X-Git-Url: http://ncurses.scripts.mit.edu/?p=ncurses.git;a=blobdiff_plain;f=doc%2Fhtml%2Fman%2Fterminfo.5.html;h=2cd565e8a72f6092a149b4452aa21ffc03e21271;hp=d0d65def47a67371598f3a4409c4ccd91fb7e7c5;hb=e2d7d0028f4298dca2b0edaf2dc8ce30518d9218;hpb=55ccd2b959766810cf7db8d1c4462f338ce0afc8
diff --git a/doc/html/man/terminfo.5.html b/doc/html/man/terminfo.5.html
index d0d65def..2cd565e8 100644
--- a/doc/html/man/terminfo.5.html
+++ b/doc/html/man/terminfo.5.html
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
* Note: this must be run through tbl before nroff.
* The magic cookie on the first line triggers this under some man programs.
****************************************************************************
- * Copyright (c) 1998-2002,2004 Free Software Foundation, Inc. *
+ * Copyright (c) 1998-2012,2013 Free Software Foundation, Inc. *
* *
* Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a *
* copy of this software and associated documentation files (the *
@@ -32,10 +32,11 @@
* sale, use or other dealings in this Software without prior written *
* authorization. *
****************************************************************************
- * @Id: terminfo.head,v 1.12 2004/09/25 19:07:11 tom Exp @
+ * @Id: terminfo.head,v 1.20 2013/03/02 23:52:37 tom Exp @
* Head of terminfo man page ends here
- * @Id: terminfo.tail,v 1.42 2005/06/25 22:46:03 tom Exp @
+ * @Id: terminfo.tail,v 1.61 2013/03/03 00:06:39 tom Exp @
* Beginning of terminfo.tail file
+ * This file is part of ncurses.
* See "terminfo.head" for copyright.
*.in -2
*.in +2
@@ -45,16 +46,16 @@
-->
-TERMINFO 5 File Formats
+terminfo 5 File Formats
-
TERMINFO 5 File Formats
+
terminfo 5 File Formats
-TERMINFO(5) File Formats TERMINFO(5)
+terminfo(5) File Formats terminfo(5)
@@ -76,42 +77,42 @@
libraries such as curses(3x). Terminfo 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.
+ fying padding requirements and initialization sequences.
+ This describes ncurses version 5.9 (patch 20130309).
Entries in terminfo 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
- be a long name fully identifying the terminal, and all
- others are understood as synonyms for the terminal name.
+ 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
+ be a long name fully identifying the terminal, and all
+ others are understood as synonyms for the terminal name.
All names but the last should be in lower case and contain
- no blanks; the last name may well contain upper case and
+ no blanks; the last name may well contain upper case and
blanks for readability.
Lines beginning with a `#' in the first column are treated
- as comments. While comment lines are legal at any point,
- the output of captoinfo and infotocap (aliases for tic)
+ as comments. While comment lines are legal at any point,
+ the output of captoinfo and infotocap (aliases for tic)
will move comments so they occur only between entries.
- Newlines and leading tabs may be used for formatting
- entries for readability. These are removed from parsed
- entries. The infocmp-f option relies on this to format
- if-then-else expressions: the result can be read by tic.
+ Newlines and leading tabs may be used for formatting
+ entries for readability. These are removed from parsed
+ entries. The infocmp-f option relies on this to format
+ if-then-else expressions: the result can be read by tic.
Terminal names (except for the last, verbose entry) should
be chosen using the following conventions. The particular
- piece of hardware making up the terminal should have a
- root name, thus ``hp2621''. This name should not contain
+ piece of hardware making up the terminal should have a
+ root name, thus "hp2621". This name should not contain
hyphens. Modes that the hardware can be in, or user pref-
- erences, should be indicated by appending a hyphen and a
- mode suffix. Thus, a vt100 in 132 column mode would be
+ erences, should be indicated by appending a hyphen and a
+ mode suffix. Thus, a vt100 in 132 column mode would be
vt100-w. The following suffixes should be used where pos-
sible:
-
SuffixMeaningExample
-nn Number of lines on the screen aaa-60
-np Number of pages of memory c100-4p
@@ -128,44 +129,44 @@
-w Wide mode (> 80 columns, usually 132) vt100-w
- For more on terminal naming conventions, see the term(7)
+ For more on terminal naming conventions, see the term(7)
manual page.
- Capabilities
- The following is a complete table of the capabilities
- included in a terminfo description block and available to
+ PredefinedCapabilities
+ 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 variable is the name by which the programmer (at the
+ The variable is the name by which the programmer (at the
terminfo level) accesses the capability.
- The capname 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
+ The capname 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
- by ECMA-48, which uses identical or very similar names).
+ by ECMA-48, which uses identical or very similar names).
Semantics are also intended to match those of the specifi-
cation.
- The termcap code is the old termcap capability name (some
+ The termcap code is the old termcap 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 Caps to
+ 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 Caps to
line up nicely.
- Finally, the description field attempts to convey the
- semantics of the capability. You may find some codes in
+ Finally, the description field attempts to convey the
+ semantics of the capability. You may find some codes in
the description field:
(P) indicates that padding may be specified
- #[1-9] in the description field indicates that the string
+ #[1-9] in the description field indicates that the string
is passed through tparm with parms as given (#i).
- (P*) indicates that padding may vary in proportion to
+ (P*) indicates that padding may vary in proportion to
the number of lines affected
(#i) indicates the ith parameter.
