* sale, use or other dealings in this Software without prior written *
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- * @Id: curs_terminfo.3x,v 1.134 2024/03/23 20:41:15 tom Exp @
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-<H1 class="no-header">curs_terminfo 3x 2024-03-23 ncurses 6.4 Library calls</H1>
+<H1 class="no-header">curs_terminfo 3x 2024-05-25 ncurses 6.5 Library calls</H1>
<PRE>
<STRONG><A HREF="curs_terminfo.3x.html">curs_terminfo(3x)</A></STRONG> Library calls <STRONG><A HREF="curs_terminfo.3x.html">curs_terminfo(3x)</A></STRONG>
</PRE><H2><a name="h2-NAME">NAME</a></H2><PRE>
- <STRONG>del_curterm</STRONG>, <STRONG>mvcur</STRONG>, <STRONG>putp</STRONG>, <STRONG>restartterm</STRONG>, <STRONG>set_curterm</STRONG>, <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG>,
- <STRONG>tigetflag</STRONG>, <STRONG>tigetnum</STRONG>, <STRONG>tigetstr</STRONG>, <STRONG>tiparm</STRONG>, <STRONG>tiparm_s</STRONG>, <STRONG>tiscan_s</STRONG>, <STRONG>tparm</STRONG>,
- <STRONG>tputs</STRONG>, <STRONG>vid_attr</STRONG>, <STRONG>vid_puts</STRONG>, <STRONG>vidattr</STRONG>, <STRONG>vidputs</STRONG> - <EM>curses</EM> interfaces to
- <EM>terminfo</EM> database
+ <STRONG>del_curterm</STRONG>, <STRONG>putp</STRONG>, <STRONG>restartterm</STRONG>, <STRONG>set_curterm</STRONG>, <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG>, <STRONG>tigetflag</STRONG>,
+ <STRONG>tigetnum</STRONG>, <STRONG>tigetstr</STRONG>, <STRONG>tiparm</STRONG>, <STRONG>tiparm_s</STRONG>, <STRONG>tiscan_s</STRONG>, <STRONG>tparm</STRONG>, <STRONG>tputs</STRONG>, <STRONG>vid_attr</STRONG>,
+ <STRONG>vid_puts</STRONG>, <STRONG>vidattr</STRONG>, <STRONG>vidputs</STRONG> - <EM>curses</EM> interfaces to <EM>terminfo</EM> database
</PRE><H2><a name="h2-SYNOPSIS">SYNOPSIS</a></H2><PRE>
<STRONG>int</STRONG> <STRONG>vid_puts(attr_t</STRONG> <EM>attrs</EM><STRONG>,</STRONG> <STRONG>short</STRONG> <EM>pair</EM><STRONG>,</STRONG> <STRONG>void</STRONG> <STRONG>*</STRONG><EM>opts</EM><STRONG>,</STRONG> <STRONG>int</STRONG> <STRONG>(*</STRONG><EM>putc</EM><STRONG>)(int));</STRONG>
<STRONG>int</STRONG> <STRONG>vid_attr(attr_t</STRONG> <EM>attrs</EM><STRONG>,</STRONG> <STRONG>short</STRONG> <EM>pair</EM><STRONG>,</STRONG> <STRONG>void</STRONG> <STRONG>*</STRONG><EM>opts</EM><STRONG>);</STRONG>
- <STRONG>int</STRONG> <STRONG>mvcur(int</STRONG> <EM>oldrow</EM><STRONG>,</STRONG> <STRONG>int</STRONG> <EM>oldcol</EM><STRONG>,</STRONG> <STRONG>int</STRONG> <EM>newrow</EM><STRONG>,</STRONG> <STRONG>int</STRONG> <EM>newcol</EM><STRONG>);</STRONG>
-
<STRONG>int</STRONG> <STRONG>tigetflag(const</STRONG> <STRONG>char</STRONG> <STRONG>*</STRONG><EM>cap-code</EM><STRONG>);</STRONG>
<STRONG>int</STRONG> <STRONG>tigetnum(const</STRONG> <STRONG>char</STRONG> <STRONG>*</STRONG><EM>cap-code</EM><STRONG>);</STRONG>
<STRONG>char</STRONG> <STRONG>*tigetstr(const</STRONG> <STRONG>char</STRONG> <STRONG>*</STRONG><EM>cap-code</EM><STRONG>);</STRONG>
</PRE><H2><a name="h2-DESCRIPTION">DESCRIPTION</a></H2><PRE>
These low-level functions must be called by programs that deal directly
- with the <EM>terminfo</EM> database to handle certain terminal capabilities,
+ with the <EM>terminfo</EM> database to handle certain terminal capabilities,
such as programming function keys. For all other functionality, <EM>curses</EM>
functions are more suitable and their use is recommended.
