The ncurses (new curses) library is a free software emulation of
curses in System V Release 4.0, and more. It uses terminfo format,
@@ -69,185 +69,170 @@ the GNU distribution site
Release Notes
-This release is designed to be upward compatible from ncurses 5.0 through 5.5;
+This release is designed to be upward compatible from ncurses 5.0 through 5.6;
very few applications will require recompilation, depending on the platform.
-These are the highlights from the change-log since ncurses 5.5 release.
+These are the highlights from the change-log since ncurses 5.6 release.
Interface changes:
generate linkable stubs for some macros:
- getbegx, getbegy, getcurx, getcury, getmaxx, getmaxy, getparx,
- getpary, getpary,
-
- and (for libncursesw)
-
- wgetbkgrnd
+ getattrs
New features and improvements:
library
-
support hashed databases for the terminal descriptions.
- This uses the Berkeley database, has been tested for
- several versions on different platforms.
-
-
add use_legacy_coding() function to support
- lynx's font-switching feature.
-
-
add extension nofilter(), to cancel a prior
- filter() call.
-
-
add/install a package config script, e.g.,
- ncurses5-config or
- ncursesw5-config, according to
- configuration options.
-
-
provide ifdef for NCURSES_NOMACROS which
- suppresses most macro definitions from curses.h, i.e.,
- where a macro is defined to override a function to improve
- performance.
-
-
make ifdef's consistent in curses.h for the
- extended colors so the header file can be used for the
- normal curses library. The header file installed for
- extended colors is a variation of the wide-character
- configuration.
-
-
improve tgetstr() by making the return value
- point into the user's buffer, if provided.
-
-
add ifdef's allowing ncurses to be built with
- tparm() using either varargs (the existing
- status), or using a fixed-parameter list (to match X/Open).
-
-
widen the test for xterm kmous a little to
- allow for other
- strings than "\E[M", e.g., for xterm-sco
- functionality in xterm.
-
-
modify wgetnstr() to return
- KEY_RESIZE if a sigwinch occurs.
-
-
move prototypes for wide-character trace functions from
- curses.tail to curses.wide to avoid accidental reference to
- those if _XOPEN_SOURCE_EXTENDED is defined
- without ensuring that <wchar.h> is included.
-
-
change the way shared libraries (other than libtool) are
- installed. Rather than copying the build-tree's libraries,
- link the shared objects into the install directory. This
- makes the --with-rpath option work except with
- $(DESTDIR).
-
-
several improvements for rendering in hpterm. These are
- only available if the library is configured using
- --enable-xmc-glitch.
-
-
Add NCURSES_NO_HARD_TABS and
- NCURSES_NO_MAGIC_COOKIE environment variables
- to allow runtime suppression of the related hard-tabs and
- xmc-glitch features.
+
new flavor of the ncurses library provides rudimentary
+ support for POSIX threads. Several functions are
+ reentrant, but most require either a window-level or
+ screen-level mutex.
+ (This is API-compatible,
+ but not ABI-compatible with the normal library).
+
+
add NCURSES_OPAQUE symbol to curses.h, will
+ use to make structs opaque in selected configurations.
+
+
add NCURSES_EXT_FUNCS and
+ NCURSES_EXT_COLORS symbols to curses.h to make
+ it simpler to tell if the extended functions and/or colors
+ are declared.
+
+
add wresize() to C++ binding
+
+
eliminate fixed-buffer vsprintf() calls in C++ binding.
+
+
add several functions to C++ binding which wrap C functions
+ that pass a WINDOW* parameter.
+
+
adapt mouse-handling code from menu library in form-library
+
+
improve tracing for form library, showing created forms,
+ fields, etc.
+
+
make $NCURSES_NO_PADDING feature work for termcap interface .
+
+
add check to trace-file open, if the given name is a
+ directory, add ".log" to the name and try again.
+
+
several new manpages: curs_legacy.3x, curs_memleaks.3x,
+ curs_opaque.3x and curs_threads.3x
programs:
-
add new test programs: chgat.c, demo_altkeys.c,
- echochar.c, foldkeys.c, movewindow.c, redraw.c, (noting
- that existing test programs also were modified to test
- additional features).
-
-
modify tack to test extended capability function-key
- strings.
+
modified three test-programs to demonstrate the threading
+ support in this version: ditto, rain, worm.
