1 .\"***************************************************************************
2 .\" Copyright 2018-2023,2024 Thomas E. Dickey *
3 .\" Copyright 1998-2016,2017 Free Software Foundation, Inc. *
5 .\" Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a *
6 .\" copy of this software and associated documentation files (the *
7 .\" "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including *
8 .\" without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, *
9 .\" distribute, distribute with modifications, sublicense, and/or sell *
10 .\" copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is *
11 .\" furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: *
13 .\" The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included *
14 .\" in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. *
16 .\" THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS *
17 .\" OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF *
18 .\" MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. *
19 .\" IN NO EVENT SHALL THE ABOVE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, *
20 .\" DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR *
21 .\" OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR *
22 .\" THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE. *
24 .\" Except as contained in this notice, the name(s) of the above copyright *
25 .\" holders shall not be used in advertising or otherwise to promote the *
26 .\" sale, use or other dealings in this Software without prior written *
28 .\"***************************************************************************
30 .\" $Id: terminfo.tail,v 1.151 2024/06/22 21:25:23 tom Exp $
32 .SS "User-Defined Capabilities"
34 The preceding section listed the \fIpredefined\fP capabilities.
35 They deal with some special features for terminals no longer
36 (or possibly never) produced.
37 Occasionally there are special features of newer terminals which
38 are awkward or impossible to represent by reusing the predefined
41 \fI\%ncurses\fP addresses this limitation by allowing user-defined
43 The \fB@TIC@\fP and \fB@INFOCMP@\fP programs provide
44 the \fB\-x\fP option for this purpose.
45 When \fB\-x\fP is set,
46 \fB@TIC@\fP treats unknown capabilities as user-defined.
47 That is, if \fB@TIC@\fP encounters a capability name
48 which it does not recognize,
49 it infers its type (Boolean, number or string) from the syntax
50 and makes an extended table entry for that capability.
51 The \fBuse_extended_names\fP(3X) function makes this information
52 conditionally available to applications.
53 The \fI\%ncurses\fP library provides the data leaving most of the
54 behavior to applications:
56 User-defined capability strings whose name begins
57 with \*(``k\*('' are treated as function keys.
59 The types (Boolean, number, string) determined by \fB@TIC@\fP
60 can be inferred by successful calls on \fBtigetflag\fP, etc.
62 If the capability name happens to be two characters,
63 the capability is also available through the termcap interface.
65 While termcap is said to be extensible because it does not use a predefined set
67 in practice it has been limited to the capabilities defined by
68 terminfo implementations.
70 user-defined capabilities intended for use by termcap applications should
71 be limited to Booleans and numbers to avoid running past the 1023 byte
72 limit assumed by termcap implementations and their applications.
73 In particular, providing extended sets of function keys (past the 60
74 numbered keys and the handful of special named keys) is best done using
75 the longer names available using terminfo.
77 The \fI\%ncurses\fP library uses a few of these user-defined
79 as described in \fBuser_caps\fR(5).
80 Other user-defined capabilities (including function keys) are
81 described in the terminal database, in the section on
82 .I "NCURSES USER-DEFINABLE CAPABILITIES"
86 The following entry, describing an ANSI-standard terminal, is representative
87 of what a \fBterminfo\fP entry for a modern terminal typically looks like.
90 \s-2ansi|ansi/pc\-term compatible with color,
92 colors#8, cols#80, it#8, lines#24, ncv#3, pairs#64,
93 acsc=+\e020\e,\e021\-\e030.\*^Y0\e333\(ga\e004a\e261f\e370g\e361h\e260
94 j\e331k\e277l\e332m\e300n\e305o\*~p\e304q\e304r\e304s_t\e303
95 u\e264v\e301w\e302x\e263y\e363z\e362{\e343|\e330}\e234\*~\e376,
96 bel=\*^G, blink=\eE[5m, bold=\eE[1m, cbt=\eE[Z, clear=\eE[H\eE[J,
97 cr=\*^M, cub=\eE[%p1%dD, cub1=\eE[D, cud=\eE[%p1%dB, cud1=\eE[B,
98 cuf=\eE[%p1%dC, cuf1=\eE[C, cup=\eE[%i%p1%d;%p2%dH,
99 cuu=\eE[%p1%dA, cuu1=\eE[A, dch=\eE[%p1%dP, dch1=\eE[P,
100 dl=\eE[%p1%dM, dl1=\eE[M, ech=\eE[%p1%dX, ed=\eE[J, el=\eE[K,
101 el1=\eE[1K, home=\eE[H, hpa=\eE[%i%p1%dG, ht=\eE[I, hts=\eEH,
102 ich=\eE[%p1%d@, il=\eE[%p1%dL, il1=\eE[L, ind=\*^J,
103 indn=\eE[%p1%dS, invis=\eE[8m, kbs=\*^H, kcbt=\eE[Z, kcub1=\eE[D,
104 kcud1=\eE[B, kcuf1=\eE[C, kcuu1=\eE[A, khome=\eE[H, kich1=\eE[L,
105 mc4=\eE[4i, mc5=\eE[5i, nel=\er\eE[S, op=\eE[39;49m,
106 rep=%p1%c\eE[%p2%{1}%\-%db, rev=\eE[7m, rin=\eE[%p1%dT,
107 rmacs=\eE[10m, rmpch=\eE[10m, rmso=\eE[m, rmul=\eE[m,
108 s0ds=\eE(B, s1ds=\eE)B, s2ds=\eE*B, s3ds=\eE+B,
109 setab=\eE[4%p1%dm, setaf=\eE[3%p1%dm,
110 sgr=\eE[0;10%?%p1%t;7%;
117 sgr0=\eE[0;10m, smacs=\eE[11m, smpch=\eE[11m, smso=\eE[7m,
118 smul=\eE[4m, tbc=\eE[3g, u6=\eE[%i%d;%dR, u7=\eE[6n,
119 u8=\eE[?%[;0123456789]c, u9=\eE[c, vpa=\eE[%i%p1%dd,
122 Entries may continue onto multiple lines by placing white space at
123 the beginning of each line except the first.
124 Comments may be included on lines beginning with \*(``#\*(''.
129 Boolean capabilities which indicate that the terminal has
130 some particular feature,
132 numeric capabilities giving the size of the terminal
133 or the size of particular delays, and
136 capabilities, which give a sequence which can be used to perform particular
138 .SS "Types of Capabilities"
139 All capabilities have names.
140 For instance, the fact that
141 ANSI-standard terminals have
142 .I "automatic margins"
143 (i.e., an automatic return and line-feed
144 when the end of a line is reached) is indicated by the capability \fBam\fP.
145 Hence the description of ansi includes \fBam\fP.
146 Numeric capabilities are followed by the character \*(``#\*(''
147 and then a positive value.
148 Thus \fBcols\fP, which indicates the number of columns the terminal has,
149 gives the value \*(``80\*('' for ansi.
150 Values for numeric capabilities may be specified in
154 using the C programming language conventions
155 (e.g., 255, 0377 and 0xff or 0xFF).
157 Finally, string valued capabilities,
158 such as \fBel\fP (clear to end of line sequence)
159 are given by the two-character code,
160 an \*(``=\*('', and then
161 a string ending at the next following \*(``,\*(''.
163 A number of escape sequences are provided in the string valued capabilities
164 for easy encoding of characters there:
166 Both \fB\eE\fP and \fB\ee\fP
167 map to an \s-1ESCAPE\s0 character,
169 \fB\*^\f(BIx\fR maps to a control-\fIx\fP for any appropriate \fIx\fP,
175 \fB\en\fP, \fB\el\fP, \fB\er\fP, \fB\et\fP, \fB\eb\fP, \fB\ef\fP, and \fB\es\fP
181 \fInewline\fP, \fIline-feed\fP, \fIreturn\fP, \fItab\fP, \fIbackspace\fP, \fIform-feed\fP, and \fIspace\fP,
186 X/Open Curses does not say what \*(``appropriate \fIx\fP\*('' might be.
187 In practice, that is a printable ASCII graphic character.
188 The special case \*(``\*^?\*('' is interpreted as DEL (127).
189 In all other cases, the character value is AND'd with 0x1f,
190 mapping to ASCII control codes in the range 0 through 31.
192 Other escapes include
194 \fB\e\*^\fP for \fB\*^\fP,
196 \fB\e\e\fP for \fB\e\fP,
200 \fB\e:\fP for \fB:\fP,
202 and \fB\e0\fP for null.
204 \fB\e0\fP will produce \e200, which does not terminate a string but behaves
205 as a null character on most terminals, providing CS7 is specified.
208 The reason for this quirk is to maintain binary compatibility of the
209 compiled terminfo files with other implementations,
210 e.g., the SVr4 systems, which document this.
211 Compiled terminfo files use null-terminated strings, with no lengths.
212 Modifying this would require a new binary format,
213 which would not work with other implementations.
215 Finally, characters may be given as three octal digits after a \fB\e\fP.
217 A delay in milliseconds may appear anywhere in a string capability, enclosed in
218 $<..> brackets, as in \fBel\fP=\eEK$<5>,
219 and padding characters are supplied by \fBtputs\fP(3X)
220 to provide this delay.