- None of these functions use (or are aware of) multibyte character
+ None of these functions use (or are aware of) multibyte character
strings such as UTF-8.
<STRONG>o</STRONG> Capability names and codes use the POSIX portable character set.
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> Capability string values have no associated encoding; they are
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> Capability string values have no associated encoding; they are
strings of 8-bit characters.
</PRE><H3><a name="h3-Initialization">Initialization</a></H3><PRE>
Initially, <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> should be called. The high-level <EM>curses</EM> functions
- <STRONG>initscr</STRONG> and <STRONG>newterm</STRONG> call <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> to initialize the low-level set of
+ <STRONG>initscr</STRONG> and <STRONG>newterm</STRONG> call <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> to initialize the low-level set of
terminal-dependent variables listed in <STRONG><A HREF="term_variables.3x.html">term_variables(3x)</A></STRONG>.
- Applications can use the terminal capabilities either directly (via
+ Applications can use the terminal capabilities either directly (via
header definitions), or by special functions. The header files
- <EM>curses.h</EM> and <EM>term.h</EM> should be included (in that order) to get the
+ <EM>curses.h</EM> and <EM>term.h</EM> should be included (in that order) to get the
definitions for these strings, numbers, and flags.
- The <EM>terminfo</EM> variables <STRONG>lines</STRONG> and <STRONG>columns</STRONG> are initialized by <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG>
+ The <EM>terminfo</EM> variables <STRONG>lines</STRONG> and <STRONG>columns</STRONG> are initialized by <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG>
as follows.
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> If <STRONG>use_env(FALSE)</STRONG> has been called, values for <STRONG>lines</STRONG> and <STRONG>columns</STRONG>
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> If <STRONG>use_env(FALSE)</STRONG> has been called, values for <STRONG>lines</STRONG> and <STRONG>columns</STRONG>
specified in <EM>terminfo</EM> are used.
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> Otherwise, if the environment variables <EM>LINES</EM> and <EM>COLUMNS</EM> exist,
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> Otherwise, if the environment variables <EM>LINES</EM> and <EM>COLUMNS</EM> exist,
their values are used. If these environment variables do not exist
- and the program is running in a window, the current window size is
- used. Otherwise, if the environment variables do not exist, the
+ and the program is running in a window, the current window size is
+ used. Otherwise, if the environment variables do not exist, the
values for <STRONG>lines</STRONG> and <STRONG>columns</STRONG> specified in the <EM>terminfo</EM> database are
used.
- Parameterized strings should be passed through <STRONG>tparm</STRONG> to instantiate
- them. All <EM>terminfo</EM> strings (including the output of <STRONG>tparm</STRONG>) should be
- sent to the terminal device with <STRONG>tputs</STRONG> or <STRONG>putp</STRONG>. Call <STRONG>reset_shell_mode</STRONG>
+ Parameterized strings should be passed through <STRONG>tparm</STRONG> to instantiate
+ them. All <EM>terminfo</EM> strings (including the output of <STRONG>tparm</STRONG>) should be
+ sent to the terminal device with <STRONG>tputs</STRONG> or <STRONG>putp</STRONG>. Call <STRONG>reset_shell_mode</STRONG>
to restore the terminal modes before exiting; see <STRONG><A HREF="curs_kernel.3x.html">curs_kernel(3x)</A></STRONG>.
Programs that use cursor addressing should
Programs that execute shell subprocesses should
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> call <STRONG>reset_shell_mode</STRONG> and output <STRONG>exit_ca_mode</STRONG> before the shell is
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> call <STRONG>reset_shell_mode</STRONG> and output <STRONG>exit_ca_mode</STRONG> before the shell is
called and
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> output <STRONG>enter_ca_mode</STRONG> and call <STRONG>reset_prog_mode</STRONG> after returning from
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> output <STRONG>enter_ca_mode</STRONG> and call <STRONG>reset_prog_mode</STRONG> after returning from
the shell.
- <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> reads in the <EM>terminfo</EM> database, initializing the <EM>terminfo</EM>
- structures, but does not set up the output virtualization structures
+ <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> reads in the <EM>terminfo</EM> database, initializing the <EM>terminfo</EM>
+ structures, but does not set up the output virtualization structures
used by <EM>curses</EM>. Its parameters follow.