-
modify toe to access termcap data, e.g., via cgetent()
- functions, or as a text file if those are not available.
+
several new test-programs: demo_panels, dots_mvcur,
+ inch_wide, inchs, key_name, key_names, savescreen,
+ savescreen.sh test_arrays, test_get_wstr, test_getstr,
+ test_instr, test_inwstr and test_opaque.
-
improve infocmp/tic -f option formatting.
+
add adacurses-config to the Ada95 install.
-
add toe -a option, to show all databases.
- This uses new private interfaces in the ncurses library for
- iterating through the list of databases.
+
modify tic -f option to format spaces as
+ \s to prevent them from being lost when that
+ is read back in unformatted strings.
-
modify MKfallback.sh to use
- tic -x when constructing fallback tables to
- allow extended capabilities to be retrieved from a fallback entry.
+
The tack program is now distributed separately
+ from ncurses.
terminal database
-
add terminfo entries for xfce terminal (xfce) and multi gnome terminal (mgt)
-
add nsterm-16color entry
-
updated mlterm terminfo entry
-
add kon, kon2 and jfbterm terminfo entry
-
remove invis capability from klone+sgr, mainly used by linux entry, since it does not really do this
-
add ka2, kb1, kb3, kc2 to vt220-keypad as an extension
-
add shifted up/down arrow codes to xterm-new as kind/kri strings
-
add hpterm-color terminfo entry
-
add 256color variants of terminfo entries for programs which are reported to implement this feature
-
correct order of use-clauses in rxvt-basic entry which made codes for f1-f4 vt100-style rather than vt220-style.
+
added entries:
+
+
Eterm-256color,
+ Eterm-88color and
+ rxvt-88color
+
aterm
+
konsole-256color
+
mrxvt
+
screen.mlterm
+
screen.rxvt
+
teraterm4.59 is now the primary primary
+ teraterm entry, renamed original to
+ teraterm2.3
+
9term terminal
+
Newbury Data entries
+
+
updated/improved entries:
+
+
gnome to version 2.22.3
+
h19, z100
+
konsole to version 1.6.6
+
mlterm, mlterm+pcfkeys
+
xterm, and building-blocks for function-keys
+ to xterm patch #230.
+
Major bug fixes:
-
correct a typo in configure --with-bool option for the
- case where --without-cxx is used.
+
add logic to tic for cancelling strings in user-defined
+ capabilities
+ (this is needed for
+ current konsole terminfo entry).
+
+
modify mk-1st.awk so the generated makefile rules for
+ linking or installing shared libraries do not first remove the
+ library, in case it is in use, e.g., libncurses.so by
+ /bin/sh.
+
+
correct check for notimeout() in wgetch().
+
+
fix a sign-extension bug in infocmp's repair_acsc() function.
+
+
change winnstr() to stop at the end of the line.
-
move assignment from environment variable ESCDELAY
- from initscr() down to newterm() so the
- environment variable affects timeouts for terminals opened with
- newterm() as well.
+
make Ada95 demo_panels() example work.
-
modify werase to clear multicolumn characters that
- extend into a derived window.
+
fix for adding a non-spacing character at the beginning of a line.
-
modify wchgat() to mark updated cells as changed so a
- refresh will repaint those cells.
+
fill in extended-color pair to make colors work
+ for wide-characters using extended-colors.
-
correct logic in wadd_wch() and
- wecho_wch(), which did not guard against passing the
- multi-column attribute into a call on waddch(), e.g.,
- using data returned by win_wch()
+
improve refresh of window on top of multi-column characters,
+ taking into account split characters on left/right window
+ boundaries.
-
fix redrawing of windows other than stdscr using
- wredrawln() by touching the corresponding rows in
- curscr.
+
modify win_wchnstr() to ensure that only a base cell
+ is returned for each multi-column character.
-
reduce memory leaks in repeated calls to tgetent() by
- remembering the last TERMINAL* value allocated to hold
- the corresponding data and freeing that if the
- tgetent() result buffer is the same as the previous
- call.
+
improve waddch() and winsch() handling of
+ EILSEQ from mbrtowc() by using unctrl()
+ to display illegal bytes rather than trying to append further bytes
+ to make up a valid sequence.
-
modify read_termtype() so the term_names
- data is always allocated as part of the str_table, a
- better fix for a memory leak.
