in visual mode. This is useful for different
modes for a terminal, or for different user preferences.
- <B>Pitfalls</B> <B>of</B> <B>Long</B> <B>Entries</B>
- Long terminfo entries are unlikely to be a problem; to
- date, no entry has even approached terminfo's 4K string-
- table maximum. Unfortunately, the termcap translations
- are much more strictly limited (to 1K), thus termcap
- translations of long terminfo entries can cause problems.
+ <STRONG>Pitfalls</STRONG> <STRONG>of</STRONG> <STRONG>Long</STRONG> <STRONG>Entries</STRONG>
+ Long terminfo entries are unlikely to be a problem; to
+ date, no entry has even approached terminfo's 4K string-
+ table maximum. Unfortunately, the termcap translations
+ are much more strictly limited (to 1K), thus termcap
+ translations of long terminfo entries can cause problems.
- The man pages for 4.3BSD and older versions of tgetent()
- instruct the user to allocate a 1K buffer for the termcap
- entry. The entry gets null-terminated by the termcap
+ The man pages for 4.3BSD and older versions of tgetent()
+ instruct the user to allocate a 1K buffer for the termcap
+ entry. The entry gets null-terminated by the termcap
library, so that makes the maximum safe length for a term-
cap entry 1k-1 (1023) bytes. Depending on what the appli-
- cation and the termcap library being used does, and where
- in the termcap file the terminal type that tgetent() is
+ cation and the termcap library being used does, and where
+ in the termcap file the terminal type that tgetent() is
searching for is, several bad things can happen.
- Some termcap libraries print a warning message or exit if
- they find an entry that's longer than 1023 bytes; others
- don't; others truncate the entries to 1023 bytes. Some
+ Some termcap libraries print a warning message or exit if
+ they find an entry that's longer than 1023 bytes; others
+ don't; others truncate the entries to 1023 bytes. Some
application programs allocate more than the recommended 1K
for the termcap entry; others don't.
Each termcap entry has two important sizes associated with
it: before "tc" expansion, and after "tc" expansion. "tc"
- is the capability that tacks on another termcap entry to
- the end of the current one, to add on its capabilities.
- If a termcap entry doesn't use the "tc" capability, then
+ is the capability that tacks on another termcap entry to
+ the end of the current one, to add on its capabilities.
+ If a termcap entry doesn't use the "tc" capability, then
of course the two lengths are the same.
- The "before tc expansion" length is the most important
- one, because it affects more than just users of that par-
- ticular terminal. This is the length of the entry as it
+ The "before tc expansion" length is the most important
+ one, because it affects more than just users of that par-
+ ticular terminal. This is the length of the entry as it
exists in /etc/termcap, minus the backslash-newline pairs,
which tgetent() strips out while reading it. Some termcap
- libraries strip off the final newline, too (GNU termcap
+ libraries strip off the final newline, too (GNU termcap
does not). Now suppose:
- * a termcap entry before expansion is more than 1023
+ * a termcap entry before expansion is more than 1023
bytes long,
* and the application has only allocated a 1k buffer,
- * and the termcap library (like the one in BSD/OS 1.1
- and GNU) reads the whole entry into the buffer, no
- matter what its length, to see if it's the entry it
+ * and the termcap library (like the one in BSD/OS 1.1
+ and GNU) reads the whole entry into the buffer, no
+ matter what its length, to see if it's the entry it
wants,
- * and tgetent() is searching for a terminal type that
+ * and tgetent() is searching for a terminal type that
either is the long entry, appears in the termcap file
- after the long entry, or doesn't appear in the file
- at all (so that tgetent() has to search the whole
+ after the long entry, or doesn't appear in the file
+ at all (so that tgetent() has to search the whole
termcap file).
- Then tgetent() will overwrite memory, perhaps its stack,
- and probably core dump the program. Programs like telnet
- are particularly vulnerable; modern telnets pass along
- values like the terminal type automatically. The results
- are almost as undesirable with a termcap library, like
- SunOS 4.1.3 and Ultrix 4.4, that prints warning messages
- when it reads an overly long termcap entry. If a termcap
- library truncates long entries, like OSF/1 3.0, it is
- immune to dying here but will return incorrect data for
+ Then tgetent() will overwrite memory, perhaps its stack,
+ and probably core dump the program. Programs like telnet
+ are particularly vulnerable; modern telnets pass along
+ values like the terminal type automatically. The results
+ are almost as undesirable with a termcap library, like
+ SunOS 4.1.3 and Ultrix 4.4, that prints warning messages
+ when it reads an overly long termcap entry. If a termcap
+ library truncates long entries, like OSF/1 3.0, it is
+ immune to dying here but will return incorrect data for
the terminal.