<EM>term</EM> is the terminal type, a character string. If <EM>term</EM> is null, the
environment variable <EM>TERM</EM> is read.
<EM>filedes</EM>
- is the file descriptor used for getting and setting terminal
+ is the file descriptor used for getting and setting terminal
I/O modes.
- Higher-level applications use <STRONG><A HREF="curs_initscr.3x.html">newterm(3x)</A></STRONG> to initialize the
- terminal, passing an output <EM>stream</EM> rather than a <EM>descriptor</EM>.
- In <EM>curses</EM>, the two are the same because <STRONG>newterm</STRONG> calls
- <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG>, passing the file descriptor derived from its output
+ Higher-level applications use <STRONG><A HREF="curs_initscr.3x.html">newterm(3x)</A></STRONG> to initialize the
+ terminal, passing an output <EM>stream</EM> rather than a <EM>descriptor</EM>.
+ In <EM>curses</EM>, the two are the same because <STRONG>newterm</STRONG> calls
+ <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG>, passing the file descriptor derived from its output
stream parameter.
<EM>errret</EM>
- points to an optional location where an error status can be
- returned to the caller. If <EM>errret</EM> is not null, then <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG>
- returns <STRONG>OK</STRONG> or <STRONG>ERR</STRONG> and stores a status value in the integer
- pointed to by <EM>errret</EM>. A return value of <STRONG>OK</STRONG> combined with
+ points to an optional location where an error status can be
+ returned to the caller. If <EM>errret</EM> is not null, then <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG>
+ returns <STRONG>OK</STRONG> or <STRONG>ERR</STRONG> and stores a status value in the integer
+ pointed to by <EM>errret</EM>. A return value of <STRONG>OK</STRONG> combined with
status of <STRONG>1</STRONG> in <EM>errret</EM> is normal.
If <STRONG>ERR</STRONG> is returned, examine <EM>errret:</EM>
- <STRONG>1</STRONG> means that the terminal is hardcopy, and cannot be used
+ <STRONG>1</STRONG> means that the terminal is hardcopy, and cannot be used
for <EM>curses</EM> applications.
- <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> determines if the entry is a hardcopy type by
+ <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> determines if the entry is a hardcopy type by
checking the <STRONG>hardcopy</STRONG> (<STRONG>hc</STRONG>) capability.
- <STRONG>0</STRONG> means that the terminal could not be found, or that it is
- a generic type, having too little information for <EM>curses</EM>
+ <STRONG>0</STRONG> means that the terminal could not be found, or that it is
+ a generic type, having too little information for <EM>curses</EM>
applications to run.
- <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> determines if the entry is a generic type by
+ <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> determines if the entry is a generic type by
checking the <STRONG>generic_type</STRONG> (<STRONG>gn</STRONG>) capability.
<STRONG>-1</STRONG> means that the <EM>terminfo</EM> database could not be found.
- If <EM>errret</EM> is null, <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> reports an error message upon
+ If <EM>errret</EM> is null, <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> reports an error message upon
finding an error and exits. Thus, the simplest call is:
setupterm((char *)0, 1, (int *)0);
</PRE><H3><a name="h3-The-Terminal-State">The Terminal State</a></H3><PRE>
- <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> stores its information about the terminal in a <EM>TERMINAL</EM>
+ <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> stores its information about the terminal in a <EM>TERMINAL</EM>
structure pointed to by the global variable <STRONG>cur_term</STRONG>. If it detects an
error, or decides that the terminal is unsuitable (hardcopy or
- generic), it discards this information, making it not available to
+ generic), it discards this information, making it not available to
applications.
- If <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> is called repeatedly for the same terminal type, it will
+ If <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> is called repeatedly for the same terminal type, it will
reuse the information. It maintains only one copy of a given
- terminal's capabilities in memory. If it is called for different
- terminal types, <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> allocates new storage for each set of
+ terminal's capabilities in memory. If it is called for different
+ terminal types, <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> allocates new storage for each set of
terminal capabilities.
- <STRONG>set_curterm</STRONG> sets <STRONG>cur_term</STRONG> to <EM>nterm</EM>, and makes all of the <EM>terminfo</EM>
- Boolean, numeric, and string variables use the values from <EM>nterm</EM>. It
+ <STRONG>set_curterm</STRONG> sets <STRONG>cur_term</STRONG> to <EM>nterm</EM>, and makes all of the <EM>terminfo</EM>
+ Boolean, numeric, and string variables use the values from <EM>nterm</EM>. It
returns the old value of <STRONG>cur_term</STRONG>.