222 The delay must be a number with at most one decimal
224 it may be followed by suffixes \*(``*\*('' or \*(``/\*('' or both.
227 indicates that the padding required is proportional to the number of lines
228 affected by the operation, and the amount given is the per-affected-unit
230 (In the case of insert character, the factor is still the
231 number of \fIlines\fP affected.)
233 Normally, padding is advisory if the device has the \fBxon\fP
234 capability; it is used for cost computation but does not trigger delays.
237 suffix indicates that the padding is mandatory and forces a delay of the given
238 number of milliseconds even on devices for which \fBxon\fP is present to
239 indicate flow control.
241 Sometimes individual capabilities must be commented out.
242 To do this, put a period before the capability name.
243 For example, see the second
245 in the example above.
248 .SS "Fetching Compiled Descriptions"
249 Terminal descriptions in \fI\%ncurses\fP are stored in terminal
251 These databases, which are found by their pathname,
252 may be configured either as directory trees or hashed databases
255 The library uses a compiled-in list of pathnames,
256 which can be overridden by environment variables.
257 Before starting to search,
258 \fI\%ncurses\fP checks the search list,
259 eliminating duplicates and pathnames where no terminal database is found.
260 The \fI\%ncurses\fP library reads the first description
261 which passes its consistency checks.
263 The environment variable \fBTERMINFO\fR is checked first, for
264 a terminal database containing the terminal description.
267 \fI\%ncurses\fP looks in \fI$HOME/.terminfo\fP
268 for a compiled description.
270 This is an optional feature which may be omitted entirely from
271 the library, or limited to prevent accidental use by privileged applications.
274 if the environment variable \fI\%TERMINFO_DIRS\fP is set,
275 \fI\%ncurses\fP interprets the contents of that variable
276 as a list of colon-separated pathnames of terminal databases to be searched.
278 An empty pathname (i.e., if the variable begins or ends
279 with a colon, or contains adjacent colons)
280 is interpreted as the system location \fI@TERMINFO@\fP.
282 Finally, \fI\%ncurses\fP searches these compiled-in locations:
285 a list of directories (@TERMINFO_DIRS@), and
287 the system terminfo directory, \fI@TERMINFO@\fP
290 The \fBTERMINFO\fP variable can contain a terminal description instead
291 of the pathname of a terminal database.
292 If this variable begins with \*(``hex:\*('' or \*(``b64:\*(''
293 then \fI\%ncurses\fP reads a terminal description from
294 hexadecimal- or base64-encoded data,
295 and if that description matches the name sought, will use that.
296 This encoded data can be set using the \*(``\-Q\*('' option of
297 \fB@TIC@\fR or \fB@INFOCMP@\fR.
299 The preceding addresses the usual configuration of \fI\%ncurses\fP,
300 which uses terminal descriptions prepared in \fIterminfo\fP format.
301 While \fItermcap\fP is less expressive,
302 \fI\%ncurses\fP can also be configured to read \fItermcap\fP
304 In that configuration,
305 it checks the \fI\%TERMCAP\fP and \fI\%TERMPATH\fP variables
306 (for content and search path,
308 after the system terminal database.
309 .SS "Preparing Descriptions"
310 We now outline how to prepare descriptions of terminals.
311 The most effective way to prepare a terminal description is by imitating
312 the description of a similar terminal in
314 and to build up a description gradually, using partial descriptions
317 or some other screen-oriented program to check that they are correct.
318 Be aware that a very unusual terminal may expose deficiencies in
322 or bugs in the screen-handling code of the test program.
324 To get the padding for insert line right (if the terminal manufacturer
325 did not document it) a severe test is to edit a large file at 9600 baud,
326 delete 16 or so lines from the middle of the screen, then hit the \*(``u\*(''
327 key several times quickly.
328 If the terminal messes up, more padding is usually needed.
329 A similar test can be used for insert character.
330 .SS "Basic Capabilities"
331 The number of columns on each line for the terminal is given by the
332 \fBcols\fP numeric capability.
333 If the terminal is a \s-1CRT\s0, then the
334 number of lines on the screen is given by the \fBlines\fP capability.
335 If the terminal wraps around to the beginning of the next line when
336 it reaches the right margin, then it should have the \fBam\fP capability.
337 If the terminal can clear its screen, leaving the cursor in the home
338 position, then this is given by the \fBclear\fP string capability.
339 If the terminal overstrikes
340 (rather than clearing a position when a character is struck over)
341 then it should have the \fBos\fP capability.
342 If the terminal is a printing terminal, with no soft copy unit,
348 applies to storage scope terminals, such as \s-1TEKTRONIX\s+1 4010
349 series, as well as hard copy and APL terminals.)
350 If there is a code to move the cursor to the left edge of the current
353 (Normally this will be carriage return, control/M.)
354 If there is a code to produce an audible signal (bell, beep, etc)
358 If there is a code to move the cursor one position to the left
359 (such as backspace) that capability should be given as
361 Similarly, codes to move to the right, up, and down should be
367 These local cursor motions should not alter the text they pass over,
368 for example, you would not normally use \*(``\fBcuf1\fP=\ \*('' because the
369 space would erase the character moved over.
371 A very important point here is that the local cursor motions encoded
374 are undefined at the left and top edges of a \s-1CRT\s0 terminal.
375 Programs should never attempt to backspace around the left edge,
379 and never attempt to go up locally off the top.
380 In order to scroll text up, a program will go to the bottom left corner
381 of the screen and send the
385 To scroll text down, a program goes to the top left corner
386 of the screen and sends the
388 (reverse index) string.
393 are undefined when not on their respective corners of the screen.
395 Parameterized versions of the scrolling sequences are
399 which have the same semantics as
403 except that they take one parameter, and scroll that many lines.
404 They are also undefined except at the appropriate edge of the screen.
406 The \fBam\fP capability tells whether the cursor sticks at the right
407 edge of the screen when text is output, but this does not necessarily
410 from the last column.
411 The only local motion which is defined from the left edge is if
415 from the left edge will move to the right edge of the previous line.
418 is not given, the effect is undefined.
419 This is useful for drawing a box around the edge of the screen, for example.
420 If the terminal has switch selectable automatic margins,
423 file usually assumes that this is on; i.e., \fBam\fP.
424 If the terminal has a command which moves to the first column of the next
425 line, that command can be given as
428 It does not matter if the command clears the remainder of the current line,
429 so if the terminal has no
433 it may still be possible to craft a working
435 out of one or both of them.
437 These capabilities suffice to describe
438 hard-copy and \*(``glass-tty\*('' terminals.
439 Thus the model 33 teletype is described as
443 \s-133\||\|tty33\||\|tty\||\|model 33 teletype,
444 bel=\*^G, cols#72, cr=\*^M, cud1=\*^J, hc, ind=\*^J, os,\s+1
448 while the Lear Siegler \s-1ADM-3\s0 is described as
452 \s-1adm3\||\|3\||\|lsi adm3,
453 am, bel=\*^G, clear=\*^Z, cols#80, cr=\*^M, cub1=\*^H, cud1=\*^J,
454 ind=\*^J, lines#24,\s+1
457 .SS "Parameterized Strings"
458 Cursor addressing and other strings requiring parameters
459 in the terminal are described by a
460 parameterized string capability,
461 with \fIprintf\fP-like escapes such as \fI%x\fP in it.
462 For example, to address the cursor, the
464 capability is given, using two parameters:
465 the line and column to address to.
466 (Lines and columns are numbered from zero and refer to the
467 physical screen visible to the user, not to any unseen memory.)
468 If the terminal has memory relative cursor addressing,
469 that can be indicated by
472 The parameter mechanism uses a stack and special \fB%\fP codes
474 Typically a sequence will push one of the
475 parameters onto the stack and then print it in some format.
476 Print (e.g., \*(``%d\*('') is a special case.
477 Other operations, including \*(``%t\*('' pop their operand from the stack.
478 It is noted that more complex operations are often necessary,
479 e.g., in the \fBsgr\fP string.
481 The \fB%\fP encodings have the following meanings:
486 \fB%\fI[[\fR:\fI]flags][width[.precision]][\fBdoxXs\fI]\fR
487 as in \fBprintf\fP(3), flags are \fI[\-+#]\fP and \fIspace\fP.
488 Use a \*(``:\*('' to allow the next character to be a \*(``\-\*('' flag,
489 avoiding interpreting \*(``%\-\*('' as an operator.
492 print \fIpop()\fP like %c in \fBprintf\fP
495 print \fIpop()\fP like %s in \fBprintf\fP
498 push \fIi\fP'th parameter
501 set dynamic variable \fI[a\-z]\fP to \fIpop()\fP
504 get dynamic variable \fI[a\-z]\fP and push it
507 set static variable \fI[a\-z]\fP to \fIpop()\fP
510 get static variable \fI[a\-z]\fP and push it
512 The terms \*(``static\*('' and \*(``dynamic\*('' are misleading.
513 Historically, these are simply two different sets of variables,
514 whose values are not reset between calls to \fBtparm\fP(3X).
