4 <!-- Manpage converted by man2html 3.0.1 -->
8 terminfo - terminal capability data base
12 <H2>SYNOPSIS</H2><PRE>
13 @DATADIR@/terminfo/*/*
17 <H2>DESCRIPTION</H2><PRE>
18 <I>Terminfo</I> is a data base describing terminals, used by
19 screen-oriented programs such as <B><A HREF="nvi.1.html">nvi(1)</A></B>, <B><A HREF="rogue.1.html">rogue(1)</A></B> and
20 libraries such as <B><A HREF="ncurses.3x.html">curses(3x)</A></B>. <I>Terminfo</I> describes termi-
21 nals by giving a set of capabilities which they have, by
22 specifying how to perform screen operations, and by speci-
23 fying padding requirements and initialization sequences.
25 Entries in <I>terminfo</I> consist of a sequence of `,' separated
26 fields (embedded commas may be escaped with a backslash
27 or notated as \072). White space after the `,' separator
28 is ignored. The first entry for each terminal gives the
29 names which are known for the terminal, separated by `|'
30 characters. The first name given is the most common
31 abbreviation for the terminal, the last name given should
32 be a long name fully identifying the terminal, and all
33 others are understood as synonyms for the terminal name.
34 All names but the last should be in lower case and contain
35 no blanks; the last name may well contain upper case and
36 blanks for readability.
38 Terminal names (except for the last, verbose entry) should
39 be chosen using the following conventions. The particular
40 piece of hardware making up the terminal should have a
41 root name, thus ``hp2621''. This name should not contain
42 hyphens. Modes that the hardware can be in, or user pref-
43 erences, should be indicated by appending a hyphen and a
44 mode suffix. Thus, a vt100 in 132 column mode would be
45 vt100-w. The following suffixes should be used where pos-
48 <B>Suffix</B> <B>Meaning</B> <B>Example</B>
49 -<I>nn</I> Number of lines on the screen aaa-60
50 -<I>n</I>p Number of pages of memory c100-4p
51 -am With automargins (usually the default) vt100-am
52 -m Mono mode; suppress color ansi-m
53 -mc Magic cookie; spaces when highlighting wy30-mc
54 -na No arrow keys (leave them in local) c100-na
55 -nam Without automatic margins vt100-nam
56 -nl No status line att4415-nl
57 -ns No status line hp2626-ns
58 -rv Reverse video c100-rv
59 -s Enable status line vt100-s
60 -vb Use visible bell instead of beep wy370-vb
61 -w Wide mode (> 80 columns, usually 132) vt100-w
63 For more on terminal naming conventions, see the <B>term(7)</B>
67 The following is a complete table of the capabilities
68 included in a terminfo description block and available to
69 terminfo-using code. In each line of the table,
71 The <B>variable</B> is the name by which the programmer (at the
72 terminfo level) accesses the capability.
74 The <B>capname</B> is the short name used in the text of the
75 database, and is used by a person updating the database.
76 Whenever possible, capnames are chosen to be the same as
77 or similar to the ANSI X3.64-1979 standard (now superseded
78 by ECMA-48, which uses identical or very similar names).
79 Semantics are also intended to match those of the specifi-
82 The termcap code is the old <B>termcap</B> capability name (some
83 capabilities are new, and have names which termcap did not
86 Capability names have no hard length limit, but an infor-
87 mal limit of 5 characters has been adopted to keep them
88 short and to allow the tabs in the source file <B>Caps</B> to
91 Finally, the description field attempts to convey the
92 semantics of the capability. You may find some codes in
93 the description field:
95 (P) indicates that padding may be specified
97 #[1-9] in the description field indicates that the string
98 is passed through tparm with parms as given (#<I>i</I>).
100 (P*) indicates that padding may vary in proportion to
101 the number of lines affected
103 (#<I>i</I>) indicates the <I>i</I>th parameter.
106 These are the boolean capabilities:
108 <B>Variable</B> <B>Cap-</B> <B>TCap</B> <B>Description</B>
109 <B>Booleans</B> <B>name</B> <B>Code</B>
110 auto_left_margin bw bw cub1 wraps from col-
112 auto_right_margin am am terminal has auto-
114 back_color_erase bce ut screen erased with
116 can_change ccc cc terminal can re-
120 ceol_standout_glitch xhp xs standout not erased
122 col_addr_glitch xhpa YA only positive motion
124 cpi_changes_res cpix YF changing character
127 cr_cancels_micro_mode crxm YB using cr turns off
129 dest_tabs_magic_smso xt xt tabs destructive,
132 eat_newline_glitch xenl xn newline ignored
135 erase_overstrike eo eo can erase over-
137 generic_type gn gn generic line type
138 hard_copy hc hc hardcopy terminal
139 hard_cursor chts HC cursor is hard to
141 has_meta_key km km Has a meta key
143 has_print_wheel daisy YC printer needs opera-
146 has_status_line hs hs has extra status
148 hue_lightness_saturation hls hl terminal uses only
151 insert_null_glitch in in insert mode distin-
153 lpi_changes_res lpix YG changing line pitch
155 memory_above da da display may be
158 memory_below db db display may be
161 move_insert_mode mir mi safe to move while
163 move_standout_mode msgr ms safe to move while
165 needs_xon_xoff nxon nx padding won't work,
167 no_esc_ctlc xsb xb beehive (f1=escape,
169 no_pad_char npc NP pad character does
171 non_dest_scroll_region ndscr ND scrolling region is
174 non_rev_rmcup nrrmc NR smcup does not
176 over_strike os os terminal can over-
178 prtr_silent mc5i 5i printer won't echo
180 row_addr_glitch xvpa YD only positive motion
182 semi_auto_right_margin sam YE printing in last
184 status_line_esc_ok eslok es escape can be used
186 tilde_glitch hz hz can't print ~'s
188 transparent_underline ul ul underline character
190 xon_xoff xon xo terminal uses
193 These are the numeric capabilities:
195 <B>Variable</B> <B>Cap-</B> <B>TCap</B> <B>Description</B>
196 <B>Numeric</B> <B>name</B> <B>Code</B>
197 columns cols co number of columns in
199 init_tabs it it tabs initially every
201 label_height lh lh rows in each label
202 label_width lw lw columns in each
204 lines lines li number of lines on
206 lines_of_memory lm lm lines of memory if >
208 magic_cookie_glitch xmc sg number of blank
211 max_attributes ma ma maximum combined
214 max_colors colors Co maximum number of
216 max_pairs pairs pa maximum number of
219 maximum_windows wnum MW maximum number of
221 no_color_video ncv NC video attributes
224 num_labels nlab Nl number of labels on
228 padding_baud_rate pb pb lowest baud rate
230 virtual_terminal vt vt virtual terminal
232 width_status_line wsl ws number of columns in
235 The following numeric capabilities are present in the
236 SVr4.0 term structure, but are not yet documented in the
237 man page. They came in with SVr4's printer support.