- <STRONG>del_curterm</STRONG> frees the space pointed to by <EM>oterm</EM> and makes it available
- for further use. If <EM>oterm</EM> is the same as <STRONG>cur_term</STRONG>, references to any
- of the <EM>terminfo</EM> Boolean, numeric, and string variables thereafter may
- refer to invalid memory locations until another <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> has been
+ <STRONG>del_curterm</STRONG> frees the space pointed to by <EM>oterm</EM> and makes it available
+ for further use. If <EM>oterm</EM> is the same as <STRONG>cur_term</STRONG>, references to any
+ of the <EM>terminfo</EM> Boolean, numeric, and string variables thereafter may
+ refer to invalid memory locations until another <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> has been
called.
- <STRONG>restartterm</STRONG> is similar to <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> and <STRONG>initscr</STRONG>, except that it is
- called after restoring memory to a previous state (for example, when
+ <STRONG>restartterm</STRONG> is similar to <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> and <STRONG>initscr</STRONG>, except that it is
+ called after restoring memory to a previous state (for example, when
reloading a game saved as a core image dump). <STRONG>restartterm</STRONG> assumes that
- the windows and the input and output options are the same as when
+ the windows and the input and output options are the same as when
memory was saved, but the terminal type and baud rate may be different.
- Accordingly, <STRONG>restartterm</STRONG> saves various terminal state bits, calls
+ Accordingly, <STRONG>restartterm</STRONG> saves various terminal state bits, calls
<STRONG>setupterm</STRONG>, and then restores the bits.
</PRE><H3><a name="h3-Formatting-Output">Formatting Output</a></H3><PRE>
- <STRONG>tparm</STRONG> instantiates the string <EM>str</EM> with parameters <EM>pi</EM>. A pointer is
+ <STRONG>tparm</STRONG> instantiates the string <EM>str</EM> with parameters <EM>pi</EM>. A pointer is
returned to the result of <EM>str</EM> with the parameters applied. Application
developers should keep in mind these quirks of the interface:
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> Although <STRONG>tparm</STRONG>'s actual parameters may be integers or strings, the
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> Although <STRONG>tparm</STRONG>'s actual parameters may be integers or strings, the
prototype expects <EM>long</EM> (integer) values.
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> Aside from the <STRONG>set_attributes</STRONG> (<STRONG>sgr</STRONG>) capability, most terminal
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> Aside from the <STRONG>set_attributes</STRONG> (<STRONG>sgr</STRONG>) capability, most terminal
capabilities require no more than one or two parameters.
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> Padding information is ignored by <STRONG>tparm</STRONG>; it is interpreted by
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> Padding information is ignored by <STRONG>tparm</STRONG>; it is interpreted by
<STRONG>tputs</STRONG>.
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> The capability string is null-terminated. Use "\200" where an
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> The capability string is null-terminated. Use "\200" where an
ASCII NUL is needed in the output.
- <STRONG>tiparm</STRONG> is a newer form of <STRONG>tparm</STRONG> which uses <EM>stdarg.h</EM> rather than a
- fixed-parameter list. Its numeric parameters are <EM>int</EM>s rather than
+ <STRONG>tiparm</STRONG> is a newer form of <STRONG>tparm</STRONG> which uses <EM>stdarg.h</EM> rather than a
+ fixed-parameter list. Its numeric parameters are <EM>int</EM>s rather than
<EM>long</EM>s.
- Both <STRONG>tparm</STRONG> and <STRONG>tiparm</STRONG> assume that the application passes parameters
- consistent with the terminal description. Two extensions are provided
+ Both <STRONG>tparm</STRONG> and <STRONG>tiparm</STRONG> assume that the application passes parameters
+ consistent with the terminal description. Two extensions are provided
as alternatives to deal with untrusted data.
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>tiparm_s</STRONG> is an extension which is a safer formatting function than
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>tiparm_s</STRONG> is an extension which is a safer formatting function than
<STRONG>tparm</STRONG> or <STRONG>tiparm</STRONG>, because it allows the developer to tell the <EM>curses</EM>
- library how many parameters to expect in the parameter list, and
+ library how many parameters to expect in the parameter list, and
which may be string parameters.