515 However, that fact is not documented in other implementations.
516 Relying on it will adversely impact portability to other implementations:
519 SVr2 curses supported \fIdynamic\fP variables.
520 Those are set only by a \fB%P\fP operator.
521 A \fB%g\fP for a given variable without first setting it with \fB%P\fP
522 will give unpredictable results, because dynamic variables are
523 an uninitialized local array on the stack in the \fBtparm\fP function.
525 SVr3.2 curses supported \fIstatic\fP variables.
526 Those are an array in the \fI\%TERMINAL\fP
527 structure (declared in \fBterm.h\fP),
528 and are zeroed automatically when the \fBsetupterm\fP function
531 SVr4 curses made no further improvements
532 to the \fIdynamic/static\fP variable feature.
534 Solaris XPG4 curses does not distinguish between \fIdynamic\fP and
535 \fIstatic\fP variables.
537 Like SVr4 curses, XPG4 curses does not initialize these explicitly.
540 \fI\%ncurses\fP stores both \fIdynamic\fP and \fIstatic\fP
541 variables in persistent storage, initialized to zeros.
543 Beginning with version 6.3,
544 \fI\%ncurses\fP stores \fIstatic\fP and \fIdynamic\fP
545 variables in the same manner as SVr4.
548 Unlike other implementations, \fI\%ncurses\fP zeros dynamic variables
549 before the first \fB%g\fP or \fB%P\fP operator.
552 the scope of dynamic variables in \fI\%ncurses\fP
553 is within the current call to
555 Use static variables if persistent storage is needed.
560 char constant \fIc\fP
563 integer constant \fInn\fP
568 \fB%+\fP, \fB%\-\fP, \fB%*\fP, \fB%/\fP, \fB%m\fP
569 arithmetic (%m is \fImod\fP): \fIpush(pop() op pop())\fP
571 \fB%&\fP, \fB%|\fP, \fB%\*^\fP
572 bit operations (AND, OR and exclusive-OR): \fIpush(pop() op pop())\fP
574 \fB%=\fP, \fB%>\fP, \fB%<\fP
575 logical operations: \fIpush(pop() op pop())\fP
578 logical AND and OR operations (for conditionals)
581 unary operations (logical and bit complement): \fIpush(op pop())\fP
584 add 1 to first two parameters (for ANSI terminals)
586 \fB%?\fP \fIexpr\fP \fB%t\fP \fIthenpart\fP \fB%e\fP \fIelsepart\fP \fB%;\fP
587 This forms an if-then-else.
588 The \fB%e\fP \fIelsepart\fP is optional.
589 Usually the \fB%?\fP \fIexpr\fP part pushes a value onto the stack,
590 and \fB%t\fP pops it from the stack, testing if it is nonzero (true).
591 If it is zero (false), control passes to the \fB%e\fP (else) part.
593 It is possible to form else-if's a la Algol 68:
595 \fB%?\fP c\d1\u \fB%t\fP b\d1\u \fB%e\fP c\d2\u \fB%t\fP b\d2\u \fB%e\fP c\d3\u \fB%t\fP b\d3\u \fB%e\fP c\d4\u \fB%t\fP b\d4\u \fB%e\fP \fB%;\fP
598 where c\di\u are conditions, b\di\u are bodies.
600 Use the \fB\-f\fP option of \fB@TIC@\fP or \fB@INFOCMP@\fP to see
601 the structure of if-then-else's.
602 Some strings, e.g., \fBsgr\fP can be very complicated when written
604 The \fB\-f\fP option splits the string into lines with the parts indented.
606 Binary operations are in postfix form with the operands in the usual order.
607 That is, to get x\-5 one would use \*(``%gx%{5}%\-\*(''.
608 \fB%P\fP and \fB%g\fP variables are
609 persistent across escape-string evaluations.
611 Consider the HP2645, which, to get to line 3 and column 12, needs
612 to be sent \eE&a12c03Y padded for 6 milliseconds.
613 The order of the lines and columns is inverted here,
614 and the lines and column are printed as two digits.
615 The corresponding terminal description is expressed thus:
617 cup=\eE&a%p2%dc%p1%dY$<6>,
620 The Microterm \s-1ACT-IV\s0 needs the current line and column sent
621 preceded by a \fB\*^T\fP, with the line and column simply encoded in binary,
626 Terminals which use \*(``%c\*('' need to be able to
627 backspace the cursor (\fBcub1\fP),
628 and to move the cursor up one line on the screen (\fBcuu1\fP).
629 This is necessary because it is not always safe to transmit \fB\en\fP
630 \fB\*^D\fP and \fB\er\fP, as the system may change or discard them.
631 (The library routines dealing with terminfo set tty modes so that
632 tabs are never expanded, so \et is safe to send.
633 This turns out to be essential for the Ann Arbor 4080.)
635 A final example is the \s-1LSI ADM\s0-3a, which uses line and column
636 offset by a blank character, thus
638 cup=\eE=%p1%\*' \*'%+%c%p2%\*' \*'%+%c
641 After sending \*(``\eE=\*('', this pushes the first parameter, pushes the
642 ASCII value for a space (32), adds them (pushing the sum on the stack
643 in place of the two previous values) and outputs that value as a character.
644 Then the same is done for the second parameter.
645 More complex arithmetic is possible using the stack.
647 If the terminal has a fast way to home the cursor
648 (to very upper left corner of screen) then this can be given as
649 \fBhome\fP; similarly a fast way of getting to the lower left-hand corner
650 can be given as \fBll\fP; this may involve going up with \fBcuu1\fP
651 from the home position,
652 but a program should never do this itself (unless \fBll\fP does) because it
653 can make no assumption about the effect of moving up from the home position.
654 Note that the home position is the same as addressing to (0,0):
655 to the top left corner of the screen, not of memory.
656 (Thus, the \eEH sequence on HP terminals cannot be used for
659 If the terminal has line or column absolute cursor addressing,
660 these can be given as single parameter capabilities
662 (horizontal position absolute)
665 (vertical position absolute).
666 Sometimes these are shorter than the more general two parameter
667 sequence (as with the hp2645) and can be used in preference to
669 If there are parameterized local motions (e.g., move
671 spaces to the right) these can be given as
677 with a single parameter indicating how many spaces to move.
678 These are primarily useful if the terminal does not have
680 such as the \s-1TEKTRONIX\s+1 4025.
682 If the terminal needs to be in a special mode when running
683 a program that uses these capabilities,
684 the codes to enter and exit this mode can be given
685 as \fBsmcup\fP and \fBrmcup\fP.
686 This arises, for example, from terminals like the Concept with more than
688 If the terminal has only memory relative cursor addressing and not screen
689 relative cursor addressing, a one screen-sized window must be fixed into
690 the terminal for cursor addressing to work properly.
691 This is also used for the \s-1TEKTRONIX\s+1 4025,
694 sets the command character to be the one used by terminfo.
695 If the \fBsmcup\fP sequence will not restore the screen after an
696 \fBrmcup\fP sequence is output (to the state prior to outputting
697 \fBrmcup\fP), specify \fBnrrmc\fP.
699 SVr4 (and X/Open Curses)
700 list several string capabilities for setting margins.
701 Two were intended for use with terminals,
702 and another six were intended for use with printers.
704 The two terminal capabilities assume that the terminal may have
705 the capability of setting the left and/or right margin at the current
706 cursor column position.
708 The printer capabilities assume that the printer may have
709 two types of capability:
712 the ability to set a top and/or bottom margin using the current
715 parameterized capabilities for setting the top, bottom, left, right margins
716 given the number of lines or columns.
719 In practice, the categorization into \*(``terminal\*('' and \*(``printer\*(''
722 The AT&T SVr4 terminal database uses \fBsmgl\fP four times,
725 Three of the four are printers.
726 They lack the ability to set left/right margins by specifying the column.
728 Other (non-AT&T) terminals may support margins
729 but using different assumptions from AT&T.
731 For instance, the DEC VT420 supports left/right margins,
732 but only using a column parameter.
733 As an added complication, the VT420 uses two settings to fully enable
734 left/right margins (left/right margin mode, and origin mode).
735 The former enables the margins, which causes printed text
736 to wrap within margins, but the latter is needed to prevent
737 cursor-addressing outside those margins.
739 Both DEC VT420 left/right margins are set with a single control sequence.
740 If either is omitted, the corresponding margin is set to the left or
741 right edge of the display (rather than leaving the margin unmodified).
743 These are the margin-related capabilities:
751 smgl Set left margin at current column
752 smgr Set right margin at current column
753 smgb Set bottom margin at current line
754 smgt Set top margin at current line
755 smgbp Set bottom margin at line \fIN\fP
756 smglp Set left margin at column \fIN\fP
757 smgrp Set right margin at column \fIN\fP
758 smgtp Set top margin at line \fIN\fP
759 smglr Set both left and right margins to \fIL\fP and \fIR\fP
760 smgtb Set both top and bottom margins to \fIT\fP and \fIB\fP
763 When writing an application that
764 uses these string capabilities,
765 the pairs should be first checked to see
766 if each capability in the pair is set or only one is set:
768 If both \fBsmglp\fP and \fBsmgrp\fP are set,
769 each is used with a single argument, \fIN\fP,
770 that gives the column number of the left and right margin, respectively.