+
restore curs_set() state after
+ endwin()/refresh()
-
fix wins_nwstr(), which did not handle single-column
- non-8bit codes.
+
modify keyname() to use "^X" form only if
+ meta() has been called, or if keyname()
+ is called without initializing curses, e.g., via
+ initscr() or newterm().
-
modify wbkgrnd() to avoid clearing the
- A_CHARTEXT attribute bits since those record the state
- of multicolumn characters.
+
modify unctrl() to check codes in 128-255 range versus
+ isprint().
+ If they are not printable, and locale was set, use a "M-" or "~"
+ sequence.
-
improve SIGWINCH handling by postponing its effect
- during newterm(), etc., when allocating screens.
+
improve resizeterm() by moving ripped-off lines, and
+ repainting the soft-keys.
-
remove 970913 feature for copying subwindows as they are moved in
- mvwin().
+
modify form library to accept control characters such as newline
+ in set_field_buffer(), which is compatible with Solaris.
-
add checks in waddchnstr() and
- wadd_wchnstr() to stop copying when a null character
- is found.
+
use NCURSES_MOUSE_MASK() in definition of
+ BUTTON_RELEASE(), etc., to make those work properly
+ with the --enable-ext-mouse configuration
-
add some checks to ensure current position is within scrolling
- region before scrolling on a new line.
+
correct some functions in Ada95 binding which were using return
+ value from C where none was returned.
-
add a workaround to ACS mapping to allow applications such as
- test/blue.c to use the "PC ROM" characters by masking them with
- A_ALTCHARSET. This worked up til 5.5, but was lost in the revision
- of legacy coding.
+
reviewed/fixed issues reported by Coverity and Klocwork tools.
Portability:
@@ -257,110 +242,115 @@ Portability:
new options:
-
--with-hashed-db
-
Use Berkeley hashed database for storing terminfo data rather than storing
- each compiled entry in a separate binary file within a directory
- tree.
-
-
--without-dlsym
-
Do not use dlsym() to load GPM dynamically.
-
-
--with-valgrind
-
Simplify building for testing with valgrind.
-
-
--enable-wgetch-events
-
Compile with experimental wgetch-events code.
-
-
--enable-signed-char
-
Store booleans in "signed char" rather than "char".
+
--disable-big-strings
+
control whether static string tables are generated as single
+ large strings (to improve startup performance), or as array
+ of individual strings.
+
+
--disable-relink
+
control whether shared libraries are relinked (during install)
+ when rpath is enabled.
+
+
--disable-tic-depends
+
make explicit whether tic library depends on ncurses/ncursesw
+ library.
+
+
--enable-mixed-case
+
override the configure script's check if the filesystem
+ supports mixed-case filenames.
+ This allows one to control how the terminal database
+ maps to the filesystem.
+ For filesystems that do not support mixed-case, the library
+ uses generate 2-character (hexadecimal) codes for the
+ lower-level of the filesystem terminfo database
+
+
--enable-reentrant
+
builds a different flavor of the ncurses library (ncursest)
+ which improves reentrant use of the
+ library by reducing global and static variables
+ (see the "--with-pthread" option for the threaded support).
+
+
--enable-weak-symbols
+
use weak-symbols for linking to the POSIX thread library,
+ and use the same soname for the ncurses shared library
+ as the normal library (caveat: the ABI is for the threaded
+ library, which makes global data accessed via functions).
+
+
--with-pthread
+
build with the POSIX thread library (tested with AIX,
+ Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, HPUX, IRIX64, Solaris, Tru64).
+
+
--with-ticlib
+
build/install the tic-support functions in a separate library
improved options:
-
--disable-largefile
-
make the option work both ways.
+
--enable-ext-colors
+
requires the wide-character configuration.
-
--with-gpm
-
The option now accepts a parameter,
- i.e., the name of the dynamic GPM library to load via
- dlopen()
+
--with-chtype
+
ignore option value "unsigned" is always added to
+ the type in curses.h; do the same for --with-mmask-t.
-
--disable-symlinks
-
The option now allows one to
- disable symlink() in tic even when
- link() does not work.
+
--with-dmalloc
+
build-fix for redefinition of strndup.
-
-
-
-
-
other configure/build issues:
remove special case for
- Darwin in CF_XOPEN_SOURCE configure macro.