239 <B>Variable</B> <B>Cap-</B> <B>TCap</B> <B>Description</B>
240 <B>Numeric</B> <B>name</B> <B>Code</B>
241 bit_image_entwining bitwin Yo number of passes for
243 bit_image_type bitype Yp type of bit-image
245 buffer_capacity bufsz Ya numbers of bytes
248 buttons btns BT number of buttons on
250 dot_horz_spacing spinh Yc spacing of dots hor-
253 dot_vert_spacing spinv Yb spacing of pins ver-
256 max_micro_address maddr Yd maximum value in
258 max_micro_jump mjump Ye maximum value in
260 micro_col_size mcs Yf character step size
262 micro_line_size mls Yg line step size when
264 number_of_pins npins Yh numbers of pins in
266 output_res_char orc Yi horizontal resolu-
269 output_res_horz_inch orhi Yk horizontal resolu-
272 output_res_line orl Yj vertical resolution
274 output_res_vert_inch orvi Yl vertical resolution
276 print_rate cps Ym print rate in char-
278 wide_char_size widcs Yn character step size
282 These are the string capabilities:
284 <B>Variable</B> <B>Cap-</B> <B>TCap</B> <B>Description</B>
285 <B>String</B> <B>name</B> <B>Code</B>
286 acs_chars acsc ac graphics charset
289 back_tab cbt bt back tab (P)
290 bell bel bl audible signal
292 carriage_return cr cr carriage return (P*)
294 change_char_pitch cpi ZA Change number of
296 change_line_pitch lpi ZB Change number of
298 change_res_horz chr ZC Change horizontal
300 change_res_vert cvr ZD Change vertical res-
302 change_scroll_region csr cs change region to
305 char_padding rmp rP like ip but when in
307 clear_all_tabs tbc ct clear all tab stops
309 clear_margins mgc MC clear right and left
311 clear_screen clear cl clear screen and
313 clr_bol el1 cb Clear to beginning
315 clr_eol el ce clear to end of line
317 clr_eos ed cd clear to end of
319 column_address hpa ch horizontal position
321 command_character cmdch CC terminal settable
324 create_window cwin CW define a window #1
326 cursor_address cup cm move to row #1
328 cursor_down cud1 do down one line
329 cursor_home home ho home cursor (if no
331 cursor_invisible civis vi make cursor invisi-
333 cursor_left cub1 le move left one space
336 cursor_mem_address mrcup CM memory relative cur-
338 cursor_normal cnorm ve make cursor appear
341 cursor_right cuf1 nd non-destructive
344 cursor_to_ll ll ll last line, first
346 cursor_up cuu1 up up one line
347 cursor_visible cvvis vs make cursor very
349 define_char defc ZE Define a character
350 delete_character dch1 dc delete character
352 delete_line dl1 dl delete line (P*)
353 dial_phone dial DI dial number #1
354 dis_status_line dsl ds disable status line
355 display_clock dclk DK display clock at
357 down_half_line hd hd half a line down
358 ena_acs enacs eA enable alternate
360 enter_alt_charset_mode smacs as start alternate
362 enter_am_mode smam SA turn on automatic
364 enter_blink_mode blink mb turn on blinking
365 enter_bold_mode bold md turn on bold (extra
367 enter_ca_mode smcup ti string to start pro-
369 enter_delete_mode smdc dm enter delete mode
370 enter_dim_mode dim mh turn on half-bright
372 enter_doublewide_mode swidm ZF Enter double-wide
374 enter_draft_quality sdrfq ZG Enter draft-quality
376 enter_insert_mode smir im enter insert mode
377 enter_italics_mode sitm ZH Enter italic mode
378 enter_leftward_mode slm ZI Start leftward car-
380 enter_micro_mode smicm ZJ Start micro-motion
382 enter_near_letter_quality snlq ZK Enter NLQ mode
383 enter_normal_quality snrmq ZL Enter normal-quality
385 enter_protected_mode prot mp turn on protected
387 enter_reverse_mode rev mr turn on reverse
390 enter_secure_mode invis mk turn on blank mode
393 enter_shadow_mode sshm ZM Enter shadow-print
395 enter_standout_mode smso so begin standout mode
396 enter_subscript_mode ssubm ZN Enter subscript mode
397 enter_superscript_mode ssupm ZO Enter superscript
399 enter_underline_mode smul us begin underline mode
400 enter_upward_mode sum ZP Start upward car-
402 enter_xon_mode smxon SX turn on xon/xoff
404 erase_chars ech ec erase #1 characters
406 exit_alt_charset_mode rmacs ae end alternate char-
408 exit_am_mode rmam RA turn off automatic
410 exit_attribute_mode sgr0 me turn off all
412 exit_ca_mode rmcup te strings to end pro-
414 exit_delete_mode rmdc ed end delete mode
415 exit_doublewide_mode rwidm ZQ End double-wide mode
416 exit_insert_mode rmir ei exit insert mode
417 exit_italics_mode ritm ZR End italic mode
418 exit_leftward_mode rlm ZS End left-motion mode
419 exit_micro_mode rmicm ZT End micro-motion
421 exit_shadow_mode rshm ZU End shadow-print
423 exit_standout_mode rmso se exit standout mode
424 exit_subscript_mode rsubm ZV End subscript mode
425 exit_superscript_mode rsupm ZW End superscript mode
426 exit_underline_mode rmul ue exit underline mode
427 exit_upward_mode rum ZX End reverse charac-
429 exit_xon_mode rmxon RX turn off xon/xoff
431 fixed_pause pause PA pause for 2-3 sec-
433 flash_hook hook fh flash switch hook
434 flash_screen flash vb visible bell (may
436 form_feed ff ff hardcopy terminal
438 from_status_line fsl fs return from status
440 goto_window wingo WG go to window #1
441 hangup hup HU hang-up phone
444 init_1string is1 i1 initialization
446 init_2string is2 is initialization
448 init_3string is3 i3 initialization
450 init_file if if name of initializa-
452 init_prog iprog iP path name of program
454 initialize_color initc Ic initialize color #1
456 initialize_pair initp Ip Initialize color
460 insert_character ich1 ic insert character (P)
461 insert_line il1 al insert line (P*)
462 insert_padding ip ip insert padding after
464 key_a1 ka1 K1 upper left of keypad
465 key_a3 ka3 K3 upper right of key-
467 key_b2 kb2 K2 center of keypad
468 key_backspace kbs kb backspace key
469 key_beg kbeg @1 begin key
470 key_btab kcbt kB back-tab key
471 key_c1 kc1 K4 lower left of keypad
472 key_c3 kc3 K5 lower right of key-
474 key_cancel kcan @2 cancel key
475 key_catab ktbc ka clear-all-tabs key
476 key_clear kclr kC clear-screen or
478 key_close kclo @3 close key
479 key_command kcmd @4 command key
480 key_copy kcpy @5 copy key
481 key_create kcrt @6 create key
482 key_ctab kctab kt clear-tab key
483 key_dc kdch1 kD delete-character key
484 key_dl kdl1 kL delete-line key
485 key_down kcud1 kd down-arrow key
486 key_eic krmir kM sent by rmir or smir
488 key_end kend @7 end key
489 key_enter kent @8 enter/send key
490 key_eol kel kE clear-to-end-of-line
492 key_eos ked kS clear-to-end-of-
494 key_exit kext @9 exit key
495 key_f0 kf0 k0 F0 function key
496 key_f1 kf1 k1 F1 function key
498 key_f10 kf10 k; F10 function key
499 key_f11 kf11 F1 F11 function key
500 key_f12 kf12 F2 F12 function key
501 key_f13 kf13 F3 F13 function key
502 key_f14 kf14 F4 F14 function key
503 key_f15 kf15 F5 F15 function key
504 key_f16 kf16 F6 F16 function key
505 key_f17 kf17 F7 F17 function key
506 key_f18 kf18 F8 F18 function key
507 key_f19 kf19 F9 F19 function key
508 key_f2 kf2 k2 F2 function key
509 key_f20 kf20 FA F20 function key
510 key_f21 kf21 FB F21 function key
511 key_f22 kf22 FC F22 function key
512 key_f23 kf23 FD F23 function key
513 key_f24 kf24 FE F24 function key
514 key_f25 kf25 FF F25 function key
515 key_f26 kf26 FG F26 function key
516 key_f27 kf27 FH F27 function key
517 key_f28 kf28 FI F28 function key
518 key_f29 kf29 FJ F29 function key
519 key_f3 kf3 k3 F3 function key
520 key_f30 kf30 FK F30 function key
521 key_f31 kf31 FL F31 function key
522 key_f32 kf32 FM F32 function key
523 key_f33 kf33 FN F33 function key
524 key_f34 kf34 FO F34 function key
525 key_f35 kf35 FP F35 function key
526 key_f36 kf36 FQ F36 function key
527 key_f37 kf37 FR F37 function key
528 key_f38 kf38 FS F38 function key
529 key_f39 kf39 FT F39 function key
530 key_f4 kf4 k4 F4 function key
531 key_f40 kf40 FU F40 function key
532 key_f41 kf41 FV F41 function key
533 key_f42 kf42 FW F42 function key
534 key_f43 kf43 FX F43 function key
535 key_f44 kf44 FY F44 function key
536 key_f45 kf45 FZ F45 function key
537 key_f46 kf46 Fa F46 function key
538 key_f47 kf47 Fb F47 function key
539 key_f48 kf48 Fc F48 function key
540 key_f49 kf49 Fd F49 function key
541 key_f5 kf5 k5 F5 function key
542 key_f50 kf50 Fe F50 function key
543 key_f51 kf51 Ff F51 function key
544 key_f52 kf52 Fg F52 function key
545 key_f53 kf53 Fh F53 function key
546 key_f54 kf54 Fi F54 function key
547 key_f55 kf55 Fj F55 function key
548 key_f56 kf56 Fk F56 function key
549 key_f57 kf57 Fl F57 function key
550 key_f58 kf58 Fm F58 function key
552 key_f59 kf59 Fn F59 function key
553 key_f6 kf6 k6 F6 function key
554 key_f60 kf60 Fo F60 function key
555 key_f61 kf61 Fp F61 function key
556 key_f62 kf62 Fq F62 function key
557 key_f63 kf63 Fr F63 function key
558 key_f7 kf7 k7 F7 function key
559 key_f8 kf8 k8 F8 function key
560 key_f9 kf9 k9 F9 function key
561 key_find kfnd @0 find key
562 key_help khlp %1 help key
563 key_home khome kh home key
564 key_ic kich1 kI insert-character key
565 key_il kil1 kA insert-line key
566 key_left kcub1 kl left-arrow key
567 key_ll kll kH lower-left key (home
569 key_mark kmrk %2 mark key
570 key_message kmsg %3 message key
571 key_move kmov %4 move key
572 key_next knxt %5 next key