772 If both \fBsmgtp\fP and \fBsmgbp\fP are set,
773 each is used to set the top and bottom margin,
777 \fBsmgtp\fP is used with a single argument, \fIN\fP,
778 the line number of the top margin.
780 \fBsmgbp\fP is used with two arguments, \fIN\fP and \fIM\fP,
781 that give the line number of the bottom margin,
782 the first counting from the top of the
783 page and the second counting from the bottom.
784 This accommodates the two styles of specifying
785 the bottom margin in different manufacturers' printers.
788 When designing a terminfo entry for a
789 printer that has a settable bottom margin,
790 only the first or second argument should be used, depending on the printer.
791 When developing an application that uses \fBsmgbp\fP to set the bottom margin,
792 both arguments must be given.
794 Conversely, when only one capability in the pair is set:
796 If only one of \fBsmglp\fP and \fBsmgrp\fP is set,
797 then it is used with two arguments,
798 the column number of the left and right margins, in that order.
800 Likewise, if only one of \fBsmgtp\fP and \fBsmgbp\fP is set, then it
801 is used with two arguments that give the top and bottom margins,
802 in that order, counting from the top of the page.
804 When designing a terminfo entry for a printer that requires setting both
805 left and right or top and bottom margins simultaneously,
806 only one capability in the pairs
807 \fBsmglp\fP and \fBsmgrp\fP or
808 \fBsmgtp\fP and \fBsmgbp\fP should be defined,
809 leaving the other unset.
811 Except for very old terminal descriptions, e.g., those developed for SVr4,
812 the scheme just described should be considered obsolete.
813 An improved set of capabilities was added late in the SVr4 releases
814 (\fBsmglr\fP and \fBsmgtb\fP),
815 which explicitly use two parameters for setting the left/right or top/bottom
818 When setting margins, the line- and column-values are zero-based.
820 The \fBmgc\fP string capability should be defined.
821 Applications such as \fBtabs\fP(1) rely upon this to reset all margins.
824 If the terminal can clear from the current position to the end of the
825 line, leaving the cursor where it is, this should be given as \fBel\fP.
826 If the terminal can clear from the beginning of the line to the current
827 position inclusive, leaving
828 the cursor where it is, this should be given as \fBel1\fP.
829 If the terminal can clear from the current position to the end of the
830 display, then this should be given as \fBed\fP.
831 \fBEd\fP is only defined from the first column of a line.
832 (Thus, it can be simulated by a request to delete a large number of lines,
837 .SS "Insert/Delete Line and Vertical Motions"
838 If the terminal can open a new blank line before the line where the cursor
839 is, this should be given as \fBil1\fP; this is done only from the first
841 The cursor must then appear on the newly blank line.
842 If the terminal can delete the line which the cursor is on, then this
843 should be given as \fBdl1\fP; this is done only from the first position on
844 the line to be deleted.
849 which take a single parameter and insert or delete that many lines can
855 If the terminal has a settable scrolling region (like the vt100)
856 the command to set this can be described with the
858 capability, which takes two parameters:
859 the top and bottom lines of the scrolling region.
860 The cursor position is, alas, undefined after using this command.
862 It is possible to get the effect of insert or delete line using
864 on a properly chosen region; the
868 (save and restore cursor) commands may be useful for ensuring that
869 your synthesized insert/delete string does not move the cursor.
870 (Note that the \fB\%ncurses\fP(3X) library does this synthesis
871 automatically, so you need not compose insert/delete strings for
872 an entry with \fBcsr\fP).
874 Yet another way to construct insert and delete might be to use a combination of
875 index with the memory-lock feature found on some terminals (like the HP-700/90
876 series, which however also has insert/delete).
878 Inserting lines at the top or bottom of the screen can also be
883 on many terminals without a true insert/delete line,
884 and is often faster even on terminals with those features.
886 The Boolean \fBnon_dest_scroll_region\fP should be set if each scrolling
887 window is effectively a view port on a screen-sized canvas.
889 this capability, create a scrolling region in the middle of the screen,
890 write something to the bottom line, move the cursor to the top of the region,
891 and do \fBri\fP followed by \fBdl1\fP or \fBind\fP.
893 off the bottom of the region by the \fBri\fP re-appears, then scrolling
895 System V and X/Open Curses expect that \fBind\fP, \fBri\fP,
896 \fBindn\fP, and \fBrin\fP will simulate destructive scrolling; their
897 documentation cautions you not to define \fBcsr\fP unless this is true.
898 This \fBcurses\fP implementation is more liberal and will do explicit erases
899 after scrolling if \fBndsrc\fP is defined.
901 If the terminal has the ability to define a window as part of
902 memory, which all commands affect,
903 it should be given as the parameterized string
905 The four parameters are the starting and ending lines in memory
906 and the starting and ending columns in memory, in that order.
908 If the terminal can retain display memory above, then the
909 \fBda\fP capability should be given; if display memory can be retained
910 below, then \fBdb\fP should be given.
912 that deleting a line or scrolling may bring non-blank lines up from below
913 or that scrolling back with \fBri\fP may bring down non-blank lines.
914 .SS "Insert/Delete Character"
915 There are two basic kinds of intelligent terminals with respect to
916 insert/delete character which can be described using
918 The most common insert/delete character operations affect only the characters
919 on the current line and shift characters off the end of the line rigidly.
920 Other terminals, such as the Concept 100 and the Perkin Elmer Owl, make
921 a distinction between typed and untyped blanks on the screen, shifting
922 upon an insert or delete only to an untyped blank on the screen which is
923 either eliminated, or expanded to two untyped blanks.
925 You can determine the
926 kind of terminal you have by clearing the screen and then typing
927 text separated by cursor motions.
928 Type \*(``abc\ \ \ \ def\*('' using local
929 cursor motions (not spaces) between the \*(``abc\*('' and the \*(``def\*(''.
930 Then position the cursor before the \*(``abc\*('' and put the terminal in insert
932 If typing characters causes the rest of the line to shift
933 rigidly and characters to fall off the end, then your terminal does
934 not distinguish between blanks and untyped positions.
936 shifts over to the \*(``def\*('' which then move together around the end of the
937 current line and onto the next as you insert, you have the second type of
938 terminal, and should give the capability \fBin\fP, which stands for
939 \*(``insert null\*(''.
941 While these are two logically separate attributes (one line versus multi-line
942 insert mode, and special treatment of untyped spaces) we have seen no
943 terminals whose insert mode cannot be described with the single attribute.
945 Terminfo can describe both terminals which have an insert mode, and terminals
946 which send a simple sequence to open a blank position on the current line.
947 Give as \fBsmir\fP the sequence to get into insert mode.
948 Give as \fBrmir\fP the sequence to leave insert mode.
949 Now give as \fBich1\fP any sequence needed to be sent just before sending
950 the character to be inserted.
951 Most terminals with a true insert mode
952 will not give \fBich1\fP; terminals which send a sequence to open a screen
953 position should give it here.
955 If your terminal has both, insert mode is usually preferable to \fBich1\fP.
956 Technically, you should not give both unless the terminal actually requires
957 both to be used in combination.
958 Accordingly, some non-curses applications get
959 confused if both are present; the symptom is doubled characters in an update
961 This requirement is now rare; most \fBich\fP sequences do not
962 require previous smir, and most smir insert modes do not require \fBich1\fP
963 before each character.
964 Therefore, the new \fBcurses\fP actually assumes this
965 is the case and uses either \fBrmir\fP/\fBsmir\fP or \fBich\fP/\fBich1\fP as
966 appropriate (but not both).
967 If you have to write an entry to be used under
968 new curses for a terminal old enough to need both, include the
969 \fBrmir\fP/\fBsmir\fP sequences in \fBich1\fP.
971 If post insert padding is needed, give this as a number of milliseconds
972 in \fBip\fP (a string option).
973 Any other sequence which may need to be
974 sent after an insert of a single character may also be given in \fBip\fP.
975 If your terminal needs both to be placed into an \*(``insert mode\*('' and
976 a special code to precede each inserted character, then both
980 can be given, and both will be used.
983 capability, with one parameter,
985 will repeat the effects of
990 If padding is necessary between characters typed while not
991 in insert mode, give this as a number of milliseconds padding in \fBrmp\fP.
993 It is occasionally necessary to move around while in insert mode
994 to delete characters on the same line (e.g., if there is a tab after
995 the insertion position).