- The <EM>mask</EM> parameter has one bit set for each of the parameters (up
+ The <EM>mask</EM> parameter has one bit set for each of the parameters (up
to 9) passed as <EM>char</EM> pointers rather than numbers.
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> The extension <STRONG>tiscan_s</STRONG> allows the application to inspect a
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> The extension <STRONG>tiscan_s</STRONG> allows the application to inspect a
formatting capability to see what the <EM>curses</EM> library would assume.
</PRE><H3><a name="h3-Output-Functions">Output Functions</a></H3><PRE>
- String capabilities can contain padding information, a time delay
+ String capabilities can contain padding information, a time delay
(accommodating performance limitations of hardware terminals) expressed
as <STRONG>$<</STRONG><EM>n</EM><STRONG>></STRONG>, where <EM>n</EM> is a nonnegative integral count of milliseconds. If <EM>n</EM>
exceeds 30,000 (thirty seconds), it is capped at that value.
- <STRONG>tputs</STRONG> interprets time-delay information in the string <EM>str</EM> and outputs
+ <STRONG>tputs</STRONG> interprets time-delay information in the string <EM>str</EM> and outputs
it, executing the delays:
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> The <EM>str</EM> parameter must be a <EM>terminfo</EM> string variable or the return
- value of <STRONG>tparm</STRONG>, <STRONG>tiparm</STRONG>, <STRONG>tgetstr</STRONG>, or <STRONG>tgoto</STRONG>.
-
- The <STRONG>tgetstr</STRONG> and <STRONG>tgoto</STRONG> functions are part of the <EM>termcap</EM> interface,
- which happens to share these function names with the <EM>terminfo</EM> API.
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> The <EM>str</EM> parameter must be a <EM>terminfo</EM> string variable or the return
+ value of <STRONG>tparm</STRONG> or <STRONG>tiparm</STRONG>.
<STRONG>o</STRONG> <EM>affcnt</EM> is the number of lines affected, or <STRONG>1</STRONG> if not applicable.
applications must provide a null pointer for that argument; but see
section "EXTENSIONS" below.
- <STRONG>mvcur</STRONG> provides low-level cursor motion. It takes effect immediately
- (rather than at the next refresh). Unlike the other low-level output
- functions, which either write to the standard output or pass an output
- function parameter, <STRONG>mvcur</STRONG> uses an output file descriptor derived from
- the output stream parameter of <STRONG><A HREF="curs_initscr.3x.html">newterm(3x)</A></STRONG>.
-
- While <STRONG>putp</STRONG> and <STRONG>mvcur</STRONG> are low-level functions that do not use high-level
- <EM>curses</EM> state, <EM>ncurses</EM> declares them in <EM>curses.h</EM> because System V did
- this (see section "HISTORY" below).
+ While <STRONG>putp</STRONG> is a low-level function that does not use high-level <EM>curses</EM>
+ state, <EM>ncurses</EM> declares it in <EM>curses.h</EM> because System V did this (see
+ section "HISTORY" below).
</PRE><H3><a name="h3-Terminal-Capability-Functions">Terminal Capability Functions</a></H3><PRE>
<STRONG>putp</STRONG> calls <STRONG>tputs</STRONG>, returning the same error codes.
<STRONG>restartterm</STRONG>
- fails if the associated call to <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> returns an error.
+ fails if the associated call to <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> returns <STRONG>ERR</STRONG>.
<STRONG>setupterm</STRONG>
fails if it cannot allocate enough memory, or create the initial
first standardized in the late 1980s.
<STRONG>o</STRONG> X/Open Curses uses <EM>const</EM> less effectively than a later design
- might, in some cases applying it needlessly to values are already
- constant, and in most cases overlooking parameters which normally
- would use <EM>const</EM>. Using constant parameters for functions which do
- not use <EM>const</EM> may prevent the program from compiling. On the other
- hand, "writable strings" are an obsolescent feature.
-
- As an extension, this implementation can be configured to change
- the function prototypes to use the <EM>const</EM> keyword. The <EM>ncurses</EM> ABI
+ might, sometimes applying it needlessly to values that are already
+ constant, and in most cases overlooking parameters that normally
+ would use <EM>const</EM>. Passing <EM>const</EM>-qualified parameters to functions
+ that do not declare them <EM>const</EM> may prevent the program from
+ compiling. On the other hand, "writable strings" are an
+ obsolescent feature.