-
-
add configure check to ensure that SIGWINCH is
- defined on platforms such as OS X which exclude that when
- _XOPEN_SOURCE, etc., are defined
-
-
use ld's -search_paths_first option on Darwin
- to work around odd search rules on that platform.
-
-
improve ifdef's for _POSIX_VDISABLE in tset to
- work with Mac OS X.
-
-
modify configure script to ensure that if the C compiler is
- used rather than the loader in making shared libraries, the
- $(CFLAGS) variable is also used.
+
--with-hashed-db
+
accepts a parameter which is the install-prefix of a given
+ Berkeley Database.
-
use ${CC} rather than ${LD} in
- shared library rules for IRIX64, Solaris to help ensure
- that initialization sections are provided for extra linkage
- requirements, e.g., of C++ applications.
+
--with-hashed-db
+
the $LIBS environment variable overrides the search for the db
+ library.
-
improve some shared-library configure scripting for Linux,
- FreeBSD and NetBSD to make
- --with-shlib-version work.
+
--without-hashed-db
+
assumed when "--disable-database" is used.
-
split up dependency of names.c and
- codes.c in ncurses/Makefile to
- work with parallel make.
+
-
modify MKlib_gen.sh to change
- preprocessor-expanded _Bool back to bool.
+
-
modify progs/Makefile.in to make
- tput init work properly with cygwin,
- i.e., do not pass a .exe in the reference
- string used in check_aliases.
+
other configure/build issues:
+
+
build-fixes for LynxOS
+
modify shared-library rules to allow FreeBSD 3.x to use rpath.
+
build-fix for FreeBSD "contemporary" TTY interface.
+
build-fixes for AIX with libtool.
+
build-fixes for Darwin and libtool.
+
modify BeOS-specific ifdef's to build on Haiku.
+
corrected gcc options for building shared libraries on Solaris
+ and IRIX64.
+
change shared-library configuration for OpenBSD, make rpath work.
+
build-fixes for using libutf8, e.g., on OpenBSD 3.7
+
add "-e" option in ncurses/Makefile.in when generating source-files
+ to force earlier exit if the build environment fails unexpectedly.
+
add support for shared libraries for QNX.
+
change delimiter in MKlib_gen.sh from '%' to '@', to
+ avoid substitution by IBM xlc to '#' as part of its extensions to
+ digraphs.
library:
-
ignore wide-acs line-drawing characters that
- wcwidth() claims are not one-column. This is
- a workaround for Solaris' broken locale support.
-
-
reduce name-pollution in term.h by removing
- #define's for HAVE_xxx symbols.
-
-
fix #ifdef in c++/internal.h for
- QNX 6.1
+
rewrite wrapper for wcrtomb(), making it work on
+ Solaris. This is used in the form library to determine the length
+ of the buffer needed by field_buffer.
+
add/use configure script macro CF_SIG_ATOMIC_T, use the corresponding
+ type for data manipulated by signal handlers.
+
set locale in misc/ncurses-config.in since it uses a range
+
disable GPM mouse support when $TERM does not happen to contain
+ "linux", since Gpm_Open() no longer limits its assertion to terminals
+ that it might handle, e.g., within "screen" in xterm.
+
reset mouse file-descriptor when unloading GPM library.
-
test programs:
modify test/configure script
- to allow building test programs with PDCurses/X11.
-
-
modified test programs to allow some to work with NetBSD
- curses. Several do not because NetBSD curses implements a
- subset of X/Open curses, and also lacks much of SVr4
- additions. But it is enough for comparison.
-
-
improved test/configure to build test/ncurses
- on HPUX 11 using the vendor curses.
-
-
change configure script to produce
- test/Makefile from data file.
+
test programs:
+
+
update test programs to build/work with various UNIX curses for
+ comparisons.
@@ -410,6 +400,8 @@ and define_key() allow
you to better control the use of function keys,
e.g., disabling the ncurses KEY_MOUSE,
or by defining more than one control sequence to map to a given key code.
+
Support for 256-color terminals, such as modern xterm, when configured
+using the --enable-ext-colors option.
Support for 16-color terminals, such as aixterm and modern xterm.
Better cursor-movement optimization. The package now features a
cursor-local-movement computation more efficient than either BSD's
@@ -513,14 +505,10 @@ for similar applications on GNU/Linux.