573 key_npage knp kN next-page key
574 key_open kopn %6 open key
575 key_options kopt %7 options key
576 key_ppage kpp kP previous-page key
577 key_previous kprv %8 previous key
578 key_print kprt %9 print key
579 key_redo krdo %0 redo key
580 key_reference kref &1 reference key
581 key_refresh krfr &2 refresh key
582 key_replace krpl &3 replace key
583 key_restart krst &4 restart key
584 key_resume kres &5 resume key
585 key_right kcuf1 kr right-arrow key
586 key_save ksav &6 save key
587 key_sbeg kBEG &9 shifted begin key
588 key_scancel kCAN &0 shifted cancel key
589 key_scommand kCMD *1 shifted command key
590 key_scopy kCPY *2 shifted copy key
591 key_screate kCRT *3 shifted create key
592 key_sdc kDC *4 shifted delete-char-
594 key_sdl kDL *5 shifted delete-line
596 key_select kslt *6 select key
597 key_send kEND *7 shifted end key
598 key_seol kEOL *8 shifted clear-to-
600 key_sexit kEXT *9 shifted exit key
601 key_sf kind kF scroll-forward key
602 key_sfind kFND *0 shifted find key
603 key_shelp kHLP #1 shifted help key
604 key_shome kHOM #2 shifted home key
606 key_sic kIC #3 shifted insert-char-
608 key_sleft kLFT #4 shifted left-arrow
610 key_smessage kMSG %a shifted message key
611 key_smove kMOV %b shifted move key
612 key_snext kNXT %c shifted next key
613 key_soptions kOPT %d shifted options key
614 key_sprevious kPRV %e shifted previous key
615 key_sprint kPRT %f shifted print key
616 key_sr kri kR scroll-backward key
617 key_sredo kRDO %g shifted redo key
618 key_sreplace kRPL %h shifted replace key
619 key_sright kRIT %i shifted right-arrow
621 key_srsume kRES %j shifted resume key
622 key_ssave kSAV !1 shifted save key
623 key_ssuspend kSPD !2 shifted suspend key
624 key_stab khts kT set-tab key
625 key_sundo kUND !3 shifted undo key
626 key_suspend kspd &7 suspend key
627 key_undo kund &8 undo key
628 key_up kcuu1 ku up-arrow key
629 keypad_local rmkx ke leave 'key-
631 keypad_xmit smkx ks enter 'key-
633 lab_f0 lf0 l0 label on function
635 lab_f1 lf1 l1 label on function
637 lab_f10 lf10 la label on function
639 lab_f2 lf2 l2 label on function
641 lab_f3 lf3 l3 label on function
643 lab_f4 lf4 l4 label on function
645 lab_f5 lf5 l5 label on function
647 lab_f6 lf6 l6 label on function
649 lab_f7 lf7 l7 label on function
651 lab_f8 lf8 l8 label on function
653 lab_f9 lf9 l9 label on function
655 label_format fln Lf label format
656 label_off rmln LF turn off soft labels
657 label_on smln LO turn on soft labels
658 meta_off rmm mo turn off meta mode
660 meta_on smm mm turn on meta mode
662 micro_column_address mhpa ZY Like column_address
664 micro_down mcud1 ZZ Like cursor_down in
666 micro_left mcub1 Za Like cursor_left in
668 micro_right mcuf1 Zb Like cursor_right in
670 micro_row_address mvpa Zc Like row_address in
672 micro_up mcuu1 Zd Like cursor_up in
674 newline nel nw newline (behave like
676 order_of_pins porder Ze Match software bits
678 orig_colors oc oc Set all color pairs
680 orig_pair op op Set default pair to
682 pad_char pad pc padding char
684 parm_dch dch DC delete #1 characters
686 parm_delete_line dl DL delete #1 lines (P*)
687 parm_down_cursor cud DO down #1 lines (P*)
688 parm_down_micro mcud Zf Like parm_down_cur-
690 parm_ich ich IC insert #1 characters
692 parm_index indn SF scroll forward #1
694 parm_insert_line il AL insert #1 lines (P*)
695 parm_left_cursor cub LE move #1 characters
697 parm_left_micro mcub Zg Like parm_left_cur-
699 parm_right_cursor cuf RI move #1 characters
701 parm_right_micro mcuf Zh Like parm_right_cur-
703 parm_rindex rin SR scroll back #1 lines
705 parm_up_cursor cuu UP up #1 lines (P*)
706 parm_up_micro mcuu Zi Like parm_up_cursor
708 pkey_key pfkey pk program function key
710 pkey_local pfloc pl program function key
714 pkey_xmit pfx px program function key
717 plab_norm pln pn program label #1 to
719 print_screen mc0 ps print contents of
721 prtr_non mc5p pO turn on printer for
723 prtr_off mc4 pf turn off printer
724 prtr_on mc5 po turn on printer
725 pulse pulse PU select pulse dialing
726 quick_dial qdial QD dial number #1 with-
728 remove_clock rmclk RC remove clock
729 repeat_char rep rp repeat char #1 #2
731 req_for_input rfi RF send next input char
733 reset_1string rs1 r1 reset string
734 reset_2string rs2 r2 reset string
735 reset_3string rs3 r3 reset string
736 reset_file rf rf name of reset file
737 restore_cursor rc rc restore cursor to
740 row_address vpa cv vertical position #1
742 save_cursor sc sc save current cursor
744 scroll_forward ind sf scroll text up (P)
745 scroll_reverse ri sr scroll text down (P)
746 select_char_set scs Zj Select character set
747 set_attributes sgr sa define video
750 set_background setb Sb Set background color
752 set_bottom_margin smgb Zk Set bottom margin at
754 set_bottom_margin_parm smgbp Zl Set bottom margin at
757 set_clock sclk SC set clock, #1 hrs #2
759 set_color_pair scp sp Set current color
761 set_foreground setf Sf Set foreground color
763 set_left_margin smgl ML set left soft margin
768 set_left_margin_parm smglp Zm Set left (right)
771 set_right_margin smgr MR set right soft mar-
774 set_right_margin_parm smgrp Zn Set right margin at
776 set_tab hts st set a tab in every
778 set_top_margin smgt Zo Set top margin at
780 set_top_margin_parm smgtp Zp Set top (bottom)
783 set_window wind wi current window is
786 start_bit_image sbim Zq Start printing bit
788 start_char_set_def scsd Zr Start character set
790 stop_bit_image rbim Zs Stop printing bit
792 stop_char_set_def rcsd Zt End definition of
794 subscript_characters subcs Zu List of subscript-
796 superscript_characters supcs Zv List of superscript-
798 tab ht ta tab to next 8-space
800 these_cause_cr docr Zw Printing any of
803 to_status_line tsl ts move to status line
804 tone tone TO select touch tone
806 underline_char uc uc underline char and
808 up_half_line hu hu half a line up
809 user0 u0 u0 User string #0
810 user1 u1 u1 User string #1
811 user2 u2 u2 User string #2
812 user3 u3 u3 User string #3
813 user4 u4 u4 User string #4
814 user5 u5 u5 User string #5
815 user6 u6 u6 User string #6
816 user7 u7 u7 User string #7
817 user8 u8 u8 User string #8
818 user9 u9 u9 User string #9
819 wait_tone wait WA wait for dial-tone
820 xoff_character xoffc XF XOFF character
822 xon_character xonc XN XON character
823 zero_motion zerom Zx No motion for subse-
826 The following string capabilities are present in the
827 SVr4.0 term structure, but were originally not documented
830 <B>Variable</B> <B>Cap-</B> <B>TCap</B> <B>Description</B>
831 <B>String</B> <B>name</B> <B>Code</B>
832 alt_scancode_esc scesa S8 Alternate escape
835 bit_image_carriage_return bicr Yv Move to beginning
837 bit_image_newline binel Zz Move to next row
839 bit_image_repeat birep Xy Repeat bit image
841 char_set_names csnm Zy List of character
843 code_set_init csin ci Init sequence for
845 color_names colornm Yw Give name for
847 define_bit_image_region defbi Yx Define rectan-
850 device_type devt dv Indicate lan-
853 display_pc_char dispc S1 Display PC charac-
855 end_bit_image_region endbi Yy End a bit-image
857 enter_pc_charset_mode smpch S2 Enter PC character
859 enter_scancode_mode smsc S4 Enter PC scancode
861 exit_pc_charset_mode rmpch S3 Exit PC character
863 exit_scancode_mode rmsc S5 Exit PC scancode
865 get_mouse getm Gm Curses should get
867 key_mouse kmous Km Mouse event has
869 mouse_info minfo Mi Mouse status
871 pc_term_options pctrm S6 PC terminal
876 pkey_plab pfxl xl Program function
880 req_mouse_pos reqmp RQ Request mouse
882 scancode_escape scesc S7 Escape for scan-
884 set0_des_seq s0ds s0 Shift to code set
887 set1_des_seq s1ds s1 Shift to code set
889 set2_des_seq s2ds s2 Shift to code set
891 set3_des_seq s3ds s3 Shift to code set
893 set_a_background setab AB Set background
896 set_a_foreground setaf AF Set foreground
899 set_color_band setcolor Yz Change to ribbon
901 set_lr_margin smglr ML Set both left and
904 set_page_length slines YZ Set page length to
906 set_tb_margin smgtb MT Sets both top and
910 The XSI Curses standard added these. They are some
911 post-4.1 versions of System V curses, e.g., Solaris 2.5
912 and IRIX 6.x. The <B>ncurses</B> termcap names for them are
913 invented; according to the XSI Curses standard, they have
914 no termcap names. If your compiled terminfo entries use
915 these, they may not be binary-compatible with System V
916 terminfo entries after SVr4.1; beware!
918 <B>Variable</B> <B>Cap-</B> <B>TCap</B> <B>Description</B>
919 <B>String</B> <B>name</B> <B>Code</B>
920 enter_horizontal_hl_mode ehhlm Xh Enter horizontal
922 enter_left_hl_mode elhlm Xl Enter left highlight
924 enter_low_hl_mode elohlm Xo Enter low highlight
926 enter_right_hl_mode erhlm Xr Enter right high-
930 enter_top_hl_mode ethlm Xt Enter top highlight
932 enter_vertical_hl_mode evhlm Xv Enter vertical high-
934 set_a_attributes sgr1 sA Define second set of
937 set_pglen_inch slengthsL YI Set page length
942 <B>A</B> <B>Sample</B> <B>Entry</B>
943 The following entry, describing an ANSI-standard terminal,
944 is representative of what a <B>terminfo</B> entry for a modern
945 terminal typically looks like.