@@ -174,182 +175,182 @@
These are the boolean capabilities:
- VariableCap-TCapDescription
- BooleansnameCode
- auto_left_margin bw bw cub1 wraps from col-
+ VariableCap-TCapDescription
+ BooleansnameCode
+ auto_left_margin bw bw cub1 wraps from col-
umn 0 to last column
- auto_right_margin am am terminal has auto-
+ auto_right_margin am am terminal has auto-
matic margins
- back_color_erase bce ut screen erased with
+ back_color_erase bce ut screen erased with
background color
- can_change ccc cc terminal can re-
+ can_change ccc cc terminal can re-
define existing col-
ors
- ceol_standout_glitch xhp xs standout not erased
+ ceol_standout_glitch xhp xs standout not erased
by overwriting (hp)
- col_addr_glitch xhpa YA only positive motion
+ col_addr_glitch xhpa YA only positive motion
for hpa/mhpa caps
- cpi_changes_res cpix YF changing character
+ cpi_changes_res cpix YF changing character
pitch changes reso-
lution
- cr_cancels_micro_mode crxm YB using cr turns off
+ cr_cancels_micro_mode crxm YB using cr turns off
micro mode
- dest_tabs_magic_smso xt xt tabs destructive,
+ dest_tabs_magic_smso xt xt tabs destructive,
magic so char
(t1061)
- eat_newline_glitch xenl xn newline ignored
+ eat_newline_glitch xenl xn newline ignored
after 80 cols (con-
cept)
- erase_overstrike eo eo can erase over-
+ erase_overstrike eo eo can erase over-
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
+ 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
+ has_meta_key km km Has a meta key
(i.e., sets 8th-bit)
- has_print_wheel daisy YC printer needs opera-
+ has_print_wheel daisy YC printer needs opera-
tor to change char-
acter set
- has_status_line hs hs has extra status
+ has_status_line hs hs has extra status
line
- hue_lightness_saturation hls hl terminal uses only
+ hue_lightness_saturation hls hl terminal uses only
HLS color notation
(Tektronix)
- insert_null_glitch in in insert mode distin-
+ insert_null_glitch in in insert mode distin-
guishes nulls
- lpi_changes_res lpix YG changing line pitch
+ lpi_changes_res lpix YG changing line pitch
changes resolution
- memory_above da da display may be
+ memory_above da da display may be
retained above the
screen
- memory_below db db display may be
+ memory_below db db display may be
retained below the
screen
- move_insert_mode mir mi safe to move while
+ move_insert_mode mir mi safe to move while
in insert mode
- move_standout_mode msgr ms safe to move while
+ move_standout_mode msgr ms safe to move while
in standout mode
- needs_xon_xoff nxon nx padding will not
+ needs_xon_xoff nxon nx padding will not
work, xon/xoff
required
- no_esc_ctlc xsb xb beehive (f1=escape,
+ no_esc_ctlc xsb xb beehive (f1=escape,
f2=ctrl C)
- no_pad_char npc NP pad character does
+ no_pad_char npc NP pad character does
not exist
- non_dest_scroll_region ndscr ND scrolling region is
+ non_dest_scroll_region ndscr ND scrolling region is
non-destructive
- non_rev_rmcup nrrmc NR smcup does not
+ non_rev_rmcup nrrmc NR smcup does not
reverse rmcup
- over_strike os os terminal can over-
+ over_strike os os terminal can over-
strike
- prtr_silent mc5i 5i printer will not
+ prtr_silent mc5i 5i printer will not
echo on screen
- row_addr_glitch xvpa YD only positive motion
+ row_addr_glitch xvpa YD only positive motion
for vpa/mvpa caps
- semi_auto_right_margin sam YE printing in last
+ semi_auto_right_margin sam YE printing in last
column causes cr
- status_line_esc_ok eslok es escape can be used
+ status_line_esc_ok eslok es escape can be used
on the status line
- tilde_glitch hz hz cannot print ~'s
+ tilde_glitch hz hz cannot print ~'s
(hazeltine)
- transparent_underline ul ul underline character
+ transparent_underline ul ul underline character
overstrikes
- xon_xoff xon xo terminal uses
+ xon_xoff xon xo terminal uses
xon/xoff handshaking
These are the numeric capabilities:
- VariableCap-TCapDescription
- NumericnameCode
- columns cols co number of columns in
+ VariableCap-TCapDescription
+ NumericnameCode
+ columns cols co number of columns in
a line
- init_tabs it it tabs initially every
+ init_tabs it it tabs initially every
# spaces
- label_height lh lh rows in each label
- label_width lw lw columns in each
+ label_height lh lh rows in each label
+ label_width lw lw columns in each
label
- lines lines li number of lines on
+ lines lines li number of lines on
screen or page
- lines_of_memory lm lm lines of memory if >
+ lines_of_memory lm lm lines of memory if >
line. 0 means varies
- magic_cookie_glitch xmc sg number of blank
+ magic_cookie_glitch xmc sg number of blank
characters left by
smso or rmso
- max_attributes ma ma maximum combined
+ max_attributes ma ma maximum combined
attributes terminal
can handle
- max_colors colors Co maximum number of
+ max_colors colors Co maximum number of
colors on screen
- max_pairs pairs pa maximum number of
+ max_pairs pairs pa maximum number of
color-pairs on the
screen
- maximum_windows wnum MW maximum number of
+ maximum_windows wnum MW maximum number of
defineable windows
- no_color_video ncv NC video attributes
+ no_color_video ncv NC video attributes
that cannot be used
with colors
- num_labels nlab Nl number of labels on
+ num_labels nlab Nl number of labels on
screen
- padding_baud_rate pb pb lowest baud rate
+ padding_baud_rate pb pb lowest baud rate
where padding needed
- virtual_terminal vt vt virtual terminal
+ virtual_terminal vt vt virtual terminal
number (CB/unix)
- width_status_line wsl ws number of columns in
+ 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.
- VariableCap-TCapDescription
- NumericnameCode
- bit_image_entwining bitwin Yo number of passes for
+ VariableCap-TCapDescription
+ NumericnameCode
+ bit_image_entwining bitwin Yo number of passes for
each bit-image row
- bit_image_type bitype Yp type of bit-image
+ bit_image_type bitype Yp type of bit-image
device
- buffer_capacity bufsz Ya numbers of bytes
+ buffer_capacity bufsz Ya numbers of bytes
buffered before
printing
- buttons btns BT number of buttons on
+ buttons btns BT number of buttons on
mouse
- dot_horz_spacing spinh Yc spacing of dots hor-
+ dot_horz_spacing spinh Yc spacing of dots hor-
izontally in dots
per inch
- dot_vert_spacing spinv Yb spacing of pins ver-
+ dot_vert_spacing spinv Yb spacing of pins ver-
tically in pins per
inch
- max_micro_address maddr Yd maximum value in
+ max_micro_address maddr Yd maximum value in
micro_..._address
- max_micro_jump mjump Ye maximum value in
+ max_micro_jump mjump Ye maximum value in
parm_..._micro
- micro_col_size mcs Yf character step size
+ micro_col_size mcs Yf character step size
when in micro mode
- micro_line_size mls Yg line step size when
+ micro_line_size mls Yg line step size when
in micro mode
- number_of_pins npins Yh numbers of pins in
+ number_of_pins npins Yh numbers of pins in
print-head
- output_res_char orc Yi horizontal resolu-
+ output_res_char orc Yi horizontal resolu-
tion in units per
line
- output_res_horz_inch orhi Yk horizontal resolu-
+ output_res_horz_inch orhi Yk horizontal resolu-
tion in units per
inch
- output_res_line orl Yj vertical resolution
+ output_res_line orl Yj vertical resolution
in units per line
- output_res_vert_inch orvi Yl vertical resolution
+ output_res_vert_inch orvi Yl vertical resolution
in units per inch
- print_rate cps Ym print rate in char-
+ print_rate cps Ym print rate in char-
acters per second
- wide_char_size widcs Yn character step size
+ wide_char_size widcs Yn character step size
when in double wide
mode
@@ -401,8 +402,8 @@
prototype !?
create_window cwin CW define a window #1
from #2,#3 to #4,#5
- cursor_address cup cm move to row #1
- columns #2
+ cursor_address cup cm move to row #1 col-
+ umns #2
cursor_down cud1 do down one line
cursor_home home ho home cursor (if no
cup)
@@ -988,13 +989,14 @@
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 ncurses 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
- terminfo entries after SVr4.1; beware!
+ The XSI Curses standard added these hardcopy capabili-
+ ties. They were used in some post-4.1 versions of System
+ V curses, e.g., Solaris 2.5 and IRIX 6.x. Except for YI,
+ the ncurses termcap names for them are invented. Accord-
+ ing 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 terminfo
+ entries after SVr4.1; beware!