The "after tc expansion" length will have a similar effect
to the above, but only for people who actually set TERM to
- that terminal type, since tgetent() only does "tc" expan-
+ that terminal type, since tgetent() only does "tc" expan-
sion once it's found the terminal type it was looking for,
not while searching.
In summary, a termcap entry that is longer than 1023 bytes
- can cause, on various combinations of termcap libraries
- and applications, a core dump, warnings, or incorrect
- operation. If it's too long even before "tc" expansion,
+ can cause, on various combinations of termcap libraries
+ and applications, a core dump, warnings, or incorrect
+ operation. If it's too long even before "tc" expansion,
it will have this effect even for users of some other ter-
- minal types and users whose TERM variable does not have a
+ minal types and users whose TERM variable does not have a
termcap entry.
- When in -C (translate to termcap) mode, the <B>ncurses</B> imple-
- mentation of <B><A HREF="tic.1.html">tic(1)</A></B> issues warning messages when the pre-
- tc length of a termcap translation is too long. The -c
- (check) option also checks resolved (after tc expansion)
+ When in -C (translate to termcap) mode, the <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG> imple-
+ mentation of <STRONG><A HREF="tic.1.html">tic(1)</A></STRONG> issues warning messages when the pre-
+ tc length of a termcap translation is too long. The -c
+ (check) option also checks resolved (after tc expansion)
lengths.
- <B>Binary</B> <B>Compatibility</B>
- It is not wise to count on portability of binary terminfo
- entries between commercial UNIX versions. The problem is
- that there are at least two versions of terminfo (under
+ <STRONG>Binary</STRONG> <STRONG>Compatibility</STRONG>
+ It is not wise to count on portability of binary terminfo
+ entries between commercial UNIX versions. The problem is
+ that there are at least two versions of terminfo (under
HP-UX and AIX) which diverged from System V terminfo after
- SVr1, and have added extension capabilities to the string
- table that (in the binary format) collide with System V
+ SVr1, and have added extension capabilities to the string
+ table that (in the binary format) collide with System V
and XSI Curses extensions.
</PRE>
<H2>EXTENSIONS</H2><PRE>
- Some SVr4 <B>curses</B> implementations, and all previous to
+ Some SVr4 <STRONG>curses</STRONG> implementations, and all previous to
SVr4, don't interpret the %A and %O operators in parameter
strings.
- SVr4/XPG4 do not specify whether <B>msgr</B> licenses movement
- while in an alternate-character-set mode (such modes may,
+
+ SVr4/XPG4 do not specify whether <STRONG>msgr</STRONG> licenses movement
+ while in an alternate-character-set mode (such modes may,
among other things, map CR and NL to characters that don't
- trigger local motions). The <B>ncurses</B> implementation
- ignores <B>msgr</B> in <B>ALTCHARSET</B> mode. This raises the possi-
- bility that an XPG4 implementation making the opposite
- interpretation may need terminfo entries made for <B>ncurses</B>
- to have <B>msgr</B> turned off.
-
- The <B>ncurses</B> library handles insert-character and insert-
- character modes in a slightly non-standard way in order to
- get better update efficiency. See the <B>Insert/Delete</B> <B>Char-</B>
- <B>acter</B> subsection above.
-
- The parameter substitutions for <B>set_clock</B> and <B>dis-</B>
- <B>play_clock</B> are not documented in SVr4 or the XSI Curses
+ trigger local motions). The <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG> implementation
+ ignores <STRONG>msgr</STRONG> in <STRONG>ALTCHARSET</STRONG> mode. This raises the possi-
+ bility that an XPG4 implementation making the opposite
+ interpretation may need terminfo entries made for <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG>
+ to have <STRONG>msgr</STRONG> turned off.
+
+ The <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG> library handles insert-character and insert-
+ character modes in a slightly non-standard way to get bet-
+ ter update efficiency. See the <STRONG>Insert/Delete</STRONG> <STRONG>Character</STRONG>
+ subsection above.