947 ansi|ansi/pc-term compatible with color,
949 colors#8, ncv#3, pairs#64,
950 cub=\E[%p1%dD, cud=\E[%p1%dB, cuf=\E[%p1%dC,
951 cuu=\E[%p1%dA, dch=\E[%p1%dP, dl=\E[%p1%dM,
952 ech=\E[%p1%dX, el1=\E[1K, hpa=\E[%p1%dG, ht=\E[I,
953 ich=\E[%p1%d@, il=\E[%p1%dL, indn=\E[%p1%dS, .indn=\E[%p1%dT,
954 kbs=^H, kcbt=\E[Z, kcub1=\E[D, kcud1=\E[B,
955 kcuf1=\E[C, kcuu1=\E[A, kf1=\E[M, kf10=\E[V,
956 kf11=\E[W, kf12=\E[X, kf2=\E[N, kf3=\E[O, kf4=\E[P,
957 kf5=\E[Q, kf6=\E[R, kf7=\E[S, kf8=\E[T, kf9=\E[U,
958 kich1=\E[L, mc4=\E[4i, mc5=\E[5i, nel=\r\E[S,
959 op=\E[37;40m, rep=%p1%c\E[%p2%{1}%-%db,
960 rin=\E[%p1%dT, s0ds=\E(B, s1ds=\E)B, s2ds=\E*B,
961 s3ds=\E+B, setab=\E[4%p1%dm, setaf=\E[3%p1%dm,
962 setb=\E[4%?%p1%{1}%=%t4%e%p1%{3}%=%t6%e%p1%{4}%=%t1%e%p1%{6}%=%t3%e%p1%d%;m,
963 setf=\E[3%?%p1%{1}%=%t4%e%p1%{3}%=%t6%e%p1%{4}%=%t1%e%p1%{6}%=%t3%e%p1%d%;m,
964 sgr=\E[0;10%?%p1%t;7%;%?%p2%t;4%;%?%p3%t;7%;%?%p4%t;5%;%?%p6%t;1%;%?%p7%t;8%;%?%p8%t;11%;%?%p9%t;12%;m,
965 sgr0=\E[0;10m, tbc=\E[2g, u6=\E[%d;%dR, u7=\E[6n,
966 u8=\E[?%[;0123456789]c, u9=\E[c, vpa=\E[%p1%dd,
968 Entries may continue onto multiple lines by placing white
969 space at the beginning of each line except the first.
970 Comments may be included on lines beginning with ``#''.
971 Capabilities in <I>terminfo</I> are of three types: Boolean capa-
972 bilities which indicate that the terminal has some partic-
973 ular feature, numeric capabilities giving the size of the
974 terminal or the size of particular delays, and string
975 capabilities, which give a sequence which can be used to
976 perform particular terminal operations.
979 <B>Types</B> <B>of</B> <B>Capabilities</B>
980 All capabilities have names. For instance, the fact that
981 ANSI-standard terminals have <I>automatic</I> <I>margins</I> (i.e., an
982 automatic return and line-feed when the end of a line is
983 reached) is indicated by the capability <B>am</B>. Hence the
984 description of ansi includes <B>am</B>. Numeric capabilities are
985 followed by the character `#' and then a positive value.
986 Thus <B>cols</B>, which indicates the number of columns the ter-
987 minal has, gives the value `80' for ansi. Values for
988 numeric capabilities may be specified in decimal, octal or
989 hexadecimal, using the C programming language conventions
990 (e.g., 255, 0377 and 0xff or 0xFF).
992 Finally, string valued capabilities, such as <B>el</B> (clear to
993 end of line sequence) are given by the two-character code,
994 an `=', and then a string ending at the next following
997 A number of escape sequences are provided in the string
998 valued capabilities for easy encoding of characters there.
999 Both <B>\E</B> and <B>\e</B> map to an ESCAPE character, <B>^x</B> maps to a
1000 control-x for any appropriate x, and the sequences <B>\n</B> <B>\l</B>
1001 <B>\r</B> <B>\t</B> <B>\b</B> <B>\f</B> <B>\s</B> give a newline, line-feed, return, tab,
1002 backspace, form-feed, and space. Other escapes include <B>\^</B>
1003 for <B>^</B>, <B>\\</B> for <B>\</B>, <B>\</B>, for comma, <B>\:</B> for <B>:</B>, and <B>\0</B> for null.
1004 (<B>\0</B> will produce \200, which does not terminate a string
1005 but behaves as a null character on most terminals, provid-
1006 ing CS7 is specified. See <B><A HREF="stty.1.html">stty(1)</A></B>.) Finally, characters
1007 may be given as three octal digits after a <B>\</B>.
1009 A delay in milliseconds may appear anywhere in a string
1010 capability, enclosed in $<..> brackets, as in <B>el</B>=\EK$<5>,
1011 and padding characters are supplied by <I>tputs</I> to provide
1012 this delay. The delay must be a number with at most one
1013 decimal place of precision; it may be followed by suffixes
1014 `*' or '/' or both. A `*' indicates that the padding
1015 required is proportional to the number of lines affected
1016 by the operation, and the amount given is the per-
1017 affected-unit padding required. (In the case of insert
1018 character, the factor is still the number of <I>lines</I>
1019 affected.) Normally, padding is advisory if the device
1020 has the <B>xon</B> capability; it is used for cost computation
1021 but does not trigger delays. A `/' suffix indicates that
1022 the padding is mandatory and forces a delay of the given
1023 number of milliseconds even on devices for which <B>xon</B> is
1024 present to indicate flow control.
1026 Sometimes individual capabilities must be commented out.
1027 To do this, put a period before the capability name. For
1028 example, see the second <B>ind</B> in the example above.
1031 <B>Fetching</B> <B>Compiled</B> <B>Descriptions</B>
1032 If the environment variable TERMINFO is set, it is inter-
1033 preted as the pathname of a directory containing the com-
1034 piled description you are working on. Only that directory
1037 If TERMINFO is not set, the <B>ncurses</B> version of the
1038 terminfo reader code will instead look in the directory
1039 <B>$HOME/.terminfo</B> for a compiled description. If it fails
1040 to find one there, and the environment variable TER-
1041 MINFO_DIRS is set, it will interpret the contents of that
1042 variable as a list of colon- separated directories to be
1043 searched (an empty entry is interpreted as a command to
1044 search <I>@DATADIR@/terminfo</I>). If no description is found in
1045 any of the TERMINFO_DIRS directories, the fetch fails.
1047 If neither TERMINFO nor TERMINFO_DIRS is set, the last
1048 place tried will be the system terminfo directory,
1049 <I>@DATADIR@/terminfo</I>.
1051 (Neither the <B>$HOME/.terminfo</B> lookups nor TERMINFO_DIRS
1052 extensions are supported under stock System V ter-
1056 <B>Preparing</B> <B>Descriptions</B>
1057 We now outline how to prepare descriptions of terminals.
1058 The most effective way to prepare a terminal description
1059 is by imitating the description of a similar terminal in
1060 <I>terminfo</I> and to build up a description gradually, using
1061 partial descriptions with <I>vi</I> or some other screen-oriented
1062 program to check that they are correct. Be aware that a
1063 very unusual terminal may expose deficiencies in the abil-
1064 ity of the <I>terminfo</I> file to describe it or bugs in the
1065 screen-handling code of the test program.
1067 To get the padding for insert line right (if the terminal
1068 manufacturer did not document it) a severe test is to edit
1069 a large file at 9600 baud, delete 16 or so lines from the
1070 middle of the screen, then hit the `u' key several times
1071 quickly. If the terminal messes up, more padding is usu-
1072 ally needed. A similar test can be used for insert char-
1076 <B>Basic</B> <B>Capabilities</B>
1077 The number of columns on each line for the terminal is
1078 given by the <B>cols</B> numeric capability. If the terminal is
1079 a CRT, then the number of lines on the screen is given by
1080 the <B>lines</B> capability. If the terminal wraps around to the
1081 beginning of the next line when it reaches the right mar-
1082 gin, then it should have the <B>am</B> capability. If the termi-
1083 nal can clear its screen, leaving the cursor in the home
1084 position, then this is given by the <B>clear</B> string capabil-
1085 ity. If the terminal overstrikes (rather than clearing a
1086 position when a character is struck over) then it should
1087 have the <B>os</B> capability. If the terminal is a printing
1088 terminal, with no soft copy unit, give it both <B>hc</B> and <B>os</B>.
1089 (<B>os</B> applies to storage scope terminals, such as TEKTRONIX
1090 4010 series, as well as hard copy and APL terminals.) If
1091 there is a code to move the cursor to the left edge of the
1092 current row, give this as <B>cr</B>. (Normally this will be car-
1093 riage return, control M.) If there is a code to produce
1094 an audible signal (bell, beep, etc) give this as <B>bel</B>.
1096 If there is a code to move the cursor one position to the
1097 left (such as backspace) that capability should be given
1098 as <B>cub1</B>. Similarly, codes to move to the right, up, and
1099 down should be given as <B>cuf1</B>, <B>cuu1</B>, and <B>cud1</B>. These local
1100 cursor motions should not alter the text they pass over,
1101 for example, you would not normally use `<B>cuf1</B>= ' because
1102 the space would erase the character moved over.
1104 A very important point here is that the local cursor
1105 motions encoded in <I>terminfo</I> are undefined at the left and
1106 top edges of a CRT terminal. Programs should never
1107 attempt to backspace around the left edge, unless <B>bw</B> is
1108 given, and never attempt to go up locally off the top. In
1109 order to scroll text up, a program will go to the bottom
1110 left corner of the screen and send the <B>ind</B> (index) string.
1112 To scroll text down, a program goes to the top left corner
1113 of the screen and sends the <B>ri</B> (reverse index) string.
1114 The strings <B>ind</B> and <B>ri</B> are undefined when not on their
1115 respective corners of the screen.
1117 Parameterized versions of the scrolling sequences are <B>indn</B>
1118 and <B>rin</B> which have the same semantics as <B>ind</B> and <B>ri</B> except
1119 that they take one parameter, and scroll that many lines.
1120 They are also undefined except at the appropriate edge of
1123 The <B>am</B> capability tells whether the cursor sticks at the
1124 right edge of the screen when text is output, but this
1125 does not necessarily apply to a <B>cuf1</B> from the last column.