VariableCap-TCapDescription
@@ -1014,10 +1016,53 @@
set_a_attributes sgr1 sA Define second set of
video attributes
#1-#6
- set_pglen_inch slengthsL YI Set page length
- to #1 hundredth of
- an inch
-
+ set_pglen_inch slengthYI Set page length to
+ #1 hundredth of an
+ inch (some implemen-
+ tations use sL for
+ termcap).
+
+ User-DefinedCapabilities
+ The preceding section listed the predefined capabilities.
+ They deal with some special features for terminals no
+ longer (or possibly never) produced. Occasionally there
+ are special features of newer terminals which are awkward
+ or impossible to represent by reusing the predefined capa-
+ bilities.
+
+ ncurses addresses this limitation by allowing user-defined
+ capabilities. The tic and infocmp programs provide the -x
+ option for this purpose. When -x is set, tic treats
+ unknown capabilities as user-defined. That is, if tic
+ encounters a capability name which it does not recognize,
+ it infers its type (boolean, number or string) from the
+ syntax and makes an extended table entry for that capabil-
+ ity. The use_extended_names function makes this informa-
+ tion conditionally available to applications. The ncurses
+ library provides the data leaving most of the behavior to
+ applications:
+
+ o User-defined capability strings whose name begins with
+ "k" are treated as function keys.
+
+ o The types (boolean, number, string) determined by tic
+ can be inferred by successful calls on tigetflag, etc.
+
+ o If the capability name happens to be two characters,
+ the capability is also available through the termcap
+ interface.
+
+ While termcap is said to be extensible because it does not
+ use a predefined set of capabilities, in practice it has
+ been limited to the capabilities defined by terminfo
+ implementations. As a rule, user-defined capabilities
+ intended for use by termcap applications should be limited
+ to booleans and numbers to avoid running past the 1023
+ byte limit assumed by termcap implementations and their
+ applications. In particular, providing extended sets of
+ function keys (past the 60 numbered keys and the handful
+ of special named keys) is best done using the longer names
+ available using terminfo.
ASampleEntry
The following entry, describing an ANSI-standard terminal,
@@ -1047,14 +1092,17 @@
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 terminfo are of three types: Boolean capa-
- bilities which indicate that the terminal has some
- particular 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.
+ Comments may be included on lines beginning with "#".
+ Capabilities in terminfo are of three types:
+ o Boolean capabilities which indicate that the terminal
+ has some particular feature,
+
+ o numeric capabilities giving the size of the terminal
+ or the size of particular delays, and
+
+ o string capabilities, which give a sequence which can
+ be used to perform particular terminal operations.
TypesofCapabilities
All capabilities have names. For instance, the fact that
@@ -1079,12 +1127,32 @@
Both \E and \e map to an ESCAPE character, ^x maps to a
control-x for any appropriate x, and the sequences \n\l\r\t\b\f\s give a newline, line-feed, return, tab,
- backspace, form-feed, and space. Other escapes include \^
- for ^, \\ for \, \, for comma, \: for :, and \0 for null.
- (\0 will produce \200, which does not terminate a string
- but behaves as a null character on most terminals, provid-
- ing CS7 is specified. See stty(1).) Finally, characters
- may be given as three octal digits after a \.
+ backspace, form-feed, and space. Other escapes include
+
+ o\^ for ^,
+
+ o\\ for \,
+
+ o\, for comma,
+
+ o\: for :,
+
+ o and \0 for null.
+
+ \0 will produce \200, which does not terminate a
+ string but behaves as a null character on most termi-
+ nals, providing CS7 is specified. See stty(1).
+
+ The reason for this quirk is to maintain binary com-
+ patibility of the compiled terminfo files with other
+ implementations, e.g., the SVr4 systems, which docu-
+ ment this. Compiled terminfo files use null-termi-
+ nated strings, with no lengths. Modifying this would
+ require a new binary format, which would not work with
+ other implementations.
+
+ Finally, characters may be given as three octal digits
+ after a \.
A delay in milliseconds may appear anywhere in a string
capability, enclosed in $<..> brackets, as in el=\EK$<5>,
@@ -1107,86 +1175,95 @@
To do this, put a period before the capability name. For
example, see the second ind in the example above.
-
FetchingCompiledDescriptions
- 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 ncurses version of the ter-
- minfo reader code will instead look in the directory
- $HOME/.terminfo 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 /usr/share/terminfo). 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,
- /usr/share/terminfo.
-
- (Neither the $HOME/.terminfo lookups nor TERMINFO_DIRS
- extensions are supported under stock System V ter-
- minfo/curses.)
+ The ncurses library searches for terminal descriptions in
+ several places. It uses only the first description found.
+ The library has a compiled-in list of places to search
+ which can be overridden by environment variables. Before
+ starting to search, ncurses eliminates duplicates in its
+ search list.
+
+ o If the environment variable TERMINFO is set, it is
+ interpreted as the pathname of a directory containing
+ the compiled description you are working on. Only
+ that directory is searched.
+
+ o If TERMINFO is not set, ncurses will instead look in
+ the directory $HOME/.terminfo for a compiled descrip-
+ tion.
+
+ o Next, if the environment variable TERMINFO_DIRS is
+ set, ncurses will interpret the contents of that vari-
+ able as a list of colon-separated directories (or
+ database files) to be searched.
+ An empty directory name (i.e., if the variable begins
+ or ends with a colon, or contains adacent colons) is
+ interpreted as the system location /usr/share/ter-
+ minfo.
+
+ o Finally, ncurses searches these compiled-in locations:
+
+ o a list of directories
+ (/usr/local/ncurses/share/terminfo:/usr/share/ter-
+ minfo), and
+
+ o the system terminfo directory, /usr/share/terminfo
+ (the compiled-in default).
PreparingDescriptions
- 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
- terminfo and to build up a description gradually, using
+ 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
+ terminfo and to build up a description gradually, using
partial descriptions with vi or some other screen-oriented
- program to check that they are correct. Be aware that a
+ program to check that they are correct. Be aware that a
very unusual terminal may expose deficiencies in the abil-
- ity of the terminfo file to describe it or bugs in the
+ ity of the terminfo 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.
-
BasicCapabilities
- The number of columns on each line for the terminal is
- given by the cols numeric capability. If the terminal is
- a CRT, then the number of lines on the screen is given by
+ The number of columns on each line for the terminal is
+ given by the cols numeric capability. If the terminal is
+ a CRT, then the number of lines on the screen is given by
the lines capability. If the terminal wraps around to the
- beginning of the next line when it reaches the right mar-
+ beginning of the next line when it reaches the right mar-
gin, then it should have the am capability. If the termi-
- nal can clear its screen, leaving the cursor in the home
- position, then this is given by the clear string capabil-
- ity. If the terminal overstrikes (rather than clearing a
- position when a character is struck over) then it should
- have the os capability. If the terminal is a printing
- terminal, with no soft copy unit, give it both hc and os.
- (os applies to storage scope terminals, such as TEKTRONIX
- 4010 series, as well as hard copy and APL terminals.) If
+ nal can clear its screen, leaving the cursor in the home
+ position, then this is given by the clear string capabil-
+ ity. If the terminal overstrikes (rather than clearing a
+ position when a character is struck over) then it should
+ have the os capability. If the terminal is a printing
+ terminal, with no soft copy unit, give it both hc and os.