996 If your terminal allows motion while in
997 insert mode you can give the capability \fBmir\fP to speed up inserting
999 Omitting \fBmir\fP will affect only speed.
1001 (notably Datamedia's) must not have \fBmir\fP because of the way their
1004 Finally, you can specify
1006 to delete a single character,
1012 and delete mode by giving \fBsmdc\fP and \fBrmdc\fP
1013 to enter and exit delete mode (any mode the terminal needs to be placed
1020 characters (equivalent to outputting
1022 blanks without moving the cursor)
1026 .SS "Highlighting, Underlining, and Visible Bells"
1027 If your terminal has one or more kinds of display attributes,
1028 these can be represented in a number of different ways.
1029 You should choose one display form as
1030 \f2standout mode\fP,
1031 representing a good, high contrast, easy-on-the-eyes,
1032 format for highlighting error messages and other attention getters.
1033 (If you have a choice, reverse video plus half-bright is good,
1034 or reverse video alone.)
1035 The sequences to enter and exit standout mode
1036 are given as \fBsmso\fP and \fBrmso\fP, respectively.
1037 If the code to change into or out of standout
1038 mode leaves one or even two blank spaces on the screen,
1039 as the TVI 912 and Teleray 1061 do,
1040 then \fBxmc\fP should be given to tell how many spaces are left.
1042 Codes to begin underlining and end underlining can be given as \fBsmul\fP
1043 and \fBrmul\fP respectively.
1044 If the terminal has a code to underline the current character and move
1045 the cursor one space to the right,
1046 such as the Microterm Mime,
1047 this can be given as \fBuc\fP.
1049 Other capabilities to enter various highlighting modes include
1053 (bold or extra bright)
1055 (dim or half-bright)
1057 (blanking or invisible text)
1067 (enter alternate character set mode)
1070 (exit alternate character set mode).
1071 Turning on any of these modes singly may or may not turn off other modes.
1073 If there is a sequence to set arbitrary combinations of modes,
1074 this should be given as
1077 taking 9 parameters.
1078 Each parameter is either zero (0) or nonzero,
1079 as the corresponding attribute is on or off.
1080 The 9 parameters are, in order:
1081 standout, underline, reverse, blink, dim, bold, blank, protect, alternate
1083 Not all modes need be supported by
1085 only those for which corresponding separate attribute commands exist.
1087 For example, the DEC vt220 supports most of the modes:
1093 tparm Parameter Attribute Escape Sequence
1096 p1 standout \eE[0;1;7m
1097 p2 underline \eE[0;4m
1100 p5 dim not available
1104 p9 altcharset \*^O (off) \*^N (on)
1107 We begin each escape sequence by turning off any existing modes, since
1108 there is no quick way to determine whether they are active.
1109 Standout is set up to be the combination of reverse and bold.
1110 The vt220 terminal has a protect mode,
1111 though it is not commonly used in sgr
1112 because it protects characters on the screen from the host's erasures.
1113 The altcharset mode also is different in that it is either \*^O or \*^N,
1114 depending on whether it is off or on.
1115 If all modes are turned on, the resulting sequence is \eE[0;1;4;5;7;8m\*^N.
1117 Some sequences are common to different modes.
1118 For example, ;7 is output when either p1 or p3 is true, that is, if
1119 either standout or reverse modes are turned on.
1121 Writing out the above sequences, along with their dependencies yields
1128 Sequence When to Output terminfo Translation
1131 ;1 if p1 or p6 %?%p1%p6%|%t;1%;
1132 ;4 if p2 %?%p2%|%t;4%;
1133 ;5 if p4 %?%p4%|%t;5%;
1134 ;7 if p1 or p3 %?%p1%p3%|%t;7%;
1135 ;8 if p7 %?%p7%|%t;8%;
1137 \*^N or \*^O if p9 \*^N, else \*^O %?%p9%t\*^N%e\*^O%;
1140 Putting this all together into the sgr sequence gives:
1143 sgr=\eE[0%?%p1%p6%|%t;1%;%?%p2%t;4%;%?%p4%t;5%;
1144 %?%p1%p3%|%t;7%;%?%p7%t;8%;m%?%p9%t\e016%e\e017%;,
1147 Remember that if you specify sgr, you must also specify sgr0.
1148 Also, some implementations rely on sgr being given if sgr0 is,
1149 Not all terminfo entries necessarily have an sgr string, however.
1150 Many terminfo entries are derived from termcap entries
1151 which have no sgr string.
1152 The only drawback to adding an sgr string is that termcap also
1153 assumes that sgr0 does not exit alternate character set mode.
1155 Terminals with the \*(``magic cookie\*('' glitch
1157 deposit special \*(``cookies\*('' when they receive mode-setting sequences,
1158 which affect the display algorithm rather than having extra bits for
1160 Some terminals, such as the HP 2621, automatically leave standout
1161 mode when they move to a new line or the cursor is addressed.
1162 Programs using standout mode should exit standout mode before
1163 moving the cursor or sending a newline,
1166 capability, asserting that it is safe to move in standout mode, is present.
1169 a way of flashing the screen to indicate an error quietly (a bell replacement)
1170 then this can be given as \fBflash\fP; it must not move the cursor.
1172 If the cursor needs to be made more visible than normal when it is
1173 not on the bottom line (to make, for example, a non-blinking underline into an
1174 easier to find block or blinking underline)
1175 give this sequence as
1177 If there is a way to make the cursor completely invisible, give that as
1181 should be given which undoes the effects of both of these modes.
1183 If your terminal correctly generates underlined characters
1184 (with no special codes needed)
1185 even though it does not overstrike,
1186 then you should give the capability \fBul\fP.
1187 If a character overstriking another leaves both characters on the screen,
1188 specify the capability \fBos\fP.
1189 If overstrikes are erasable with a blank,
1190 then this should be indicated by giving \fBeo\fP.
1191 .SS "Keypad and Function Keys"
1192 If the terminal has a keypad that transmits codes when the keys are pressed,
1193 this information can be given.
1194 Note that it is not possible to handle
1195 terminals where the keypad only works in local (this applies, for example,
1196 to the unshifted HP 2621 keys).
1197 If the keypad can be set to transmit or not transmit,
1198 give these codes as \fBsmkx\fP and \fBrmkx\fP.
1199 Otherwise the keypad is assumed to always transmit.
1201 The codes sent by the left arrow, right arrow, up arrow, down arrow,
1202 and home keys can be given as
1203 \fBkcub1, kcuf1, kcuu1, kcud1, \fRand\fB khome\fP respectively.
1204 If there are function keys such as f0, f1, ..., f10, the codes they send
1205 can be given as \fBkf0, kf1, ..., kf10\fP.
1206 If these keys have labels other than the default f0 through f10, the labels
1207 can be given as \fBlf0, lf1, ..., lf10\fP.
1209 The codes transmitted by certain other special keys can be given:
1221 (clear the tab stop in this column),
1224 (clear screen or erase key),
1236 (clear to end of line),
1239 (clear to end of screen),
1242 (insert character or enter insert mode),
1254 (scroll forward/down),
1257 (scroll backward/up),
1260 (set a tab stop in this column).
1262 In addition, if the keypad has a 3 by 3 array of keys including the four
1263 arrow keys, the other five keys can be given as
1270 These keys are useful when the effects of a 3 by 3 directional pad are needed.
1272 Strings to program function keys can be given as
1277 A string to program screen labels should be specified as \fBpln\fP.
1278 Each of these strings takes two parameters: the function key number to
1279 program (from 0 to 10) and the string to program it with.
1280 Function key numbers out of this range may program undefined keys in
1281 a terminal dependent manner.
1282 The difference between the capabilities is that
1284 causes pressing the given key to be the same as the user typing the
1287 causes the string to be executed by the terminal in local; and
1289 causes the string to be transmitted to the computer.
1291 The capabilities \fBnlab\fP, \fBlw\fP and \fBlh\fP
1292 define the number of programmable
1293 screen labels and their width and height.
1294 If there are commands to turn the labels on and off,
1295 give them in \fBsmln\fP and \fBrmln\fP.
1296 \fBsmln\fP is normally output after one or more pln
1297 sequences to make sure that the change becomes visible.
1298 .SS "Tabs and Initialization"
1299 A few capabilities are used only for tabs:
1301 If the terminal has hardware tabs, the command to advance to the next
1302 tab stop can be given as
1304 (usually control/I).
1306 A \*(``back-tab\*('' command which moves leftward to the preceding tab stop can
1310 By convention, if the teletype modes indicate that tabs are being
1311 expanded by the computer rather than being sent to the terminal,
1312 programs should not use
1316 even if they are present, since the user may not have the tab stops
1319 If the terminal has hardware tabs which are initially set every
1321 spaces when the terminal is powered up,
1322 the numeric parameter
1324 is given, showing the number of spaces the tabs are set to.
1326 The \fBit\fP capability is normally used by the \fB@TSET@\fP
1327 command to determine whether to set the mode for hardware tab expansion,
1328 and whether to set the tab stops.
1329 If the terminal has tab stops that can be saved in non-volatile memory,
1330 the terminfo description can assume that they are properly set.
1339 initialization strings for the terminal,
1342 the path name of a program to be run to initialize the terminal,
1344 and \fBif\fP, the name of a file containing long initialization strings.