1126 The only local motion which is defined from the left edge
1127 is if <B>bw</B> is given, then a <B>cub1</B> from the left edge will
1128 move to the right edge of the previous row. If <B>bw</B> is not
1129 given, the effect is undefined. This is useful for draw-
1130 ing a box around the edge of the screen, for example. If
1131 the terminal has switch selectable automatic margins, the
1132 <I>terminfo</I> file usually assumes that this is on; i.e., <B>am</B>.
1133 If the terminal has a command which moves to the first
1134 column of the next line, that command can be given as <B>nel</B>
1135 (newline). It does not matter if the command clears the
1136 remainder of the current line, so if the terminal has no
1137 <B>cr</B> and <B>lf</B> it may still be possible to craft a working <B>nel</B>
1138 out of one or both of them.
1140 These capabilities suffice to describe hard-copy and
1141 "glass-tty" terminals. Thus the model 33 teletype is
1144 33|tty33|tty|model 33 teletype,
1145 bel=^G, cols#72, cr=^M, cud1=^J, hc, ind=^J, os,
1146 while the Lear Siegler ADM-3 is described as
1149 am, bel=^G, clear=^Z, cols#80, cr=^M, cub1=^H, cud1=^J,
1153 <B>Parameterized</B> <B>Strings</B>
1154 Cursor addressing and other strings requiring parameters
1155 in the terminal are described by a parameterized string
1156 capability, with <B><A HREF="printf.3S.html">printf(3S)</A></B> like escapes <B>%x</B> in it. For
1157 example, to address the cursor, the <B>cup</B> capability is
1158 given, using two parameters: the row and column to address
1159 to. (Rows and columns are numbered from zero and refer to
1160 the physical screen visible to the user, not to any unseen
1161 memory.) If the terminal has memory relative cursor
1162 addressing, that can be indicated by <B>mrcup</B>.
1164 The parameter mechanism uses a stack and special <B>%</B> codes
1165 to manipulate it. Typically a sequence will push one of
1166 the parameters onto the stack and then print it in some
1167 format. Often more complex operations are necessary.
1169 The <B>%</B> encodings have the following meanings:
1172 %<I>[[</I>:<I>]flags][width[.precision]][</I>doxXs<I>]</I>
1173 as in <B>printf</B>, flags are [-+#] and space
1174 %c print pop() like %c in printf()
1175 %s print pop() like %s in printf()
1177 %p[1-9] push <I>i</I>'th parm
1178 %P[a-z] set dynamic variable [a-z] to pop()
1179 %g[a-z] get dynamic variable [a-z] and push it
1180 %P[A-Z] set static variable [a-z] to pop()
1181 %g[A-Z] get static variable [a-z] and push it
1182 %'<I>c</I>' char constant <I>c</I>
1183 %{<I>nn</I>} integer constant <I>nn</I>
1187 arithmetic (%m is mod): push(pop() op pop())
1188 %& %| %^ bit operations: push(pop() op pop())
1189 %= %> %< logical operations: push(pop() op pop())
1190 %A, %O logical and & or operations (for conditionals)
1191 %! %~ unary operations push(op pop())
1192 %i add 1 to first two parameters (for ANSI terminals)
1194 %? expr %t thenpart %e elsepart %;
1195 if-then-else, %e elsepart is optional.
1196 else-if's are possible a la Algol 68:
1197 %? c1 %t b1 %e c2 %t b2 %e c3 %t b3 %e c4 %t b4 %e %;
1198 ci are conditions, bi are bodies.
1200 Binary operations are in postfix form with the operands in
1201 the usual order. That is, to get x-5 one would use
1202 "%gx%{5}%-". %P and %g variables are persistent across
1203 escape-string evaluations.
1205 Consider the HP2645, which, to get to row 3 and column 12,
1206 needs to be sent \E&a12c03Y padded for 6 milliseconds.
1207 Note that the order of the rows and columns is inverted
1208 here, and that the row and column are printed as two dig-
1209 its. Thus its <B>cup</B> capability is "cup=6\E&%p2%2dc%p1%2dY".
1211 The Microterm ACT-IV needs the current row and column sent
1212 preceded by a <B>^T</B>, with the row and column simply encoded
1213 in binary, "cup=^T%p1%c%p2%c". Terminals which use "%c"
1214 need to be able to backspace the cursor (<B>cub1</B>), and to
1215 move the cursor up one line on the screen (<B>cuu1</B>). This is
1216 necessary because it is not always safe to transmit <B>\n</B> <B>^D</B>
1217 and <B>\r</B>, as the system may change or discard them. (The
1218 library routines dealing with terminfo set tty modes so
1219 that tabs are never expanded, so \t is safe to send. This
1220 turns out to be essential for the Ann Arbor 4080.)
1222 A final example is the LSI ADM-3a, which uses row and col-
1223 umn offset by a blank character, thus "cup=\E=%p1%'
1224 '%+%c%p2%' '%+%c". After sending `\E=', this pushes the
1225 first parameter, pushes the ASCII value for a space (32),
1226 adds them (pushing the sum on the stack in place of the
1227 two previous values) and outputs that value as a charac-
1228 ter. Then the same is done for the second parameter.
1229 More complex arithmetic is possible using the stack.
1232 <B>Cursor</B> <B>Motions</B>
1233 If the terminal has a fast way to home the cursor (to very
1234 upper left corner of screen) then this can be given as
1235 <B>home</B>; similarly a fast way of getting to the lower left-
1236 hand corner can be given as <B>ll</B>; this may involve going up
1237 with <B>cuu1</B> from the home position, but a program should
1238 never do this itself (unless <B>ll</B> does) because it can make
1239 no assumption about the effect of moving up from the home
1240 position. Note that the home position is the same as
1241 addressing to (0,0): to the top left corner of the screen,
1242 not of memory. (Thus, the \EH sequence on HP terminals
1243 cannot be used for <B>home</B>.)
1245 If the terminal has row or column absolute cursor address-
1246 ing, these can be given as single parameter capabilities
1247 <B>hpa</B> (horizontal position absolute) and <B>vpa</B> (vertical posi-
1248 tion absolute). Sometimes these are shorter than the more
1249 general two parameter sequence (as with the hp2645) and
1250 can be used in preference to <B>cup</B>. If there are parameter-
1251 ized local motions (e.g., move <I>n</I> spaces to the right)
1252 these can be given as <B>cud</B>, <B>cub</B>, <B>cuf</B>, and <B>cuu</B> with a single
1253 parameter indicating how many spaces to move. These are
1254 primarily useful if the terminal does not have <B>cup</B>, such
1255 as the TEKTRONIX 4025.
1257 If the terminal needs to be in a special mode when running
1258 a program that uses these capabilities, the codes to enter
1259 and exit this mode can be given as <B>smcup</B> and <B>rmcup</B>. This
1260 arises, for example, from terminals like the Concept with
1261 more than one page of memory. If the terminal has only
1262 memory relative cursor addressing and not screen relative
1263 cursor addressing, a one screen-sized window must be fixed
1264 into the terminal for cursor addressing to work properly.
1265 This is also used for the TEKTRONIX 4025, where <B>smcup</B> sets
1266 the command character to be the one used by terminfo. If
1267 the <B>smcup</B> sequence will not restore the screen after an
1268 <B>rmcup</B> sequence is output (to the state prior to outputting
1269 <B>rmcup</B>), specify <B>nrrmc</B>.
1272 <B>Area</B> <B>Clears</B>
1273 If the terminal can clear from the current position to the
1274 end of the line, leaving the cursor where it is, this
1275 should be given as <B>el</B>. If the terminal can clear from the
1276 beginning of the line to the current position inclusive,
1277 leaving the cursor where it is, this should be given as
1278 <B>el1</B>. If the terminal can clear from the current position
1279 to the end of the display, then this should be given as
1280 <B>ed</B>. <B>Ed</B> is only defined from the first column of a line.
1281 (Thus, it can be simulated by a request to delete a large
1282 number of lines, if a true <B>ed</B> is not available.)
1285 <B>Insert/delete</B> <B>line</B> <B>and</B> <B>vertical</B> <B>motions</B>
1286 If the terminal can open a new blank line before the line
1287 where the cursor is, this should be given as <B>il1</B>; this is
1288 done only from the first position of a line. The cursor
1289 must then appear on the newly blank line. If the terminal
1290 can delete the line which the cursor is on, then this
1291 should be given as <B>dl1</B>; this is done only from the first
1292 position on the line to be deleted. Versions of <B>il1</B> and
1293 <B>dl1</B> which take a single parameter and insert or delete
1294 that many lines can be given as <B>il</B> and <B>dl</B>.
1296 If the terminal has a settable scrolling region (like the
1297 vt100) the command to set this can be described with the
1298 <B>csr</B> capability, which takes two parameters: the top and
1299 bottom lines of the scrolling region. The cursor position
1300 is, alas, undefined after using this command.
1302 It is possible to get the effect of insert or delete line
1303 using <B>csr</B> on a properly chosen region; the <B>sc</B> and <B>rc</B> (save
1304 and restore cursor) commands may be useful for ensuring
1305 that your synthesized insert/delete string does not move
1306 the cursor. (Note that the <B><A HREF="ncurses.3x.html">ncurses(3x)</A></B> library does this
1307 synthesis automatically, so you need not compose
1308 insert/delete strings for an entry with <B>csr</B>).
1310 Yet another way to construct insert and delete might be to
1311 use a combination of index with the memory-lock feature
1312 found on some terminals (like the HP-700/90 series, which
1313 however also has insert/delete).
1315 Inserting lines at the top or bottom of the screen can
1316 also be done using <B>ri</B> or <B>ind</B> on many terminals without a
1317 true insert/delete line, and is often faster even on ter-
1318 minals with those features.