+ (os 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 cr. (Normally this will be car-
- riage return, control M.) If there is a code to produce
+ riage return, control M.) If there is a code to produce
an audible signal (bell, beep, etc) give this as bel.
- If there is a code to move the cursor one position to the
- left (such as backspace) that capability should be given
- as cub1. Similarly, codes to move to the right, up, and
+ If there is a code to move the cursor one position to the
+ left (such as backspace) that capability should be given
+ as cub1. Similarly, codes to move to the right, up, and
down should be given as cuf1, cuu1, and cud1. These local
- cursor motions should not alter the text they pass over,
- for example, you would not normally use `cuf1= ' because
+ cursor motions should not alter the text they pass over,
+ for example, you would not normally use `cuf1= ' because
the space would erase the character moved over.
- A very important point here is that the local cursor
- motions encoded in terminfo are undefined at the left and
- top edges of a CRT terminal. Programs should never
- attempt to backspace around the left edge, unless bw is
+ A very important point here is that the local cursor
+ motions encoded in terminfo are undefined at the left and
+ top edges of a CRT terminal. Programs should never
+ attempt to backspace around the left edge, unless bw 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
+ order to scroll text up, a program will go to the bottom
left corner of the screen and send the ind (index) string.
To scroll text down, a program goes to the top left corner
@@ -1230,11 +1307,10 @@
am, bel=^G, clear=^Z, cols#80, cr=^M, cub1=^H, cud1=^J,
ind=^J, lines#24,
-
ParameterizedStrings
Cursor addressing and other strings requiring parameters
in the terminal are described by a parameterized string
- capability, with printf(3S) like escapes %x in it. For
+ capability, with printf(3) like escapes %x in it. For
example, to address the cursor, the cup capability is
given, using two parameters: the row and column to address
to. (Rows and columns are numbered from zero and refer to
@@ -1252,11 +1328,12 @@
The % encodings have the following meanings:
-
%% outputs `%'
%[[:]flags][width[.precision]][doxXs]
- as in printf, flags are [-+#] and space
+ as in printf, flags are [-+#] and space. Use a `:'
+ to allow the next character to be a `-' flag, avoid-
+ ing interpreting "%-" as an operator.
%c print pop() like %c in printf
@@ -1313,9 +1390,9 @@
%? expr %t thenpart %e elsepart %;
This forms an if-then-else. The %e elsepart is
optional. Usually the %? expr part pushes a value
- onto the stack, and %t pops it from the stack,
- testing if it is nonzero (true). If it is zero
- (false), control passes to the %e (else) part.
+ onto the stack, and %t pops it from the stack, test-
+ ing if it is nonzero (true). If it is zero (false),
+ control passes to the %e (else) part.
It is possible to form else-if's a la Algol 68:
%? c1 %t b1 %e c2 %t b2 %e c3 %t b3 %e c4 %t b4 %e %;
@@ -1323,20 +1400,20 @@
where ci are conditions, bi are bodies.
Use the -f option of tic or infocmp to see the struc-
- ture of if-the-else's. Some strings, e.g., sgr can
+ ture of if-then-else's. Some strings, e.g., sgr can
be very complicated when written on one line. The -f
- option splits the string into lines with the parts
+ option splits the string into lines with the parts
indented.
Binary operations are in postfix form with the operands in
- the usual order. That is, to get x-5 one would use
- "%gx%{5}%-". %P and %g variables are persistent across
+ the usual order. That is, to get x-5 one would use
+ "%gx%{5}%-". %P and %g variables are persistent across
escape-string evaluations.
Consider the HP2645, which, to get to row 3 and column 12,
- 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-
+ 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 cup capability is "cup=6\E&%p2%2dc%p1%2dY".
The Microterm ACT-IV needs the current row and column sent
@@ -1359,7 +1436,6 @@
ter. Then the same is done for the second parameter.
More complex arithmetic is possible using the stack.
-
CursorMotions
If the terminal has a fast way to home the cursor (to very
upper left corner of screen) then this can be given as
@@ -1399,7 +1475,6 @@
rmcup sequence is output (to the state prior to outputting
rmcup), specify nrrmc.
-
AreaClears
If the terminal can clear from the current position to the
end of the line, leaving the cursor where it is, this
@@ -1412,7 +1487,6 @@
(Thus, it can be simulated by a request to delete a large
number of lines, if a true ed is not available.)
-
Insert/deletelineandverticalmotions
If the terminal can open a new blank line before the line
where the cursor is, this should be given as il1; this is
@@ -1445,8 +1519,8 @@
Inserting lines at the top or bottom of the screen can
also be done using ri or ind on many terminals without a
- true insert/delete line, and is often faster even on
- terminals with those features.
+ true insert/delete line, and is often faster even on ter-
+ minals with those features.
The boolean non_dest_scroll_region should be set if each
scrolling window is effectively a view port on a screen-
@@ -1475,7 +1549,6 @@
lines up from below or that scrolling back with ri may
bring down non-blank lines.
-
Insert/DeleteCharacter
There are two basic kinds of intelligent terminals with
respect to insert/delete character which can be described
@@ -1486,24 +1559,26 @@
Elmer Owl, make a distinction between typed and untyped
blanks on the screen, shifting upon an insert or delete
only to an untyped blank on the screen which is either
- eliminated, or expanded to two untyped blanks. You can
- determine the kind of terminal you have by clearing the
- screen and then typing text separated by cursor motions.
- Type "abc def" using local cursor motions (not spaces)
- between the "abc" and the "def". Then position the cursor
- before the "abc" and put the terminal in insert mode. If
- typing characters causes the rest of the line to shift
- rigidly and characters to fall off the end, then your ter-
- minal does not distinguish between blanks and untyped
- 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 in, which stands
- for "insert null". While these are two logically separate
- 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.
+ eliminated, or expanded to two untyped blanks.
+
+ You can determine the kind of terminal you have by clear-
+ ing the screen and then typing text separated by cursor
+ motions. Type "abc def" using local cursor motions
+ (not spaces) between the "abc" and the "def". Then posi-
+ tion the cursor before the "abc" and put the terminal in
+ insert mode. If typing characters causes the rest of the
+ line to shift rigidly and characters to fall off the end,
+ then your terminal does not distinguish between blanks and
+ untyped 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 in, which
+ stands for "insert null".
+
+ While these are two logically separate attributes (one
+ line versus multi-line insert mode, and special treatment
+ of untyped spaces) we have seen no terminals whose insert
+ mode cannot be described with the single attribute.
Terminfo can describe both terminals which have an insert
mode, and terminals which send a simple sequence to open a
@@ -1540,8 +1615,8 @@
of ich1n times.
If padding is necessary between characters typed while not
- in insert mode, give this as a number of milliseconds
- padding in rmp.
+ in insert mode, give this as a number of milliseconds pad-
+ ding in rmp.
It is occasionally necessary to move around while in
insert mode to delete characters on the same line (e.g.,
@@ -1562,7 +1637,6 @@
n blanks without moving the cursor) can be given as ech
with one parameter.