1346 These strings are expected to set the terminal into modes consistent
1347 with the rest of the terminfo description.
1348 They are normally sent to the terminal, by the
1350 option of the \fB@TPUT@\fP program, each time the user logs in.
1351 They will be printed in the following order:
1363 set the margins using
1366 \fBsmglp\fP and \fBsmgrp\fP or
1368 \fBsmgl\fP and \fBsmgr\fP
1382 Most initialization is done with
1384 Special terminal modes can be set up without duplicating strings
1385 by putting the common sequences in
1387 and special cases in
1392 A set of sequences that does a harder reset from a totally unknown state
1406 These strings are output
1407 by \fIreset\fP option of \fB@TPUT@\fP,
1408 or by the \fB@RESET@\fP program
1409 (an alias of \fB@TSET@\fP),
1410 which is used when the terminal gets into a wedged state.
1411 Commands are normally placed in
1417 only if they produce annoying effects on the screen and are not
1418 necessary when logging in.
1419 For example, the command to set the vt100 into 80-column mode would
1422 but it causes an annoying glitch of the screen and is not normally
1423 needed since the terminal is usually already in 80-column mode.
1425 The \fB@RESET@\fP program writes strings including
1427 etc., in the same order as the
1440 reset capability strings are missing,
1441 the \fB@RESET@\fP program
1442 falls back upon the corresponding initialization capability string.
1444 If there are commands to set and clear tab stops, they can be given as
1446 (clear all tab stops)
1449 (set a tab stop in the current column of every line).
1450 If a more complex sequence is needed to set the tabs than can be
1451 described by this, the sequence can be placed in
1456 The \fB@TPUT@ reset\fP command uses the same capability strings
1457 as the \fB@RESET@\fP command,
1458 although the two programs (\fB@TPUT@\fP and \fB@RESET@\fP)
1459 provide different command-line options.
1461 In practice, these terminfo capabilities are not often used in
1462 initialization of tabs
1463 (though they are required for the \fB@TABS@\fP program):
1465 Almost all hardware terminals (at least those which supported tabs)
1466 initialized those to every \fIeight\fP columns:
1468 The only exception was the AT&T 2300 series,
1469 which set tabs to every \fIfive\fP columns.
1471 In particular, developers of the hardware terminals which are commonly used
1472 as models for modern terminal emulators provided documentation demonstrating
1473 that \fIeight\fP columns were the standard.
1475 Because of this, the terminal initialization programs
1476 \fB@TPUT@\fP and \fB@TSET@\fP
1478 \fBtbc\fP (\fBclear_all_tabs\fP) and
1479 \fBhts\fP (\fBset_tab\fP) capabilities directly
1480 only when the \fBit\fP (\fBinit_tabs\fP) capability
1481 is set to a value other than \fIeight\fP.
1482 .SS "Delays and Padding"
1483 Many older and slower terminals do not support either XON/XOFF or DTR
1484 handshaking, including hard copy terminals and some very archaic CRTs
1485 (including, for example, DEC VT100s).
1486 These may require padding characters
1487 after certain cursor motions and screen changes.
1489 If the terminal uses xon/xoff handshaking for flow control (that is,
1490 it automatically emits \*^S back to the host when its input buffers are
1493 This capability suppresses the emission of padding.
1495 for memory-mapped console devices effectively that do not have a speed limit.
1496 Padding information should still be included so that routines can
1497 make better decisions about relative costs, but actual pad characters will
1500 If \fBpb\fP (padding baud rate) is given, padding is suppressed at baud rates
1501 below the value of \fBpb\fP.
1502 If the entry has no padding baud rate, then
1503 whether padding is emitted or not is completely controlled by \fBxon\fP.
1505 If the terminal requires other than a null (zero) character as a pad,
1506 then this can be given as \fBpad\fP.
1507 Only the first character of the
1511 Some terminals have an extra \*(``status line\*('' which is not normally used by
1512 software (and thus not counted in the terminal's \fBlines\fP capability).
1514 The simplest case is a status line which is cursor-addressable but not
1515 part of the main scrolling region on the screen; the Heathkit H19 has
1516 a status line of this kind, as would a 24-line VT100 with a 23-line
1517 scrolling region set up on initialization.
1518 This situation is indicated
1519 by the \fBhs\fP capability.
1521 Some terminals with status lines need special sequences to access the
1523 These may be expressed as a string with single parameter
1524 \fBtsl\fP which takes the cursor to a given zero-origin column on the
1526 The capability \fBfsl\fP must return to the main-screen
1527 cursor positions before the last \fBtsl\fP.
1528 You may need to embed the
1529 string values of \fBsc\fP (save cursor) and \fBrc\fP (restore cursor)
1530 in \fBtsl\fP and \fBfsl\fP to accomplish this.
1532 The status line is normally assumed to be the same width as the width
1534 If this is untrue, you can specify it with the numeric
1535 capability \fBwsl\fP.
1537 A command to erase or blank the status line may be specified as \fBdsl\fP.
1539 The Boolean capability \fBeslok\fP specifies that escape sequences, tabs,
1540 etc., work ordinarily in the status line.
1542 The \fI\%ncurses\fP implementation does not yet use any of these
1544 They are documented here in case they ever become important.
1546 Many terminals have alternate character sets useful for forms-drawing.
1547 Terminfo and \fBcurses\fP have built-in support
1548 for most of the drawing characters
1549 supported by the VT100, with some characters from the AT&T 4410v1 added.
1550 This alternate character set may be specified by the \fBacsc\fP capability.
1558 ACS Name Value Symbol ASCII Fallback / Glyph Name
1560 ACS_RARROW 0x2b + > arrow pointing right
1561 ACS_LARROW 0x2c , < arrow pointing left
1562 ACS_UARROW 0x2d \- \*^ arrow pointing up
1563 ACS_DARROW 0x2e . v arrow pointing down
1564 ACS_BLOCK 0x30 0 # solid square block
1565 ACS_DIAMOND 0x60 \(ga + diamond
1566 ACS_CKBOARD 0x61 a : checker board (stipple)
1567 ACS_DEGREE 0x66 f \e degree symbol
1568 ACS_PLMINUS 0x67 g # plus/minus
1569 ACS_BOARD 0x68 h # board of squares
1570 ACS_LANTERN 0x69 i # lantern symbol
1571 ACS_LRCORNER 0x6a j + lower right corner
1572 ACS_URCORNER 0x6b k + upper right corner
1573 ACS_ULCORNER 0x6c l + upper left corner
1574 ACS_LLCORNER 0x6d m + lower left corner
1575 ACS_PLUS 0x6e n + large plus or crossover
1576 ACS_S1 0x6f o \*~ scan line 1
1577 ACS_S3 0x70 p \- scan line 3
1578 ACS_HLINE 0x71 q \- horizontal line
1579 ACS_S7 0x72 r \- scan line 7
1580 ACS_S9 0x73 s \&_ scan line 9
1581 ACS_LTEE 0x74 t + tee pointing right
1582 ACS_RTEE 0x75 u + tee pointing left
1583 ACS_BTEE 0x76 v + tee pointing up
1584 ACS_TTEE 0x77 w + tee pointing down
1585 ACS_VLINE 0x78 x | vertical line
1586 ACS_LEQUAL 0x79 y < less-than-or-equal-to
1587 ACS_GEQUAL 0x7a z > greater-than-or-equal-to
1588 ACS_PI 0x7b { * greek pi
1589 ACS_NEQUAL 0x7c | ! not-equal
1590 ACS_STERLING 0x7d } f UK pound sign
1591 ACS_BULLET 0x7e \*~ o bullet
1594 A few notes apply to the table itself:
1596 X/Open Curses incorrectly states that the mapping for \fIlantern\fP is
1597 uppercase \*(``I\*('' although Unix implementations use the
1598 lowercase \*(``i\*('' mapping.
1600 The DEC VT100 implemented graphics using the alternate character set
1601 feature, temporarily switching \fImodes\fP and sending characters
1602 in the range 0x60 (96) to 0x7e (126)
1603 (the \fBacsc Value\fP column in the table).
1605 The AT&T terminal added graphics characters outside that range.
1607 Some of the characters within the range do not match the VT100;
1608 presumably they were used in the AT&T terminal:
1609 \fIboard of squares\fP replaces the VT100 \fInewline\fP symbol, while
1610 \fIlantern symbol\fP replaces the VT100 \fIvertical tab\fP symbol.
1611 The other VT100 symbols for control characters (\fIhorizontal tab\fP,
1612 \fIcarriage return\fP and \fIline-feed\fP) are not (re)used in curses.
1614 The best way to define a new device's graphics set is to add a column
1615 to a copy of this table for your terminal, giving the character which
1616 (when emitted between \fBsmacs\fP/\fBrmacs\fP switches) will be rendered
1617 as the corresponding graphic.
1618 Then read off the VT100/your terminal
1619 character pairs right to left in sequence; these become the ACSC string.