1320 The boolean <B>non_dest_scroll_region</B> should be set if each
1321 scrolling window is effectively a view port on a screen-
1322 sized canvas. To test for this capability, create a
1323 scrolling region in the middle of the screen, write some-
1324 thing to the bottom line, move the cursor to the top of
1325 the region, and do <B>ri</B> followed by <B>dl1</B> or <B>ind</B>. If the data
1326 scrolled off the bottom of the region by the <B>ri</B> re-
1327 appears, then scrolling is non-destructive. System V and
1328 XSI Curses expect that <B>ind</B>, <B>ri</B>, <B>indn</B>, and <B>rin</B> will simu-
1329 late destructive scrolling; their documentation cautions
1330 you not to define <B>csr</B> unless this is true. This <B>curses</B>
1331 implementation is more liberal and will do explicit erases
1332 after scrolling if <B>ndstr</B> is defined.
1334 If the terminal has the ability to define a window as part
1335 of memory, which all commands affect, it should be given
1336 as the parameterized string <B>wind</B>. The four parameters are
1337 the starting and ending lines in memory and the starting
1338 and ending columns in memory, in that order.
1340 If the terminal can retain display memory above, then the
1341 <B>da</B> capability should be given; if display memory can be
1342 retained below, then <B>db</B> should be given. These indicate
1343 that deleting a line or scrolling may bring non-blank
1344 lines up from below or that scrolling back with <B>ri</B> may
1345 bring down non-blank lines.
1348 <B>Insert/Delete</B> <B>Character</B>
1349 There are two basic kinds of intelligent terminals with
1350 respect to insert/delete character which can be described
1351 using <I>terminfo.</I> The most common insert/delete character
1352 operations affect only the characters on the current line
1353 and shift characters off the end of the line rigidly.
1354 Other terminals, such as the Concept 100 and the Perkin
1355 Elmer Owl, make a distinction between typed and untyped
1356 blanks on the screen, shifting upon an insert or delete
1357 only to an untyped blank on the screen which is either
1358 eliminated, or expanded to two untyped blanks. You can
1359 determine the kind of terminal you have by clearing the
1360 screen and then typing text separated by cursor motions.
1361 Type "abc def" using local cursor motions (not spaces)
1362 between the "abc" and the "def". Then position the cursor
1363 before the "abc" and put the terminal in insert mode. If
1364 typing characters causes the rest of the line to shift
1365 rigidly and characters to fall off the end, then your ter-
1366 minal does not distinguish between blanks and untyped
1367 positions. If the "abc" shifts over to the "def" which
1368 then move together around the end of the current line and
1369 onto the next as you insert, you have the second type of
1370 terminal, and should give the capability <B>in</B>, which stands
1371 for "insert null". While these are two logically separate
1372 attributes (one line vs. multi-line insert mode, and spe-
1373 cial treatment of untyped spaces) we have seen no termi-
1374 nals whose insert mode cannot be described with the single
1377 Terminfo can describe both terminals which have an insert
1378 mode, and terminals which send a simple sequence to open a
1379 blank position on the current line. Give as <B>smir</B> the
1380 sequence to get into insert mode. Give as <B>rmir</B> the
1381 sequence to leave insert mode. Now give as <B>ich1</B> any
1382 sequence needed to be sent just before sending the charac-
1383 ter to be inserted. Most terminals with a true insert
1384 mode will not give <B>ich1</B>; terminals which send a sequence
1385 to open a screen position should give it here.
1387 If your terminal has both, insert mode is usually prefer-
1388 able to <B>ich1</B>. Technically, you should not give both
1389 unless the terminal actually requires both to be used in
1390 combination. Accordingly, some non-curses applications
1391 get confused if both are present; the symptom is doubled
1392 characters in an update using insert. This requirement is
1393 now rare; most <B>ich</B> sequences do not require previous smir,
1394 and most smir insert modes do not require <B>ich1</B> before each
1395 character. Therefore, the new <B>curses</B> actually assumes
1396 this is the case and uses either <B>rmir</B>/<B>smir</B> or <B>ich</B>/<B>ich1</B> as
1397 appropriate (but not both). If you have to write an entry
1398 to be used under new curses for a terminal old enough to
1399 need both, include the <B>rmir</B>/<B>smir</B> sequences in <B>ich1</B>.
1401 If post insert padding is needed, give this as a number of
1402 milliseconds in <B>ip</B> (a string option). Any other sequence
1403 which may need to be sent after an insert of a single
1404 character may also be given in <B>ip</B>. If your terminal needs
1405 both to be placed into an `insert mode' and a special code
1406 to precede each inserted character, then both <B>smir</B>/<B>rmir</B>
1407 and <B>ich1</B> can be given, and both will be used. The <B>ich</B>
1408 capability, with one parameter, <I>n</I>, will repeat the effects
1409 of <B>ich1</B> <I>n</I> times.
1411 If padding is necessary between characters typed while not
1412 in insert mode, give this as a number of milliseconds
1413 padding in <B>rmp</B>.
1415 It is occasionally necessary to move around while in
1416 insert mode to delete characters on the same line (e.g.,
1417 if there is a tab after the insertion position). If your
1418 terminal allows motion while in insert mode you can give
1419 the capability <B>mir</B> to speed up inserting in this case.
1420 Omitting <B>mir</B> will affect only speed. Some terminals
1421 (notably Datamedia's) must not have <B>mir</B> because of the way
1422 their insert mode works.
1424 Finally, you can specify <B>dch1</B> to delete a single charac-
1425 ter, <B>dch</B> with one parameter, <I>n</I>, to delete <I>n</I> <I>characters,</I>
1426 and delete mode by giving <B>smdc</B> and <B>rmdc</B> to enter and exit
1427 delete mode (any mode the terminal needs to be placed in
1428 for <B>dch1</B> to work).
1430 A command to erase <I>n</I> characters (equivalent to outputting
1431 <I>n</I> blanks without moving the cursor) can be given as <B>ech</B>
1435 <B>Highlighting,</B> <B>Underlining,</B> <B>and</B> <B>Visible</B> <B>Bells</B>
1436 If your terminal has one or more kinds of display
1437 attributes, these can be represented in a number of dif-
1438 ferent ways. You should choose one display form as <I>stand-</I>
1439 <I>out</I> <I>mode</I>, representing a good, high contrast, easy-on-the-
1440 eyes, format for highlighting error messages and other
1441 attention getters. (If you have a choice, reverse video
1442 plus half-bright is good, or reverse video alone.) The
1443 sequences to enter and exit standout mode are given as
1444 <B>smso</B> and <B>rmso</B>, respectively. If the code to change into
1445 or out of standout mode leaves one or even two blank
1446 spaces on the screen, as the TVI 912 and Teleray 1061 do,
1447 then <B>xmc</B> should be given to tell how many spaces are left.
1449 Codes to begin underlining and end underlining can be
1450 given as <B>smul</B> and <B>rmul</B> respectively. If the terminal has
1451 a code to underline the current character and move the
1452 cursor one space to the right, such as the Microterm Mime,
1453 this can be given as <B>uc</B>.
1455 Other capabilities to enter various highlighting modes
1456 include <B>blink</B> (blinking) <B>bold</B> (bold or extra bright) <B>dim</B>
1457 (dim or half-bright) <B>invis</B> (blanking or invisible text)
1458 <B>prot</B> (protected) <B>rev</B> (reverse video) <B>sgr0</B> (turn off <I>all</I>
1459 attribute modes) <B>smacs</B> (enter alternate character set
1460 mode) and <B>rmacs</B> (exit alternate character set mode).
1461 Turning on any of these modes singly may or may not turn
1464 If there is a sequence to set arbitrary combinations of
1465 modes, this should be given as <B>sgr</B> (set attributes), tak-
1466 ing 9 parameters. Each parameter is either 0 or nonzero,
1467 as the corresponding attribute is on or off. The 9 param-
1468 eters are, in order: standout, underline, reverse, blink,
1469 dim, bold, blank, protect, alternate character set. Not
1470 all modes need be supported by <B>sgr</B>, only those for which
1471 corresponding separate attribute commands exist.
1473 For example, the DEC vt220 supports most of the modes:
1475 <B>tparm</B> <B>parameter</B> <B>attribute</B> <B>escape</B> <B>sequence</B>
1478 p1 standout \E[0;1;7m
1479 p2 underline \E[0;4m
1482 p5 dim not available
1486 p9 altcharset ^O (off) ^N (on)
1488 We begin each escape sequence by turning off any existing
1489 modes, since there is no quick way to determine whether
1490 they are active. Standout is set up to be the combination
1491 of reverse and bold. The vt220 terminal has a protect
1492 mode, though it is not commonly used in sgr because it
1493 protects characters on the screen from the host's era-
1494 sures. The altcharset mode also is different in that it
1495 is either ^O or ^N, depending on whether it is off or on.
1496 If all modes are turned on, the resulting sequence is
1499 Some sequences are common to different modes. For exam-
1500 ple, ;7 is output when either p1 or p3 is true, that is,
1501 if either standout or reverse modes are turned on.
1503 Writing out the above sequences, along with their depen-
1506 <B>sequence</B> <B>when</B> <B>to</B> <B>output</B> <B>terminfo</B> <B>translation</B>
1509 ;1 if p1 or p6 %?%p1%p6%|%t;1%;
1510 ;4 if p2 %?%p2%|%t;4%;
1511 ;5 if p4 %?%p4%|%t;5%;
1512 ;7 if p1 or p3 %?%p1%p3%|%t;7%;
1513 ;8 if p7 %?%p7%|%t;8%;
1515 ^N or ^O if p9 ^N, else ^O %?%p9%t^N%e^O%;
1517 Putting this all together into the sgr sequence gives:
1519 sgr=\E[0%?%p1%p6%|%t;1%;%?%p2%t;4%;%?%p1%p3%|%t;7%;
1520 %?%p4%t;5%;%?%p7%t;8%;m%?%p9%t\016%e\017%;,
1522 Remember that if you specify sgr, you must also specify
1524 Terminals with the ``magic cookie'' glitch (<B>xmc</B>) deposit
1525 special ``cookies'' when they receive mode-setting
1526 sequences, which affect the display algorithm rather than
1527 having extra bits for each character. Some terminals,
1528 such as the HP 2621, automatically leave standout mode
1529 when they move to a new line or the cursor is addressed.