-
Highlighting,Underlining,andVisibleBells
If your terminal has one or more kinds of display
attributes, these can be represented in a number of dif-
@@ -1573,155 +1647,183 @@
plus half-bright is good, or reverse video alone.) The
sequences to enter and exit standout mode are given as
smso and rmso, 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,
+ or out of standout mode leaves one or even two blank spa-
+ ces on the screen, as the TVI 912 and Teleray 1061 do,
then xmc should be given to tell how many spaces are left.
- Codes to begin underlining and end underlining can be
- given as smul and rmul respectively. If the terminal has
- a code to underline the current character and move the
+ Codes to begin underlining and end underlining can be
+ given as smul and rmul 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 uc.
- Other capabilities to enter various highlighting modes
- include blink (blinking) bold (bold or extra bright) dim
- (dim or half-bright) invis (blanking or invisible text)
- prot (protected) rev (reverse video) sgr0 (turn off all
- attribute modes) smacs (enter alternate character set
- mode) and rmacs (exit alternate character set mode).
- Turning on any of these modes singly may or may not turn
+ Other capabilities to enter various highlighting modes
+ include blink (blinking) bold (bold or extra bright) dim
+ (dim or half-bright) invis (blanking or invisible text)
+ prot (protected) rev (reverse video) sgr0 (turn off all
+ attribute modes) smacs (enter alternate character set
+ mode) and rmacs (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 sgr (set attributes), tak-
- ing 9 parameters. Each parameter is either 0 or nonzero,
+ If there is a sequence to set arbitrary combinations of
+ modes, this should be given as sgr (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 sgr, only those for which
+ eters are, in order: standout, underline, reverse, blink,
+ dim, bold, blank, protect, alternate character set. Not
+ all modes need be supported by sgr, only those for which
corresponding separate attribute commands exist.
For example, the DEC vt220 supports most of the modes:
-
- tparmparameterattributeescapesequence
-
- 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
- p6 bold \E[0;1m
- p7 invis \E[0;8m
- p8 protect not used
- p9 altcharset ^O (off) ^N (on)
-
- We begin each escape sequence by turning off any existing
- modes, since there is no quick way to determine whether
+ tparmparameterattributeescapesequence
+
+ 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
+ p6 bold \E[0;1m
+ p7 invis \E[0;8m
+ p8 protect not used
+ p9 altcharset ^O (off) ^N (on)
+
+ We begin each escape sequence by turning off any existing
+ modes, since there is no quick way to determine whether
they are active. Standout is set up to be the combination
- of reverse and bold. The vt220 terminal has a protect
- mode, though it is not commonly used in sgr because it
- protects characters on the screen from the host's era-
- sures. The altcharset mode also is different in that it
- is either ^O or ^N, depending on whether it is off or on.
- If all modes are turned on, the resulting sequence is
+ of reverse and bold. The vt220 terminal has a protect
+ mode, though it is not commonly used in sgr because it
+ protects characters on the screen from the host's era-
+ sures. The altcharset mode also is different in that it
+ is either ^O or ^N, depending on whether it is off or on.
+ If all modes are turned on, the resulting sequence is
\E[0;1;4;5;7;8m^N.
- Some sequences are common to different modes. For exam-
- ple, ;7 is output when either p1 or p3 is true, that is,
+ Some sequences are common to different modes. For exam-
+ ple, ;7 is output when either p1 or p3 is true, that is,
if either standout or reverse modes are turned on.
- Writing out the above sequences, along with their depen-
+ Writing out the above sequences, along with their depen-
dencies yields
+ sequencewhentooutputterminfotranslation
- sequencewhentooutputterminfotranslation
-
- \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%;
- m always m
- ^N or ^O if p9 ^N, else ^O %?%p9%t^N%e^O%;
+ \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%;
+ m always m
+ ^N or ^O if p9 ^N, else ^O %?%p9%t^N%e^O%;
Putting this all together into the sgr sequence gives:
sgr=\E[0%?%p1%p6%|%t;1%;%?%p2%t;4%;%?%p1%p3%|%t;7%;
%?%p4%t;5%;%?%p7%t;8%;m%?%p9%t\016%e\017%;,
- Remember that if you specify sgr, you must also specify
- sgr0. Also, some implementations rely on sgr being given
- if sgr0 is, Not all terminfo entries necessarily have an
- sgr string, however. Many terminfo entries are derived
- from termcap entries which have no sgr string. The only
- drawback to adding an sgr string is that termcap also
- assumes that sgr0 does not exit alternate character set
+ Remember that if you specify sgr, you must also specify
+ sgr0. Also, some implementations rely on sgr being given
+ if sgr0 is, Not all terminfo entries necessarily have an
+ sgr string, however. Many terminfo entries are derived
+ from termcap entries which have no sgr string. The only
+ drawback to adding an sgr string is that termcap also
+ assumes that sgr0 does not exit alternate character set
mode.
- Terminals with the ``magic cookie'' glitch (xmc) deposit
- special ``cookies'' when they receive mode-setting
- sequences, which affect the display algorithm rather than
- having extra bits for each character. Some terminals,
- such as the HP 2621, automatically leave standout mode
- 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
- msgr capability, asserting that it is safe to move in
+ Terminals with the "magic cookie" glitch (xmc) deposit
+ special "cookies" when they receive mode-setting
+ sequences, which affect the display algorithm rather than
+ having extra bits for each character. Some terminals,
+ such as the HP 2621, automatically leave standout mode
+ 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
+ msgr 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
+ 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 flash; it must not move the cursor.
- If the cursor needs to be made more visible than normal
+ 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
+ non-blinking underline into an easier to find block or
blinking underline) give this sequence as cvvis. If there
- is a way to make the cursor completely invisible, give
+ is a way to make the cursor completely invisible, give
that as civis. The capability cnorm 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 ul. If a
- character overstriking another leaves both characters on
+ (with no special codes needed) even though it does not
+ overstrike, then you should give the capability ul. If a
+ character overstriking another leaves both characters on
the screen, specify the capability os. If overstrikes are
- erasable with a blank, then this should be indicated by
+ erasable with a blank, then this should be indicated by
giving eo.
-
KeypadandFunctionKeys
If the terminal has a keypad that transmits codes when the
- keys are pressed, this information can be given. Note
+ 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 smkx and
+ unshifted HP 2621 keys). If the keypad can be set to
+ transmit or not transmit, give these codes as smkx and
rmkx. 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 kcub1,kcuf1,kcuu1,kcud1, and khome respectively. If there are func-
tion keys such as f0, f1, ..., f10, the codes they send
can be given as kf0,kf1,...,kf10. If these keys have
labels other than the default f0 through f10, the labels
- can be given as lf0,lf1,...,lf10. The codes transmit-
- ted by certain other special keys can be given: kll (home
- down), kbs (backspace), ktbc (clear all tabs), kctab
- (clear the tab stop in this column), kclr (clear screen or
- erase key), kdch1 (delete character), kdl1 (delete line),
- krmir (exit insert mode), kel (clear to end of line), ked
- (clear to end of screen), kich1 (insert character or enter
- insert mode), kil1 (insert line), knp (next page), kpp
- (previous page), kind (scroll forward/down), kri (scroll
- backward/up), khts (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 ka1, ka3, kb2, kc1, and kc3. These keys are useful
- when the effects of a 3 by 3 directional pad are needed.