1620 .SS "Color Handling"
1621 The curses library functions \fBinit_pair\fP and \fBinit_color\fP
1622 manipulate the \fIcolor pairs\fP and \fIcolor values\fP discussed in this
1624 (see \fBcurs_color\fP(3X) for details on these and related functions).
1626 Most color terminals are either \*(``Tektronix-like\*('' or \*(``HP-like\*('':
1629 terminals have a predefined set of \fIN\fP colors
1630 (where \fIN\fP is usually 8),
1632 character-cell foreground and background characters independently, mixing them
1633 into \fIN\fP\ *\ \fIN\fP color pairs.
1635 On HP-like terminals, the user must set each color
1636 pair up separately (foreground and background are not independently settable).
1637 Up to \fIM\fP color pairs may be set up from 2*\fIM\fP different colors.
1638 ANSI-compatible terminals are Tektronix-like.
1640 Some basic color capabilities are independent of the color method.
1642 capabilities \fBcolors\fP and \fBpairs\fP specify the maximum numbers of colors
1643 and color pairs that can be displayed simultaneously.
1644 The \fBop\fP (original
1645 pair) string resets foreground and background colors to their default values
1647 The \fBoc\fP string resets all colors or color pairs to
1648 their default values for the terminal.
1649 Some terminals (including many PC
1650 terminal emulators) erase screen areas with the current background color rather
1651 than the power-up default background; these should have the Boolean capability
1654 While the curses library works with \fIcolor pairs\fP
1655 (reflecting the inability of some devices to set foreground
1656 and background colors independently),
1657 there are separate capabilities for setting these features:
1659 To change the current foreground or background color on a Tektronix-type
1660 terminal, use \fBsetaf\fP (set ANSI foreground) and \fBsetab\fP (set ANSI
1661 background) or \fBsetf\fP (set foreground) and \fBsetb\fP (set background).
1662 These take one parameter, the color number.
1663 The SVr4 documentation describes
1664 only \fBsetaf\fP/\fBsetab\fP; the XPG4 draft says that "If the terminal
1665 supports ANSI escape sequences to set background and foreground, they should
1666 be coded as \fBsetaf\fP and \fBsetab\fP, respectively.
1669 supports other escape sequences to set background and foreground, they should
1670 be coded as \fBsetf\fP and \fBsetb\fP, respectively.
1671 The \fBvidputs\fP and the \fBrefresh\fP(3X) functions
1672 use the \fBsetaf\fP and \fBsetab\fP capabilities if they are defined.
1674 The \fBsetaf\fP/\fBsetab\fP and \fBsetf\fP/\fBsetb\fP capabilities take a
1675 single numeric argument each.
1676 Argument values 0-7 of \fBsetaf\fP/\fBsetab\fP are portably defined as
1677 follows (the middle column is the symbolic #define available in the header for
1678 the \fBcurses\fP or \fI\%ncurses\fP libraries).
1679 The terminal hardware is free to
1680 map these as it likes, but the RGB values indicate normal locations in color
1687 Color #define Value RGB
1689 black COLOR_BLACK 0 0, 0, 0
1690 red COLOR_RED 1 max, 0, 0
1691 green COLOR_GREEN 2 0, max, 0
1692 yellow COLOR_YELLOW 3 max, max, 0
1693 blue COLOR_BLUE 4 0, 0, max
1694 magenta COLOR_MAGENTA 5 max, 0, max
1695 cyan COLOR_CYAN 6 0, max, max
1696 white COLOR_WHITE 7 max, max, max
1701 The argument values of \fBsetf\fP/\fBsetb\fP historically correspond to
1702 a different mapping, i.e.,
1708 Color #define Value RGB
1710 black COLOR_BLACK 0 0, 0, 0
1711 blue COLOR_BLUE 1 0, 0, max
1712 green COLOR_GREEN 2 0, max, 0
1713 cyan COLOR_CYAN 3 0, max, max
1714 red COLOR_RED 4 max, 0, 0
1715 magenta COLOR_MAGENTA 5 max, 0, max
1716 yellow COLOR_YELLOW 6 max, max, 0
1717 white COLOR_WHITE 7 max, max, max
1720 It is important to not confuse the two sets of color capabilities;
1721 otherwise red/blue will be interchanged on the display.
1723 On an HP-like terminal, use \fBscp\fP with a color pair number parameter to set
1724 which color pair is current.
1726 Some terminals allow the \fIcolor values\fP to be modified:
1728 On a Tektronix-like terminal, the capability \fBccc\fP may be present to
1729 indicate that colors can be modified.
1730 If so, the \fBinitc\fP capability will
1731 take a color number (0 to \fBcolors\fP \- 1)and three more parameters which
1733 These three parameters default to being interpreted as RGB
1734 (Red, Green, Blue) values.
1735 If the Boolean capability \fBhls\fP is present,
1736 they are instead as HLS (Hue, Lightness, Saturation) indices.
1740 On an HP-like terminal, \fBinitp\fP may give a capability for changing a
1742 It will take seven parameters; a color pair number (0 to
1743 \fBmax_pairs\fP \- 1), and two triples describing first background and then
1745 These parameters must be (Red, Green, Blue) or
1746 (Hue, Lightness, Saturation) depending on \fBhls\fP.
1748 On some color terminals, colors collide with highlights.
1750 these collisions with the \fBncv\fP capability.
1751 This is a bit mask of
1752 attributes not to be used when colors are enabled.
1753 The correspondence with the
1754 attributes understood by \fBcurses\fP is as follows:
1760 Attribute Bit Decimal Set by
1770 A_ALTCHARSET 8 256 sgr
1771 A_HORIZONTAL 9 512 sgr1
1774 A_RIGHT 12 4096 sgr1
1776 A_VERTICAL 14 16384 sgr1
1777 A_ITALIC 15 32768 sitm
1780 For example, on many IBM PC consoles, the underline attribute collides with the
1781 foreground color blue and is not available in color mode.
1783 an \fBncv\fP capability of 2.
1785 SVr4 curses does nothing with \fBncv\fP,
1786 \fI\%ncurses\fP recognizes it and optimizes
1787 the output in favor of colors.
1789 If the terminal requires other than a null (zero) character as a pad, then this
1790 can be given as pad.
1791 Only the first character of the pad string is used.
1792 If the terminal does not have a pad character, specify npc.
1793 Note that \fI\%ncurses\fP implements the termcap-compatible \fBPC\fP
1795 though the application may set this value to something other than
1797 \fI\%ncurses\fP will test \fBnpc\fP first and use napms if the terminal
1798 has no pad character.
1800 If the terminal can move up or down half a line,
1801 this can be indicated with
1807 This is primarily useful for superscripts and subscripts on hard-copy terminals.
1808 If a hard-copy terminal can eject to the next page (form feed), give this as
1810 (usually control/L).
1812 If there is a command to repeat a given character a given number of
1813 times (to save time transmitting a large number of identical characters)
1814 this can be indicated with the parameterized string
1816 The first parameter is the character to be repeated and the second
1817 is the number of times to repeat it.
1818 Thus, tparm(repeat_char, \*'x\*', 10) is the same as \*(``xxxxxxxxxx\*(''.
1820 If the terminal has a settable command character,
1821 such as the \s-1TEKTRONIX\s+1 4025,
1822 this can be indicated with
1824 A prototype command character is chosen which is used in all capabilities.
1825 This character is given in the
1827 capability to identify it.
1828 The following convention is supported on some Unix systems:
1829 The environment is to be searched for a
1831 variable, and if found, all
1832 occurrences of the prototype character are replaced with the character
1833 in the environment variable.
1835 Terminal descriptions that do not represent a specific kind of known
1844 (generic) capability so that programs can complain that they do not know
1845 how to talk to the terminal.
1846 (This capability does not apply to
1848 terminal descriptions for which the escape sequences are known.)
1850 If the terminal has a \*(``meta key\*('' which acts as a shift key,
1851 setting the 8th bit of any character transmitted, this fact can
1854 Otherwise, software will assume that the 8th bit is parity and it
1855 will usually be cleared.
1856 If strings exist to turn this \*(``meta mode\*('' on and off, they
1862 If the terminal has more lines of memory than will fit on the screen
1863 at once, the number of lines of memory can be indicated with
1867 indicates that the number of lines is not fixed,
1868 but that there is still more memory than fits on the screen.
1870 If the terminal is one of those supported by the Unix virtual
1871 terminal protocol, the terminal number can be given as
1875 strings which control an auxiliary printer connected to the terminal
1878 print the contents of the screen,
1880 turn off the printer, and
1882 turn on the printer.
1883 When the printer is on, all text sent to the terminal will be sent
1885 It is undefined whether the text is also displayed on the terminal screen
1886 when the printer is on.
1889 takes one parameter, and leaves the printer on for as many characters
1890 as the value of the parameter, then turns the printer off.
1891 The parameter should not exceed 255.
1894 is transparently passed to the printer while an
1897 .SS "Glitches and Brain Damage"
1898 Hazeltine terminals,
1899 which do not allow \*(``\*~\*('' characters to be displayed should
1902 Terminals which ignore a line-feed immediately after an \fBam\fP wrap,
1903 such as the Concept and vt100,
1904 should indicate \fBxenl\fP.