1530 Programs using standout mode should exit standout mode
1531 before moving the cursor or sending a newline, unless the
1532 <B>msgr</B> capability, asserting that it is safe to move in
1533 standout mode, is present.
1535 If the terminal has a way of flashing the screen to indi-
1536 cate an error quietly (a bell replacement) then this can
1537 be given as <B>flash</B>; it must not move the cursor.
1539 If the cursor needs to be made more visible than normal
1540 when it is not on the bottom line (to make, for example, a
1541 non-blinking underline into an easier to find block or
1542 blinking underline) give this sequence as <B>cvvis</B>. If there
1543 is a way to make the cursor completely invisible, give
1544 that as <B>civis</B>. The capability <B>cnorm</B> should be given which
1545 undoes the effects of both of these modes.
1547 If your terminal correctly generates underlined characters
1548 (with no special codes needed) even though it does not
1549 overstrike, then you should give the capability <B>ul</B>. If a
1550 character overstriking another leaves both characters on
1551 the screen, specify the capability <B>os</B>. If overstrikes are
1552 erasable with a blank, then this should be indicated by
1556 <B>Keypad</B> <B>and</B> <B>Function</B> <B>Keys</B>
1557 If the terminal has a keypad that transmits codes when the
1558 keys are pressed, this information can be given. Note that
1559 it is not possible to handle terminals where the keypad
1560 only works in local (this applies, for example, to the
1561 unshifted HP 2621 keys). If the keypad can be set to
1562 transmit or not transmit, give these codes as <B>smkx</B> and
1563 <B>rmkx</B>. Otherwise the keypad is assumed to always transmit.
1564 The codes sent by the left arrow, right arrow, up arrow,
1565 down arrow, and home keys can be given as <B>kcub1,</B> <B>kcuf1,</B>
1566 <B>kcuu1,</B> <B>kcud1,</B> and <B>khome</B> respectively. If there are func-
1567 tion keys such as f0, f1, ..., f10, the codes they send
1568 can be given as <B>kf0,</B> <B>kf1,</B> <B>...,</B> <B>kf10</B>. If these keys have
1569 labels other than the default f0 through f10, the labels
1570 can be given as <B>lf0,</B> <B>lf1,</B> <B>...,</B> <B>lf10</B>. The codes transmit-
1571 ted by certain other special keys can be given: <B>kll</B> (home
1572 down), <B>kbs</B> (backspace), <B>ktbc</B> (clear all tabs), <B>kctab</B>
1573 (clear the tab stop in this column), <B>kclr</B> (clear screen or
1574 erase key), <B>kdch1</B> (delete character), <B>kdl1</B> (delete line),
1575 <B>krmir</B> (exit insert mode), <B>kel</B> (clear to end of line), <B>ked</B>
1576 (clear to end of screen), <B>kich1</B> (insert character or enter
1577 insert mode), <B>kil1</B> (insert line), <B>knp</B> (next page), <B>kpp</B>
1578 (previous page), <B>kind</B> (scroll forward/down), <B>kri</B> (scroll
1579 backward/up), <B>khts</B> (set a tab stop in this column). In
1580 addition, if the keypad has a 3 by 3 array of keys includ-
1581 ing the four arrow keys, the other five keys can be given
1582 as <B>ka1</B>, <B>ka3</B>, <B>kb2</B>, <B>kc1</B>, and <B>kc3</B>. These keys are useful
1583 when the effects of a 3 by 3 directional pad are needed.
1585 Strings to program function keys can be given as <B>pfkey</B>,
1586 <B>pfloc</B>, and <B>pfx</B>. A string to program screen labels should
1587 be specified as <B>pln</B>. Each of these strings takes two
1588 parameters: the function key number to program (from 0 to
1589 10) and the string to program it with. Function key num-
1590 bers out of this range may program undefined keys in a
1591 terminal dependent manner. The difference between the
1592 capabilities is that <B>pfkey</B> causes pressing the given key
1593 to be the same as the user typing the given string; <B>pfloc</B>
1594 causes the string to be executed by the terminal in local;
1595 and <B>pfx</B> causes the string to be transmitted to the com-
1598 The capabilities <B>nlab</B>, <B>lw</B> and <B>lh</B> define the number of pro-
1599 grammable screen labels and their width and height. If
1600 there are commands to turn the labels on and off, give
1601 them in <B>smln</B> and <B>rmln</B>. <B>smln</B> is normally output after one
1602 or more pln sequences to make sure that the change becomes
1606 <B>Tabs</B> <B>and</B> <B>Initialization</B>
1607 If the terminal has hardware tabs, the command to advance
1608 to the next tab stop can be given as <B>ht</B> (usually control
1609 I). A ``back-tab'' command which moves leftward to the
1610 preceding tab stop can be given as <B>cbt</B>. By convention, if
1611 the teletype modes indicate that tabs are being expanded
1612 by the computer rather than being sent to the terminal,
1613 programs should not use <B>ht</B> or <B>cbt</B> even if they are pre-
1614 sent, since the user may not have the tab stops properly
1615 set. If the terminal has hardware tabs which are ini-
1616 tially set every <I>n</I> spaces when the terminal is powered up,
1617 the numeric parameter <B>it</B> is given, showing the number of
1618 spaces the tabs are set to. This is normally used by the
1619 <I>tset</I> command to determine whether to set the mode for
1620 hardware tab expansion, and whether to set the tab stops.
1621 If the terminal has tab stops that can be saved in non-
1622 volatile memory, the terminfo description can assume that
1623 they are properly set.
1625 Other capabilities include <B>is1</B>, <B>is2</B>, and <B>is3</B>, initializa-
1626 tion strings for the terminal, <B>iprog</B>, the path name of a
1627 program to be run to initialize the terminal, and <B>if</B>, the
1628 name of a file containing long initialization strings.
1629 These strings are expected to set the terminal into modes
1630 consistent with the rest of the terminfo description.
1631 They are normally sent to the terminal, by the <I>init</I> option
1632 of the <I>tput</I> program, each time the user logs in. They
1633 will be printed in the following order: run the program
1634 <B>iprog</B>; output <B>is1</B>; <B>is2</B>; set the margins using <B>mgc</B>, <B>smgl</B>and
1635 <B>smgr</B>; set tabs using <B>tbc</B> and <B>hts</B>; print the file <B>if</B>; and
1636 finally output <B>is3</B>.
1638 Most initialization is done with <B>is2</B>. Special terminal
1639 modes can be set up without duplicating strings by putting
1640 the common sequences in <B>is2</B> and special cases in <B>is1</B> and
1641 <B>is3</B>. A pair of sequences that does a harder reset from a
1642 totally unknown state can be analogously given as <B>rs1</B>,
1643 <B>rs2</B>, <B>rf</B>, and <B>rs3</B>, analogous to <B>is2</B> and <B>if</B>. These strings
1644 are output by the <I>reset</I> program, which is used when the
1645 terminal gets into a wedged state. Commands are normally
1646 placed in <B>rs1</B>, <B>rs2</B> <B>rs3</B> and <B>rf</B> only if they produce annoy-
1647 ing effects on the screen and are not necessary when log-
1648 ging in. For example, the command to set the vt100 into
1649 80-column mode would normally be part of <B>is2</B>, but it
1650 causes an annoying glitch of the screen and is not nor-
1651 mally needed since the terminal is usually already in 80
1654 If there are commands to set and clear tab stops, they can
1655 be given as <B>tbc</B> (clear all tab stops) and <B>hts</B> (set a tab
1656 stop in the current column of every row). If a more com-
1657 plex sequence is needed to set the tabs than can be
1658 described by this, the sequence can be placed in <B>is2</B> or
1661 <B>Delays</B> <B>and</B> <B>Padding</B>
1662 Many older and slower terminals don't support either
1663 XON/XOFF or DTR handshaking, including hard copy terminals
1664 and some very archaic CRTs (including, for example, DEC
1665 VT100s). These may require padding characters after cer-
1666 tain cursor motions and screen changes.
1668 If the terminal uses xon/xoff handshaking for flow control
1669 (that is, it automatically emits ^S back to the host when
1670 its input buffers are close to full), set <B>xon</B>. This capa-
1671 bility suppresses the emission of padding. You can also
1672 set it for memory-mapped console devices effectively that
1673 don't have a speed limit. Padding information should
1674 still be included so that routines can make better deci-
1675 sions about relative costs, but actual pad characters will
1678 If <B>pb</B> (padding baud rate) is given, padding is suppressed
1679 at baud rates below the value of <B>pb</B>. If the entry has no
1680 padding baud rate, then whether padding is emitted or not
1681 is completely controlled by <B>xon</B>.
1683 If the terminal requires other than a null (zero) charac-
1684 ter as a pad, then this can be given as <B>pad</B>. Only the
1685 first character of the <B>pad</B> string is used.
1687 <B>Status</B> <B>Lines</B>
1688 Some terminals have an extra `status line' which is not
1689 normally used by software (and thus not counted in the
1690 terminal's <B>lines</B> capability).
1692 The simplest case is a status line which is cursor-
1693 addressable but not part of the main scrolling region on
1694 the screen; the Heathkit H19 has a status line of this
1695 kind, as would a 24-line VT100 with a 23-line scrolling
1696 region set up on initialization. This situation is indi-
1697 cated by the <B>hs</B> capability.