+ can be given as lf0,lf1,...,lf10.
+
+ The codes transmitted by certain other special keys can be
+ given:
+
+ okll (home down),
+
+ okbs (backspace),
+
+ oktbc (clear all tabs),
+
+ okctab (clear the tab stop in this column),
+
+ okclr (clear screen or erase key),
+
+ okdch1 (delete character),
+
+ okdl1 (delete line),
+
+ okrmir (exit insert mode),
+
+ okel (clear to end of line),
+
+ oked (clear to end of screen),
+
+ okich1 (insert character or enter insert mode),
+
+ okil1 (insert line),
+
+ oknp (next page),
+
+ okpp (previous page),
+
+ okind (scroll forward/down),
+
+ okri (scroll backward/up),
+
+ okhts (set a tab stop in this column).
+
+ In addition, if the keypad has a 3 by 3 array of keys
+ including the four arrow keys, the other five keys can be
+ given as ka1, ka3, kb2, kc1, and kc3. These keys are use-
+ ful when the effects of a 3 by 3 directional pad are
+ needed.
Strings to program function keys can be given as pfkey,
pfloc, and pfx. A string to program screen labels should
@@ -1743,12 +1845,11 @@
or more pln sequences to make sure that the change becomes
visible.
-
TabsandInitialization
If the terminal has hardware tabs, the command to advance
to the next tab stop can be given as ht (usually control
- I). A ``back-tab'' command which moves leftward to the
- preceding tab stop can be given as cbt. By convention, if
+ I). A "back-tab" command which moves leftward to the pre-
+ ceding tab stop can be given as cbt. 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 ht or cbt even if they are
@@ -1771,26 +1872,49 @@
consistent with the rest of the terminfo description.
They are normally sent to the terminal, by the init option
of the tput program, each time the user logs in. They
- will be printed in the following order: run the program
- iprog; output is1; is2; set the margins using mgc, smgl
- and smgr; set tabs using tbc and hts; print the file if;
- and finally output is3.
+ will be printed in the following order:
+
+ run the program
+ iprog
- Most initialization is done with is2. Special terminal
+ output is1is2
+
+ set the margins using
+ mgc, smgl and smgr
+
+ set tabs using
+ tbc and hts
+
+ print the file
+ if
+
+ and finally
+ output is3.
+
+ Most initialization is done with is2. Special terminal
modes can be set up without duplicating strings by putting
- the common sequences in is2 and special cases in is1 and
- is3. A pair of sequences that does a harder reset from a
- totally unknown state can be analogously given as rs1,
- rs2, rf, and rs3, analogous to is2 and if. These strings
- are output by the reset program, which is used when the
- terminal gets into a wedged state. Commands are normally
- placed in rs1, rs2rs3 and rf 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 is2, 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.
+ the common sequences in is2 and special cases in is1 and
+ is3.
+
+ A set of sequences that does a harder reset from a totally
+ unknown state can be given as rs1, rs2, rf and rs3, analo-
+ gous to is1,is2,if and is3 respectively. These
+ strings are output by the reset program, which is used
+ when the terminal gets into a wedged state. Commands are
+ normally placed in rs1, rs2rs3 and rf only if they pro-
+ duce annoying effects on the screen and are not necessary
+ when logging in. For example, the command to set the
+ vt100 into 80-column mode would normally be part of is2,
+ but it causes an annoying glitch of the screen and is not
+ normally needed since the terminal is usually already in
+ 80 column mode.
+
+ The reset program writes strings including iprog, etc., in
+ the same order as the init program, using rs1, etc.,
+ instead of is1, etc. If any of rs1, rs2, rs3, or rf reset
+ capability strings are missing, the reset program falls
+ back upon the corresponding initialization capability
+ string.
If there are commands to set and clear tab stops, they can
be given as tbc (clear all tab stops) and hts (set a tab
@@ -1825,7 +1949,6 @@
ter as a pad, then this can be given as pad. Only the
first character of the pad string is used.
-
StatusLines
Some terminals have an extra `status line' which is not
normally used by software (and thus not counted in the
@@ -1841,11 +1964,11 @@
Some terminals with status lines need special sequences to
access the status line. These may be expressed as a
string with single parameter tsl which takes the cursor to
- a given zero-origin column on the status line. The
- capability fsl must return to the main-screen cursor posi-
- tions before the last tsl. You may need to embed the
- string values of sc (save cursor) and rc (restore cursor)
- in tsl and fsl to accomplish this.
+ a given zero-origin column on the status line. The capa-
+ bility fsl must return to the main-screen cursor positions
+ before the last tsl. You may need to embed the string
+ values of sc (save cursor) and rc (restore cursor) in tsl
+ and fsl 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
@@ -1857,109 +1980,105 @@
The boolean capability eslok specifies that escape
sequences, tabs, etc., work ordinarily in the status line.
- The ncurses implementation does not yet use any of these
- capabilities. They are documented here in case they ever
+ The ncurses implementation does not yet use any of these
+ capabilities. They are documented here in case they ever
become important.
-
LineGraphics
- Many terminals have alternate character sets useful for
- forms-drawing. Terminfo and curses build in support for
- the drawing characters supported by the VT100, with some
- characters from the AT&T 4410v1 added. This alternate
+ Many terminals have alternate character sets useful for
+ forms-drawing. Terminfo and curses 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 acsc capability.
-
- GlyphACSAsciiVT100
- NameNameDefaultName
- UK pound sign ACS_STERLING f }
- arrow pointing down ACS_DARROW v .
- arrow pointing left ACS_LARROW < ,
- arrow pointing right ACS_RARROW > +
- arrow pointing up ACS_UARROW ^ -
- board of squares ACS_BOARD # h
- 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 * {
- horizontal line ACS_HLINE - q
- lantern symbol ACS_LANTERN # i
- large plus or crossover ACS_PLUS + n
- less-than-or-equal-to ACS_LEQUAL < y
- lower left corner ACS_LLCORNER + m
- lower right corner ACS_LRCORNER + j
- not-equal ACS_NEQUAL ! |
- plus/minus ACS_PLMINUS # g
- scan line 1 ACS_S1 ~ o
- scan line 3 ACS_S3 - p
- scan line 7 ACS_S7 - r
- scan line 9 ACS_S9 _ s
- solid square block ACS_BLOCK # 0
- tee pointing down ACS_TTEE + w
- tee pointing left ACS_RTEE + u
- tee pointing right ACS_LTEE + t
- tee pointing up ACS_BTEE + v
- upper left corner ACS_ULCORNER + l
- upper right corner ACS_URCORNER + k
- vertical line ACS_VLINE | x
-
- 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
- smacs/rmacs 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
+ GlyphACSAsciiVT100
+ NameNameDefaultName
+ UK pound sign ACS_STERLING f }
+ arrow pointing down ACS_DARROW v .