+
+ The parameter substitutions for <STRONG>set_clock</STRONG> and <STRONG>dis-</STRONG>
+ <STRONG>play_clock</STRONG> are not documented in SVr4 or the XSI Curses
standard. They are deduced from the documentation for the
AT&T 505 terminal.
- Be careful assigning the <B>kmous</B> capability. The <B>ncurses</B>
- wants to interpret it as <B>KEY_MOUSE</B>, for use by terminals
- and emulators like xterm that can return mouse-tracking
+ Be careful assigning the <STRONG>kmous</STRONG> capability. The <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG>
+ wants to interpret it as <STRONG>KEY_MOUSE</STRONG>, for use by terminals
+ and emulators like xterm that can return mouse-tracking
information in the keyboard-input stream.
- Different commercial ports of terminfo and curses support
- different subsets of the XSI Curses standard and (in some
+ Different commercial ports of terminfo and curses support
+ different subsets of the XSI Curses standard and (in some
cases) different extension sets. Here is a summary, accu-
rate as of October 1995:
- <B>SVR4,</B> <B>Solaris,</B> <B>ncurses</B> -- These support all SVr4 capabili-
+ <STRONG>SVR4,</STRONG> <STRONG>Solaris,</STRONG> <STRONG>ncurses</STRONG> -- These support all SVr4 capabili-
ties.
- <B>SGI</B> -- Supports the SVr4 set, adds one undocumented
- extended string capability (<B>set_pglen</B>).
+ <STRONG>SGI</STRONG> -- Supports the SVr4 set, adds one undocumented
+ extended string capability (<STRONG>set_pglen</STRONG>).
- <B>SVr1,</B> <B>Ultrix</B> -- These support a restricted subset of ter-
- minfo capabilities. The booleans end with <B>xon_xoff</B>; the
- numerics with <B>width_status_line</B>; and the strings with
- <B>prtr_non</B>.
+ <STRONG>SVr1,</STRONG> <STRONG>Ultrix</STRONG> -- These support a restricted subset of ter-
+ minfo capabilities. The booleans end with <STRONG>xon_xoff</STRONG>; the
+ numerics with <STRONG>width_status_line</STRONG>; and the strings with
+ <STRONG>prtr_non</STRONG>.
- <B>HP/UX</B> -- Supports the SVr1 subset, plus the SVr[234]
- numerics <B>num_labels</B>, <B>label_height</B>, <B>label_width</B>, plus func-
- tion keys 11 through 63, plus <B>plab_norm</B>, <B>label_on</B>, and
- <B>label_off</B>, plus some incompatible extensions in the string
+ <STRONG>HP/UX</STRONG> -- Supports the SVr1 subset, plus the SVr[234]
+ numerics <STRONG>num_labels</STRONG>, <STRONG>label_height</STRONG>, <STRONG>label_width</STRONG>, plus func-
+ tion keys 11 through 63, plus <STRONG>plab_norm</STRONG>, <STRONG>label_on</STRONG>, and
+ <STRONG>label_off</STRONG>, plus some incompatible extensions in the string
table.
- <B>AIX</B> -- Supports the SVr1 subset, plus function keys 11
- through 63, plus a number of incompatible string table
+ <STRONG>AIX</STRONG> -- Supports the SVr1 subset, plus function keys 11
+ through 63, plus a number of incompatible string table
extensions.
- <B>OSF</B> -- Supports both the SVr4 set and the AIX extensions.
+ <STRONG>OSF</STRONG> -- Supports both the SVr4 set and the AIX extensions.
</PRE>
</PRE>
<H2>SEE ALSO</H2><PRE>
- <B><A HREF="tic.1m.html">tic(1m)</A></B>, <B><A HREF="ncurses.3x.html">curses(3x)</A></B>, <B><A HREF="printf.3S.html">printf(3S)</A></B>, <B><A HREF="term.5.html">term(5)</A></B>.
+ <STRONG><A HREF="tic.1m.html">tic(1m)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="ncurses.3x.html">curses(3x)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="printf.3S.html">printf(3S)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="term.5.html">term(5)</A></STRONG>.
</PRE>
<H2>AUTHORS</H2><PRE>
- Zeyd M. Ben-Halim, Eric S. Raymond, Thomas E. Dickey.
+ Zeyd M. Ben-Halim, Eric S. Raymond, Thomas E. Dickey.
Based on pcurses by Pavel Curtis.
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<ADDRESS>
projects / ncurses.git / blobdiff