-The \fBuse_env\fR routine, if used, is called before \fBinitscr\fR or
-\fBnewterm\fR are called. When called with \fBFALSE\fR as an
-argument, the values of \fBlines\fR and \fBcolumns\fR specified in the
-\fIterminfo\fR database will be used, even if environment variables
-\fBLINES\fR and \fBCOLUMNS\fR (used by default) are set, or if
-\fBcurses\fR is running in a window (in which case default behavior
-would be to use the window size if \fBLINES\fR and \fBCOLUMNS\fR are
-not set).
-Note that setting \fBLINES\fR or \fBCOLUMNS\fR overrides the
-corresponding size which may be obtained from the operating system.
+The \fBuse_env\fR routine, if used,
+should be called before \fBinitscr\fR or
+\fBnewterm\fR are called
+(because those compute the screen size).
+It modifies the way \fBncurses\fP treats environment variables
+when determining the screen size.
+.bP
+Normally ncurses looks first at the terminal database for the screen size.
+.IP
+If \fBuse_env\fP was called with \fBFALSE\fP for parameter,
+it stops here.
+.bP
+Then it asks for the screen size via operating system calls.
+If successful,
+it overrides the values from the terminal database.
+.bP
+Finally, ncurses examines the
+\fBLINES\fR or \fBCOLUMNS\fR environment variables,
+using a value in those to override the results
+from the operating system or terminal database.
+.IP
+Ncurses also updates the screen size in response to SIGWINCH,
+unless overridden by the \fBLINES\fR or \fBCOLUMNS\fR environment variables,
+.PP
+The \fBuse_tioctl\fR routine, if used,
+should be called before \fBinitscr\fR or \fBnewterm\fR are called
+(because those compute the screen size).
+After \fBuse_tioctl\fR is called with \fBTRUE\fR as an argument,
+ncurses modifies the last step in its computation of screen size as follows:
+.bP
+checks if the \fBLINES\fR and \fBCOLUMNS\fR environment variables
+are set to a number greater than zero.
+.bP
+for each, ncurses updates the corresponding environment variable
+with the value that it has obtained via operating system call
+or from the terminal database.
+.bP
+ncurses re-fetches the value of the environment variables so that
+it is still the environment variables which set the screen size.