1908 is required to get rid of standout
1909 (instead of merely writing normal text on top of it),
1910 \fBxhp\fP should be given.
1912 Teleray terminals, where tabs turn all characters moved over to blanks,
1913 should indicate \fBxt\fP (destructive tabs).
1914 Note: the variable indicating this is now \*(``dest_tabs_magic_smso\*(''; in
1915 older versions, it was teleray_glitch.
1916 This glitch is also taken to mean that it is not possible to position
1917 the cursor on top of a \*(``magic cookie\*('',
1918 that to erase standout mode it is instead necessary to use
1919 delete and insert line.
1920 The \fI\%ncurses\fP implementation ignores this glitch.
1922 The Beehive Superbee, which is unable to correctly transmit the escape
1923 or control/C characters, has
1925 indicating that the f1 key is used for escape and f2 for control/C.
1926 (Only certain Superbees have this problem, depending on the ROM.)
1927 Note that in older terminfo versions, this capability was called
1928 \*(``beehive_glitch\*(''; it is now \*(``no_esc_ctl_c\*(''.
1930 Other specific terminal problems may be corrected by adding more
1931 capabilities of the form \fBx\fIx\fR.
1932 .SS "Pitfalls of Long Entries"
1933 Long terminfo entries are unlikely to be a problem; to date, no entry has even
1934 approached terminfo's 4096-byte string-table maximum.
1935 Unfortunately, the termcap
1936 translations are much more strictly limited (to 1023 bytes),
1937 thus termcap translations of long terminfo entries can cause problems.
1939 The man pages for 4.3BSD
1940 and older versions of \fBtgetent\fP instruct the user to
1941 allocate a 1024-byte buffer for the termcap entry.
1942 The entry gets null-terminated by
1943 the termcap library, so that makes the maximum safe length for a termcap entry
1945 Depending on what the application and the termcap library being used does,
1946 and where in the termcap file the terminal type that \fBtgetent\fP
1947 is searching for is, several bad things can happen:
1949 some termcap libraries print a warning message,
1951 some exit if they find an entry that's longer than 1023 bytes,
1953 some neither exit nor warn, doing nothing useful, and
1955 some simply truncate the entries to 1023 bytes.
1957 Some application programs allocate more than
1958 the recommended 1K for the termcap entry; others do not.
1960 Each termcap entry has two important sizes associated with it: before
1961 \*(``tc\*('' expansion, and after \*(``tc\*('' expansion.
1962 \*(``tc\*('' is the capability that
1963 tacks on another termcap entry to the end of the current one, to add
1964 on its capabilities.
1965 If a termcap entry does not use the \*(``tc\*(''
1966 capability, then of course the two lengths are the same.
1968 The \*(``before tc expansion\*('' length is the most important one, because it
1969 affects more than just users of that particular terminal.
1971 length of the entry as it exists in /etc/termcap, minus the
1972 backslash-newline pairs, which \fBtgetent\fP strips out while reading it.
1973 Some termcap libraries strip off the final newline, too (GNU termcap does not).
1976 a termcap entry before expansion is more than 1023 bytes long,
1978 and the application has only allocated a 1k buffer,
1980 and the termcap library (like the one in BSD/OS 1.1 and GNU) reads
1981 the whole entry into the buffer, no matter what its length, to see
1982 if it is the entry it wants,
1984 and \fBtgetent\fP is searching for a terminal type that either is the
1985 long entry, appears in the termcap file after the long entry, or
1986 does not appear in the file at all (so that \fBtgetent\fP has to search
1987 the whole termcap file).
1989 Then \fBtgetent\fP will overwrite memory,
1991 and probably core dump the program.
1992 Programs like telnet are particularly vulnerable; modern telnets
1993 pass along values like the terminal type automatically.
1994 The results are almost
1995 as undesirable with a termcap library, like SunOS 4.1.3 and Ultrix 4.4, that
1996 prints warning messages when it reads an overly long termcap entry.
1998 termcap library truncates long entries, like OSF/1 3.0, it is immune to dying
1999 here but will return incorrect data for the terminal.
2001 The \*(``after tc expansion\*('' length will have a similar effect to the
2002 above, but only for people who actually set \fITERM\fP to that terminal
2003 type, since \fBtgetent\fP only does \*(``tc\*('' expansion once it is found the
2004 terminal type it was looking for, not while searching.
2006 In summary, a termcap entry that is longer than 1023 bytes can cause,
2007 on various combinations of termcap libraries and applications, a core
2008 dump, warnings, or incorrect operation.
2009 If it is too long even before
2010 \*(``tc\*('' expansion, it will have this effect even for users of some other
2011 terminal types and users whose \fITERM\fP variable does not have a termcap
2014 When in \-C (translate to termcap) mode,
2015 the \fI\%ncurses\fP implementation of
2016 \fB@TIC@\fP(1M) issues warning messages when the pre-tc length of a termcap
2017 translation is too long.
2018 The \-c (check) option also checks resolved (after tc
2023 compiled terminal description database directory
2025 Searching for terminal descriptions in
2026 \fI$HOME/.terminfo\fP and \fI\%TERMINFO_DIRS\fP
2027 is not supported by older implementations.
2029 Some SVr4 \fBcurses\fP implementations, and all previous to SVr4, do not
2030 interpret the %A and %O operators in parameter strings.
2032 SVr4/XPG4 do not specify whether \fBmsgr\fP licenses movement while in
2033 an alternate-character-set mode (such modes may, among other things, map
2034 CR and NL to characters that do not trigger local motions).
2035 The \fI\%ncurses\fP implementation ignores \fBmsgr\fP in
2036 \fBALTCHARSET\fP mode.
2037 This raises the possibility that an XPG4
2038 implementation making the opposite interpretation may need terminfo
2039 entries made for \fI\%ncurses\fP to have \fBmsgr\fP turned off.
2041 The \fI\%ncurses\fP library handles insert-character and
2042 insert-character modes in a slightly non-standard way to get better
2045 the \fBInsert/Delete Character\fP subsection above.
2047 The parameter substitutions for \fBset_clock\fP and \fBdisplay_clock\fP are
2048 not documented in SVr4 or X/Open Curses.
2049 They are deduced from the
2050 documentation for the AT&T 505 terminal.
2052 Be careful assigning the \fBkmous\fP capability.
2053 The \fI\%ncurses\fP library wants to interpret it as \fBKEY_MOUSE\fP,
2054 for use by terminals and emulators like xterm
2055 that can return mouse-tracking information in the keyboard-input stream.
2057 X/Open Curses does not mention italics.
2058 Portable applications must assume that numeric capabilities are
2059 signed 16-bit values.
2060 This includes the \fIno_color_video\fP (\fBncv\fP) capability.
2061 The 32768 mask value used for italics with \fBncv\fP can be confused with
2062 an absent or cancelled \fBncv\fP.
2063 If italics should work with colors,
2064 then the \fBncv\fP value must be specified, even if it is zero.
2066 Different commercial ports of \fI\%terminfo\fP and \fIcurses\fP support
2067 different subsets of X/Open Curses and
2069 different extensions.
2071 accurate as of October 1995,
2072 after which the commercial Unix market contracted and lost diversity.
2076 and \fI\%ncurses\fP support all SVr4 capabilities.
2078 IRIX supports the SVr4 set and adds one undocumented extended string
2079 capability \%(\fBset_pglen\fP).
2081 SVr1 and Ultrix support a restricted subset of \fI\%terminfo\fP
2083 The Booleans end with \fB\%xon_xoff\fP;
2084 the numerics with \fB\%width_status_line\fP;
2085 and the strings with \fB\%prtr_non\fP.
2087 HP/UX supports the SVr1 subset,
2088 plus the SVr[234] numerics
2090 \fB\%label_height\fP,
2091 \fB\%label_width\fP,
2092 plus function keys 11 through 63,
2098 plus a number of incompatible string table extensions.
2100 AIX supports the SVr1 subset,
2101 plus function keys 11 through 63,
2102 plus a number of incompatible string table extensions.
2104 OSF/1 supports both the SVr4 set and the AIX extensions.
2106 Do not count on compiled (binary) \fI\%terminfo\fP entries being
2107 portable between commercial Unix systems.
2108 At least two implementations of \fI\%terminfo\fP
2109 (those of HP-UX and AIX)
2110 diverged from those of other System V Unices after SVr1,
2111 adding extension capabilities to the string table that
2112 (in the binary format)
2113 collide with subsequent System V and X/Open Curses extensions.
2115 Zeyd M. Ben-Halim, Eric S. Raymond, Thomas E. Dickey.
2116 Based on \fIpcurses\fP by Pavel Curtis.
2118 \fB\%@INFOCMP@\fP(1M),
2122 \fB\%curs_color\fP(3X),
2123 \fB\%curs_terminfo\fP(3X),
2124 \fB\%curs_variables\fP(3X),
2126 \fB\%term_variables\fP(3X),
2128 \fB\%user_caps\fP(5)