+
+ As an extension, this implementation can be configured to change
+ the function prototypes to use the <EM>const</EM> keyword. The <EM>ncurses</EM> ABI
6 enables this feature by default.
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> X/Open Curses prototypes <STRONG>tparm</STRONG> with a fixed number of parameters,
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> X/Open Curses prototypes <STRONG>tparm</STRONG> with a fixed number of parameters,
rather than a variable argument list.
- This implementation uses a variable argument list, but can be
- configured to use the fixed-parameter list. Portable applications
- should provide nine parameters after the format; zeroes are fine
+ This implementation uses a variable argument list, but can be
+ configured to use the fixed-parameter list. Portable applications
+ should provide nine parameters after the format; zeroes are fine
for this purpose.
- In response to review comments by Thomas E. Dickey, X/Open Curses
+ In response to review comments by Thomas E. Dickey, X/Open Curses
Issue 7 proposed the <STRONG>tiparm</STRONG> function in mid-2009.
- While <STRONG>tiparm</STRONG> is always provided in <EM>ncurses</EM>, the older form is only
- available as a build-time configuration option. If not specially
+ While <STRONG>tiparm</STRONG> is always provided in <EM>ncurses</EM>, the older form is only
+ available as a build-time configuration option. If not specially
configured, <STRONG>tparm</STRONG> is the same as <STRONG>tiparm</STRONG>.
Both forms of <STRONG>tparm</STRONG> have drawbacks:
<STRONG>o</STRONG> Most of the calls to <STRONG>tparm</STRONG> use only one or two parameters. Passing
nine on each call is awkward.
- Using <EM>long</EM> for the numeric parameter type is a workaround to make
- the parameter use the same amount of stack as a pointer. That
- approach dates back to the mid-1980s, before C was standardized.
- Since then, there is a standard (and pointers are not required to
+ Using <EM>long</EM> for the numeric parameter type is a workaround to make
+ the parameter use the same amount of stack as a pointer. That
+ approach dates back to the mid-1980s, before C was standardized.
+ Since then, there is a standard (and pointers are not required to
fit in a <EM>long</EM>).
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> Providing the right number of parameters for a variadic function
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> Providing the right number of parameters for a variadic function
such as <STRONG>tiparm</STRONG> can be a problem, in particular for string
- parameters. However, only a few <EM>terminfo</EM> capabilities use string
- parameters (for instance, the ones used for programmable function
+ parameters. However, only a few <EM>terminfo</EM> capabilities use string
+ parameters (for instance, the ones used for programmable function
keys).
The <EM>ncurses</EM> library checks usage of these capabilities, and returns
- an error if the capability mishandles string parameters. But it
- cannot check if a calling program provides strings in the right
- places for the <STRONG>tparm</STRONG> calls.
+ <STRONG>ERR</STRONG> if the capability mishandles string parameters. But it cannot
+ check if a calling program provides strings in the right places for
+ the <STRONG>tparm</STRONG> calls.
- The <STRONG><A HREF="tput.1.html">tput(1)</A></STRONG> program checks its use of these capabilities with a
+ The <STRONG><A HREF="tput.1.html">tput(1)</A></STRONG> program checks its use of these capabilities with a
table, so that it calls <STRONG>tparm</STRONG> correctly.
<STRONG>Special</STRONG> <EM>TERM</EM> <STRONG>treatment</STRONG>
If configured to use the terminal driver, as with the MinGW port,
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> interprets a missing/empty <EM>TERM</EM> variable as the special
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> interprets a missing/empty <EM>TERM</EM> variable as the special
value "unknown".
SVr4 <EM>curses</EM> uses the special value "dumb".
- The difference between the two is that the former uses the
- <STRONG>generic_type</STRONG> (<STRONG>gn</STRONG>) <EM>terminfo</EM> capability, while the latter does not.
+ The difference between the two is that the former uses the
+ <STRONG>generic_type</STRONG> (<STRONG>gn</STRONG>) <EM>terminfo</EM> capability, while the latter does not.
A generic terminal is unsuitable for full-screen applications.
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> allows explicit use of the the windows console driver by
- checking if <STRONG>$TERM</STRONG> is set to "#win32con" or an abbreviation of that
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG> allows explicit use of the the windows console driver by
+ checking if <STRONG>$TERM</STRONG> is set to "#win32con" or an abbreviation of that
string.