+ arrow pointing left ACS_LARROW < ,
+ arrow pointing right ACS_RARROW > +
+ arrow pointing up ACS_UARROW ^ -
+ board of squares ACS_BOARD # h
+ 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 * {
+ horizontal line ACS_HLINE - q
+ lantern symbol ACS_LANTERN # i
+ large plus or crossover ACS_PLUS + n
+ less-than-or-equal-to ACS_LEQUAL < y
+ lower left corner ACS_LLCORNER + m
+ lower right corner ACS_LRCORNER + j
+ not-equal ACS_NEQUAL ! |
+ plus/minus ACS_PLMINUS # g
+ scan line 1 ACS_S1 ~ o
+ scan line 3 ACS_S3 - p
+ scan line 7 ACS_S7 - r
+ scan line 9 ACS_S9 _ s
+ solid square block ACS_BLOCK # 0
+ tee pointing down ACS_TTEE + w
+ tee pointing left ACS_RTEE + u
+ tee pointing right ACS_LTEE + t
+ tee pointing up ACS_BTEE + v
+ upper left corner ACS_ULCORNER + l
+ upper right corner ACS_URCORNER + k
+ vertical line ACS_VLINE | x
+
+ 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
+ smacs/rmacs 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.
-
ColorHandling
- 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
+ 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
foreground and background characters independently, mixing
- them into N * N color-pairs. On HP-like terminals, the
+ them into N * N color-pairs. On HP-like terminals, the
use must set each color pair up separately (foreground and
- background are not independently settable). Up to M
- color-pairs may be set up from 2*M different colors.
+ background are not independently settable). Up to M
+ color-pairs may be set up from 2*M different colors.
ANSI-compatible terminals are Tektronix-like.
Some basic color capabilities are independent of the color
method. The numeric capabilities colors and pairs specify
- the maximum numbers of colors and color-pairs that can be
- displayed simultaneously. The op (original pair) string
- resets foreground and background colors to their default
- values for the terminal. The oc 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
+ the maximum numbers of colors and color-pairs that can be
+ displayed simultaneously. The op (original pair) string
+ resets foreground and background colors to their default
+ values for the terminal. The oc 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 bce.
- To change the current foreground or background color on a
- Tektronix-type terminal, use setaf (set ANSI foreground)
- and setab (set ANSI background) or setf (set foreground)
- and setb (set background). These take one parameter, the
+ To change the current foreground or background color on a
+ Tektronix-type terminal, use setaf (set ANSI foreground)
+ and setab (set ANSI background) or setf (set foreground)
+ and setb (set background). These take one parameter, the
color number. The SVr4 documentation describes only
- setaf/setab; the XPG4 draft says that "If the terminal
+ setaf/setab; the XPG4 draft says that "If the terminal
supports ANSI escape sequences to set background and fore-
- ground, they should be coded as setaf and setab, respec-
- tively. If the terminal supports other escape sequences
- to set background and foreground, they should be coded as
- setf and setb, respectively. The vidputs() function and
- the refresh functions use setaf and setab if they are
+ ground, they should be coded as setaf and setab, respec-
+ tively. If the terminal supports other escape sequences
+ to set background and foreground, they should be coded as
+ setf and setb, respectively. The vidputs() function and
+ the refresh functions use setaf and setab if they are
defined."
- The setaf/setab and setf/setb capabilities take a single
+ The setaf/setab and setf/setb capabilities take a single
numeric argument each. Argument values 0-7 of setaf/setab
- are portably defined as follows (the middle column is the
+ are portably defined as follows (the middle column is the
symbolic #define available in the header for the curses or
- ncurses libraries). The terminal hardware is free to map
- these as it likes, but the RGB values indicate normal
+ ncurses libraries). The terminal hardware is free to map
+ these as it likes, but the RGB values indicate normal
locations in color space.
-
Color#defineValueRGB
black COLOR_BLACK 0 0, 0, 0
red COLOR_RED 1 max,0,0
@@ -1970,10 +2089,9 @@
cyan COLOR_CYAN 6 0,max,max
white COLOR_WHITE 7 max,max,max
- The argument values of setf/setb historically correspond
+ The argument values of setf/setb historically correspond
to a different mapping, i.e.,
-
Color#defineValueRGB
black COLOR_BLACK 0 0, 0, 0
blue COLOR_BLUE 1 0,0,max
@@ -1983,132 +2101,130 @@
magenta COLOR_MAGENTA 5 max,0,max
yellow COLOR_YELLOW 6 max,max,0
white COLOR_WHITE 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
+ bilities; otherwise red/blue will be interchanged on the
display.
- On an HP-like terminal, use scp with a color-pair number
+ On an HP-like terminal, use scp with a color-pair number
parameter to set which color pair is current.
- On a Tektronix-like terminal, the capability ccc may be
- present to indicate that colors can be modified. If so,
+ On a Tektronix-like terminal, the capability ccc may be
+ present to indicate that colors can be modified. If so,
the initc capability will take a color number (0 to colors
- - 1)and three more parameters which describe the color.
+ - 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 hls
+ (Red, Green, Blue) values. If the boolean capability hls
is present, they are instead as HLS (Hue, Lightness, Satu-
ration) indices. The ranges are terminal-dependent.
- On an HP-like terminal, initp may give a capability for
- changing a color-pair value. It will take seven parame-
- ters; a color-pair number (0 to max_pairs - 1), and two
- triples describing first background and then foreground
- colors. These parameters must be (Red, Green, Blue) or
+ On an HP-like terminal, initp may give a capability for
+ changing a color-pair value. It will take seven parame-
+ ters; a color-pair number (0 to max_pairs - 1), and two
+ triples describing first background and then foreground
+ colors. These parameters must be (Red, Green, Blue) or
(Hue, Lightness, Saturation) depending on hls.
- On some color terminals, colors collide with highlights.
+ On some color terminals, colors collide with highlights.
You can register these collisions with the ncv capability.
- This is a bit-mask of attributes not to be used when col-
- ors are enabled. The correspondence with the attributes
+ This is a bit-mask of attributes not to be used when col-
+ ors are enabled. The correspondence with the attributes
understood by curses is as follows:
-
- AttributeBitDecimal
- A_STANDOUT 0 1
- A_UNDERLINE 1 2
- A_REVERSE 2 4
- A_BLINK 3 8
- A_DIM 4 16
- A_BOLD 5 32
- A_INVIS 6 64
- 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 ncv
+ AttributeBitDecimal
+ A_STANDOUT 0 1
+ A_UNDERLINE 1 2
+ A_REVERSE 2 4
+ A_BLINK 3 8
+ A_DIM 4 16
+ A_BOLD 5 32
+ A_INVIS 6 64
+ 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 ncv
capability of 2.
- SVr4 curses does nothing with ncv, ncurses recognizes it
+ SVr4 curses does nothing with ncv, ncurses recognizes it
and optimizes the output in favor of colors.