</PRE><H3><a name="h3-Other-Portability-Issues">Other Portability Issues</a></H3><PRE>
- In SVr4, <STRONG>set_curterm</STRONG> returns an <EM>int</EM>, <STRONG>OK</STRONG> or <STRONG>ERR</STRONG>. We have chosen to
+ In SVr4, <STRONG>set_curterm</STRONG> returns an <EM>int</EM>, <STRONG>OK</STRONG> or <STRONG>ERR</STRONG>. We have chosen to
implement the X/Open Curses semantics.
In SVr4, the third argument of <STRONG>tputs</STRONG> has the type "<STRONG>int</STRONG> <STRONG>(*putc)(char)</STRONG>".
- At least one implementation of X/Open Curses (Solaris) returns a value
- other than <STRONG>OK</STRONG> or <STRONG>ERR</STRONG> from <STRONG>tputs</STRONG>. It instead returns the length of the
+ At least one implementation of X/Open Curses (Solaris) returns a value
+ other than <STRONG>OK</STRONG> or <STRONG>ERR</STRONG> from <STRONG>tputs</STRONG>. It instead returns the length of the
string, and does no error checking.
- X/Open Curses notes that after calling <STRONG>mvcur</STRONG>, the <EM>curses</EM> state may not
- match the actual terminal state, and that an application should touch
- and refresh the window before resuming normal <EM>curses</EM> calls. Both
- <EM>ncurses</EM> and SVr4 <EM>curses</EM> implement <STRONG>mvcur</STRONG> using the <EM>SCREEN</EM> data allocated
- in either <STRONG>initscr</STRONG> or <STRONG>newterm</STRONG>. So though it is documented as a <EM>terminfo</EM>
- function, <STRONG>mvcur</STRONG> is really a <EM>curses</EM> function that is not well specified.
-
- X/Open notes that after calling <STRONG>mvcur</STRONG>, the <EM>curses</EM> state may not match
- the actual terminal state, and that an application should touch and
- refresh the window before resuming normal <EM>curses</EM> calls. Both <EM>ncurses</EM>
- and SVr4 <EM>curses</EM> implement <STRONG>mvcur</STRONG> using the <EM>SCREEN</EM> data allocated in
- either <STRONG>initscr</STRONG> or <STRONG>newterm</STRONG>. So though it is documented as a <EM>terminfo</EM>
- function, <STRONG>mvcur</STRONG> is really a <EM>curses</EM> function that is not well specified.
-
- X/Open Curses states that the old location must be given for <STRONG>mvcur</STRONG> to
- accommodate terminals that lack absolute cursor positioning. <EM>ncurses</EM>
- allows the caller to use -1 for either or both old coordinates. The -1
- tells <EM>ncurses</EM> that the old location is unknown, and that it must use
- only absolute motion, as with the <STRONG>cursor_address</STRONG> (<STRONG>cup</STRONG>) capability,
- rather than the least costly combination of absolute and relative
- motion.
-
</PRE><H2><a name="h2-HISTORY">HISTORY</a></H2><PRE>
- SVr2 (1984) introduced the <EM>terminfo</EM> feature. Its programming manual
+ SVr2 (1984) introduced the <EM>terminfo</EM> feature. Its programming manual
mentioned the following low-level functions.
<STRONG>Function</STRONG> <STRONG>Description</STRONG>
<STRONG>vidattr</STRONG> like <STRONG>vidputs</STRONG>, but output through <EM>putchar</EM>
<STRONG>vidputs</STRONG> write string to terminal, applying specified attributes
- The programming manual also mentioned functions provided for <EM>termcap</EM>
+ The programming manual also mentioned functions provided for <EM>termcap</EM>
compatibility (commenting that they "may go away at a later date").
<STRONG>Function</STRONG> <STRONG>Description</STRONG>
<STRONG>tgoto</STRONG> apply parameters to given capability
<STRONG>tputs</STRONG> write characters via a function parameter, applying padding
- Early <EM>terminfo</EM> programs obtained capability values from the <EM>TERMINAL</EM>
+ Early <EM>terminfo</EM> programs obtained capability values from the <EM>TERMINAL</EM>
structure initialized by <STRONG>setupterm</STRONG>.
- SVr3 (1987) extended <EM>terminfo</EM> by adding functions to retrieve
- capability values (like the <EM>termcap</EM> interface), and reusing <STRONG>tgoto</STRONG> and
+ SVr3 (1987) extended <EM>terminfo</EM> by adding functions to retrieve
+ capability values (like the <EM>termcap</EM> interface), and reusing <STRONG>tgoto</STRONG> and
<STRONG>tputs</STRONG>.