-
Miscellaneous
- 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-
+ 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 PC variable;
- though the application may set this value to something
- other than a null, ncurses will test npc first and use
+ ncurses implements the termcap-compatible PC variable;
+ though the application may set this value to something
+ other than a null, ncurses will test npc 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 hu (half-line up) and hd (half-line
+ If the terminal can move up or down half a line, this can
+ be indicated with hu (half-line up) and hd (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 ff
+ scripts on hard-copy terminals. If a hard-copy terminal
+ can eject to the next page (form feed), give this as ff
(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 rep. 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 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 rep. 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 cmdch. A
+ If the terminal has a settable command character, such as
+ the TEKTRONIX 4025, this can be indicated with cmdch. A
prototype command character is chosen which is used in all
- capabilities. This character is given in the cmdch capa-
- bility to identify it. The following convention is sup-
- ported on some UNIX systems: The environment is to be
- searched for a CC variable, and if found, all occurrences
+ capabilities. This character is given in the cmdch capa-
+ bility to identify it. The following convention is sup-
+ ported on some UNIX systems: The environment is to be
+ searched for a CC 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
+ Terminal descriptions that do not represent a specific
kind of known terminal, such as switch, dialup, patch, and
- network, should include the gn (generic) capability so
- that programs can complain that they do not know how to
- talk to the terminal. (This capability does not apply to
- virtual terminal descriptions for which the escape
+ network, should include the gn (generic) capability so
+ that programs can complain that they do not know how to
+ talk to the terminal. (This capability does not apply to
+ virtual 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 km. 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 km. 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 smm and rmm.
+ be cleared. If strings exist to turn this "meta mode" on
+ and off, they can be given as smm and rmm.
- 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 lm. A value of lm#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 lm. A value of lm#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
+ tual terminal protocol, the terminal number can be given
as vt.
Media copy strings which control an auxiliary printer con-
nected to the terminal can be given as mc0: print the con-
- tents of the screen, mc4: turn off the printer, and mc5:
- turn on the printer. When the printer is on, all text
- sent to the terminal will be sent to the printer. It is
+ tents of the screen, mc4: turn off the printer, and mc5:
+ 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 mc5p 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
+ acters as the value of the parameter, then turns the
+ printer off. The parameter should not exceed 255. All
text, including mc4, is transparently passed to the
printer while an mc5p is in effect.
-
GlitchesandBraindamage
- Hazeltine terminals, which do not allow `~' characters to
+ Hazeltine terminals, which do not allow `~' characters to
be displayed should indicate hz.
Terminals which ignore a line-feed immediately after an am
@@ -2123,8 +2239,8 @@
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
- cookie'', that to erase standout mode it is instead neces-
+ 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.
@@ -2139,7 +2255,6 @@
Other specific terminal problems may be corrected by
adding more capabilities of the form xx.
-
SimilarTerminals
If there are two very similar terminals, one (the variant)
can be defined as being just like the other (the base)
@@ -2157,14 +2272,13 @@
the use reference that imports it, where xx is the capa-
bility. For example, the entry
- 2621-nl, smkx@, rmkx@, use=2621,
+ 2621-nl, smkx@, rmkx@, use=2621,
defines a 2621-nl that does not have the smkx or rmkx
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.
-
PitfallsofLongEntries
Long terminfo entries are unlikely to be a problem; to
date, no entry has even approached terminfo's 4096-byte
@@ -2203,21 +2317,21 @@
libraries strip off the final newline, too (GNU termcap
does not). Now suppose:
- * a termcap entry before expansion is more than 1023
- bytes long,
+ o a termcap entry before expansion is more than 1023
+ bytes long,
- * and the application has only allocated a 1k buffer,
+ o 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
- wants,
+ o 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 is the entry it
+ wants,
- * and tgetent() is searching for a terminal type that
- either is the long entry, appears in the termcap file
- after the long entry, or does not appear in the file
- at all (so that tgetent() has to search the whole
- termcap file).
+ o and tgetent() is searching for a terminal type that
+ either is the long entry, appears in the termcap file
+ after the long entry, or does not 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
@@ -2233,19 +2347,19 @@
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-
- sion once it's found the terminal type it was looking for,
- not while searching.
+ sion once it is 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,
+ operation. If it is 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
termcap entry.
When in -C (translate to termcap) mode, the ncurses imple-
- mentation of tic(1) issues warning messages when the pre-
+ mentation of tic(1m) 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.
@@ -2262,61 +2376,64 @@
EXTENSIONS
- Some SVr4 curses implementations, and all previous to
- SVr4, do not interpret the %A and %O operators in parame-
+ Searching for terminal descriptions in $HOME/.terminfo and
+ TERMINFO_DIRS is not supported by older implementations.
+
+ Some SVr4 curses implementations, and all previous to
+ SVr4, do not interpret the %A and %O operators in parame-
ter strings.
- SVr4/XPG4 do not specify whether msgr licenses movement
- while in an alternate-character-set mode (such modes may,
- among other things, map CR and NL to characters that do
- not trigger local motions). The ncurses implementation
- ignores msgr in ALTCHARSET mode. This raises the possi-
- bility that an XPG4 implementation making the opposite
- interpretation may need terminfo entries made for ncurses
+ SVr4/XPG4 do not specify whether msgr licenses movement
+ while in an alternate-character-set mode (such modes may,
+ among other things, map CR and NL to characters that do
+ not trigger local motions). The ncurses implementation
+ ignores msgr in ALTCHARSET mode. This raises the possi-
+ bility that an XPG4 implementation making the opposite
+ interpretation may need terminfo entries made for ncurses
to have msgr turned off.
- The ncurses library handles insert-character and insert-
+ The ncurses library handles insert-character and insert-
character modes in a slightly non-standard way to get bet-
- ter update efficiency. See the Insert/DeleteCharacter
+ ter update efficiency. See the Insert/DeleteCharacter
subsection above.
- The parameter substitutions for set_clock and dis-
- play_clock are not documented in SVr4 or the XSI Curses
+ The parameter substitutions for set_clock and dis-
+ play_clock 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 kmous capability. The ncurses
- wants to interpret it as KEY_MOUSE, for use by terminals
- and emulators like xterm that can return mouse-tracking
+ Be careful assigning the kmous capability. The ncurses
+ wants to interpret it as KEY_MOUSE, 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:
SVR4,Solaris,ncurses -- These support all SVr4 capabili-
ties.
- SGI -- Supports the SVr4 set, adds one undocumented
+ SGI -- Supports the SVr4 set, adds one undocumented
extended string capability (set_pglen).
- SVr1,Ultrix -- These support a restricted subset of ter-
- minfo capabilities. The booleans end with xon_xoff; the
- numerics with width_status_line; and the strings with
+ SVr1,Ultrix -- These support a restricted subset of ter-
+ minfo capabilities. The booleans end with xon_xoff; the
+ numerics with width_status_line; and the strings with
prtr_non.
- HP/UX -- Supports the SVr1 subset, plus the SVr[234]
+ HP/UX -- Supports the SVr1 subset, plus the SVr[234]
numerics num_labels, label_height, label_width, plus func-
- tion keys 11 through 63, plus plab_norm, label_on, and
+ tion keys 11 through 63, plus plab_norm, label_on, and
label_off, plus some incompatible extensions in the string
table.
- AIX -- Supports the SVr1 subset, plus function keys 11
- through 63, plus a number of incompatible string table
+ AIX -- Supports the SVr1 subset, plus function keys 11
+ through 63, plus a number of incompatible string table
extensions.
- OSF -- Supports both the SVr4 set and the AIX extensions.
+ OSF -- Supports both the SVr4 set and the AIX extensions.
- 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.
- TERMINFO(5)
+ terminfo(5)