<STRONG>Function</STRONG> <STRONG>Description</STRONG>
<STRONG>tigetnum</STRONG> get numeric entry for given <EM>id</EM>
<STRONG>tigetstr</STRONG> get string entry for given <EM>id</EM>
- SVr3 also replaced several of the SVr2 <EM>terminfo</EM> functions that had no
+ SVr3 also replaced several of the SVr2 <EM>terminfo</EM> functions that had no
counterpart in the <EM>termcap</EM> interface, documenting them as obsolete.
<STRONG>Function</STRONG> <STRONG>Replaced</STRONG> <STRONG>by</STRONG>
saveterm def_prog_mode
setterm setupterm
- SVr3 kept the <STRONG>mvcur</STRONG>, <STRONG>vidattr</STRONG>, and <STRONG>vidputs</STRONG> functions, along with <STRONG>putp</STRONG>,
- <STRONG>tparm</STRONG>, and <STRONG>tputs</STRONG>. The latter were needed to support padding, and to
- handle capabilities accessed by functions such as <STRONG>vidattr</STRONG> (which used
+ SVr3 kept the <STRONG>mvcur</STRONG>, <STRONG>vidattr</STRONG>, and <STRONG>vidputs</STRONG> functions, along with <STRONG>putp</STRONG>,
+ <STRONG>tparm</STRONG>, and <STRONG>tputs</STRONG>. The latter were needed to support padding, and to
+ handle capabilities accessed by functions such as <STRONG>vidattr</STRONG> (which used
more than the two parameters supported by <STRONG>tgoto</STRONG>).
- SVr3 introduced the functions for switching between terminal
- descriptions; for example, <STRONG>set_curterm</STRONG>. Some changes reflected
+ SVr3 introduced the functions for switching between terminal
+ descriptions; for example, <STRONG>set_curterm</STRONG>. Some changes reflected
incremental improvements to the SVr2 library.
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> The <EM>TERMINAL</EM> type definition was introduced in SVr3.01, for the
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> The <EM>TERMINAL</EM> type definition was introduced in SVr3.01, for the
<EM>term</EM> structure provided in SVr2.
- <STRONG>o</STRONG> Various global variables such as <STRONG>boolnames</STRONG> were mentioned in the
- programming manual at this point, though the variables had been
+ <STRONG>o</STRONG> Various global variables such as <STRONG>boolnames</STRONG> were mentioned in the
+ programming manual at this point, though the variables had been
provided in SVr2.
SVr4 (1989) added the <STRONG>vid_attr</STRONG> and <STRONG>vid_puts</STRONG> functions.
- Other low-level functions are declared in the <EM>curses</EM> header files of
- Unix systems, but none are documented. Those noted as "obsolete" by
+ Other low-level functions are declared in the <EM>curses</EM> header files of
+ Unix systems, but none are documented. Those noted as "obsolete" by
SVr3 remained in use by System V's <STRONG>vi(1)</STRONG> editor.
</PRE><H2><a name="h2-SEE-ALSO">SEE ALSO</a></H2><PRE>
<STRONG><A HREF="ncurses.3x.html">curses(3x)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="curs_initscr.3x.html">curs_initscr(3x)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="curs_kernel.3x.html">curs_kernel(3x)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="curs_memleaks.3x.html">curs_memleaks(3x)</A></STRONG>,
- <STRONG><A HREF="curs_termcap.3x.html">curs_termcap(3x)</A></STRONG>,
<STRONG><A HREF="curs_variables.3x.html">curs_variables(3x)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG>putc(3)</STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="term_variables.3x.html">term_variables(3x)</A></STRONG>,
+ <STRONG><A HREF="curs_termcap.3x.html">curs_termcap(3x)</A></STRONG>,
<STRONG><A HREF="curs_variables.3x.html">curs_variables(3x)</A></STRONG>, <STRONG>putc(3)</STRONG>, <STRONG><A HREF="term_variables.3x.html">term_variables(3x)</A></STRONG>,
<STRONG><A HREF="terminfo.5.html">terminfo(5)</A></STRONG>
-ncurses 6.
4 2024-03-23 <STRONG><A HREF="curs_terminfo.3x.html">curs_terminfo(3x)</A></STRONG>
+ncurses 6.
5 2024-05-25 <STRONG><A HREF="curs_terminfo.3x.html">curs_terminfo(3x)</A></STRONG>
</PRE>
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