1699 Some terminals with status lines need special sequences to
1700 access the status line. These may be expressed as a
1701 string with single parameter <B>tsl</B> which takes the cursor to
1702 a given zero-origin column on the status line. The capa-
1703 bility <B>fsl</B> must return to the main-screen cursor positions
1704 before the last <B>tsl</B>. You may need to embed the string
1705 values of <B>sc</B> (save cursor) and <B>rc</B> (restore cursor) in <B>tsl</B>
1706 and <B>fsl</B> to accomplish this.
1708 The status line is normally assumed to be the same width
1709 as the width of the terminal. If this is untrue, you can
1710 specify it with the numeric capability <B>wsl</B>.
1712 A command to erase or blank the status line may be speci-
1715 The boolean capability <B>eslok</B> specifies that escape
1716 sequences, tabs, etc. work ordinarily in the status line.
1718 The <B>ncurses</B> implementation does not yet use any of these
1719 capabilities. They are documented here in case they ever
1723 <B>Line</B> <B>Graphics</B>
1724 Many terminals have alternate character sets useful for
1725 forms-drawing. Terminfo and <B>curses</B> build in support for
1726 the drawing characters supported by the VT100, with some
1727 characters from the AT&T 4410v1 added. This alternate
1728 character set may be specified by the <B>acsc</B> capability.
1730 <B>Glyph</B> <B>ACS</B> <B>Ascii</B> <B>VT100</B>
1731 <B>Name</B> <B>Name</B> <B>Default</B> <B>Name</B>
1732 UK pound sign ACS_STERLING f }
1733 arrow pointing down ACS_DARROW v .
1734 arrow pointing left ACS_LARROW < ,
1735 arrow pointing right ACS_RARROW > +
1736 arrow pointing up ACS_UARROW ^ -
1737 board of squares ACS_BOARD # h
1738 bullet ACS_BULLET o ~
1739 checker board (stipple) ACS_CKBOARD : a
1741 degree symbol ACS_DEGREE \ f
1742 diamond ACS_DIAMOND + `
1743 greater-than-or-equal-to ACS_GEQUAL > z
1745 horizontal line ACS_HLINE - q
1746 lantern symbol ACS_LANTERN # i
1747 large plus or crossover ACS_PLUS + n
1748 less-than-or-equal-to ACS_LEQUAL < y
1749 lower left corner ACS_LLCORNER + m
1750 lower right corner ACS_LRCORNER + j
1751 not-equal ACS_NEQUAL ! |
1752 plus/minus ACS_PLMINUS # g
1753 scan line 1 ACS_S1 ~ o
1754 scan line 3 ACS_S3 - p
1755 scan line 7 ACS_S7 - r
1756 scan line 9 ACS_S9 _ s
1757 solid square block ACS_BLOCK # 0
1758 tee pointing down ACS_TTEE + w
1759 tee pointing left ACS_RTEE + u
1760 tee pointing right ACS_LTEE + t
1761 tee pointing up ACS_BTEE + v
1762 upper left corner ACS_ULCORNER + l
1763 upper right corner ACS_URCORNER + k
1764 vertical line ACS_VLINE | x
1766 The best way to define a new device's graphics set is to
1767 add a column to a copy of this table for your terminal,
1768 giving the character which (when emitted between
1769 <B>smacs</B>/<B>rmacs</B> switches) will be rendered as the correspond-
1770 ing graphic. Then read off the VT100/your terminal char-
1771 acter pairs right to left in sequence; these become the
1775 <B>Color</B> <B>Handling</B>
1776 Most color terminals are either `Tektronix-like' or `HP-
1777 like'. Tektronix-like terminals have a predefined set of
1778 N colors (where N usually 8), and can set character-cell
1779 foreground and background characters independently, mixing
1780 them into N * N color-pairs. On HP-like terminals, the
1781 use must set each color pair up separately (foreground and
1782 background are not independently settable). Up to M
1783 color-pairs may be set up from 2*M different colors.
1784 ANSI-compatible terminals are Tektronix-like.
1786 Some basic color capabilities are independent of the color
1787 method. The numeric capabilities <B>colors</B> and <B>pairs</B> specify
1788 the maximum numbers of colors and color-pairs that can be
1789 displayed simultaneously. The <B>op</B> (original pair) string
1790 resets foreground and background colors to their default
1791 values for the terminal. The <B>oc</B> string resets all colors
1792 or color-pairs to their default values for the terminal.
1793 Some terminals (including many PC terminal emulators)
1794 erase screen areas with the current background color
1795 rather than the power-up default background; these should
1796 have the boolean capability <B>bce</B>.
1798 To change the current foreground or background color on a
1799 Tektronix-type terminal, use <B>setaf</B> (set ANSI foreground)
1800 and <B>setab</B> (set ANSI background) or <B>setf</B> (set foreground)
1801 and <B>setb</B> (set background). These take one parameter, the
1802 color number. The SVr4 documentation describes only
1803 <B>setaf</B>/<B>setab</B>; the XPG4 draft says that "If the terminal
1804 supports ANSI escape sequences to set background and fore-
1805 ground, they should be coded as <B>setaf</B> and <B>setab</B>, respec-
1806 tively. If the terminal supports other escape sequences
1807 to set background and foreground, they should be coded as
1808 <B>setf</B> and <B>setb</B>, respectively. The <I>vidputs()</I> function and
1809 the refresh functions use <B>setaf</B> and <B>setab</B> if they are
1812 The <B>setaf</B>/<B>setab</B> and <B>setf</B>/<B>setb</B> capabilities take a single
1813 numeric argument each. Argument values 0-7 are portably
1814 defined as follows (the middle column is the symbolic
1815 #define available in the header for the <B>curses</B> or <B>ncurses</B>
1816 libraries). The terminal hardware is free to map these as
1817 it likes, but the RGB values indicate normal locations in
1820 <B>Color</B> <B>#define</B> <B>Value</B> <B>RGB</B>
1821 black <B>COLOR_BLACK</B> 0 0, 0, 0
1822 red <B>COLOR_RED</B> 1 max,0,0
1823 green <B>COLOR_GREEN</B> 2 0,max,0
1824 yellow <B>COLOR_YELLOW</B> 3 max,max,0
1825 blue <B>COLOR_BLUE</B> 4 0,0,max
1826 magenta <B>COLOR_MAGENTA</B> 5 max,0,max
1827 cyan <B>COLOR_CYAN</B> 6 0,max,max
1828 white <B>COLOR_WHITE</B> 7 max,max,max
1830 On an HP-like terminal, use <B>scp</B> with a color-pair number
1831 parameter to set which color pair is current.
1833 On a Tektronix-like terminal, the capability <B>ccc</B> may be
1834 present to indicate that colors can be modified. If so,
1835 the <B>initc</B> capability will take a color number (0 to <B>colors</B>
1836 - 1)and three more parameters which describe the color.
1837 These three parameters default to being interpreted as RGB
1838 (Red, Green, Blue) values. If the boolean capability <B>hls</B>
1839 is present, they are instead as HLS (Hue, Lightness, Satu-
1840 ration) indices. The ranges are terminal-dependent.
1842 On an HP-like terminal, <B>initp</B> may give a capability for
1843 changing a color-pair value. It will take seven parame-
1844 ters; a color-pair number (0 to <B>max_pairs</B> - 1), and two
1845 triples describing first background and then foreground
1846 colors. These parameters must be (Red, Green, Blue) or
1847 (Hue, Lightness, Saturation) depending on <B>hls</B>.
1849 On some color terminals, colors collide with highlights.
1850 You can register these collisions with the <B>ncv</B> capability.
1851 This is a bit-mask of attributes not to be used when col-
1852 ors are enabled. The correspondence with the attributes
1853 understood by <B>curses</B> is as follows:
1855 <B>Attribute</B> <B>Bit</B> <B>Decimal</B>
1866 For example, on many IBM PC consoles, the underline
1867 attribute collides with the foreground color blue and is
1868 not available in color mode. These should have an <B>ncv</B>
1871 SVr4 curses does nothing with <B>ncv</B>, ncurses recognizes it
1872 and optimizes the output in favor of colors.
1875 <B>Miscellaneous</B>
1876 If the terminal requires other than a null (zero) charac-
1877 ter as a pad, then this can be given as pad. Only the
1878 first character of the pad string is used. If the termi-
1879 nal does not have a pad character, specify npc. Note that
1880 ncurses implements the termcap-compatible <B>PC</B> variable;
1881 though the application may set this value to something
1882 other than a null, ncurses will test <B>npc</B> first and use
1883 napms if the terminal has no pad character.
1885 If the terminal can move up or down half a line, this can
1886 be indicated with <B>hu</B> (half-line up) and <B>hd</B> (half-line
1887 down). This is primarily useful for superscripts and sub-
1888 scripts on hard-copy terminals. If a hard-copy terminal
1889 can eject to the next page (form feed), give this as <B>ff</B>
1890 (usually control L).
1892 If there is a command to repeat a given character a given
1893 number of times (to save time transmitting a large number
1894 of identical characters) this can be indicated with the
1895 parameterized string <B>rep</B>. The first parameter is the
1896 character to be repeated and the second is the number of
1897 times to repeat it. Thus, tparm(repeat_char, 'x', 10) is
1898 the same as `xxxxxxxxxx'.
1900 If the terminal has a settable command character, such as
1901 the TEKTRONIX 4025, this can be indicated with <B>cmdch</B>. A
1902 prototype command character is chosen which is used in all
1903 capabilities. This character is given in the <B>cmdch</B> capa-
1904 bility to identify it. The following convention is sup-
1905 ported on some UNIX systems: The environment is to be
1906 searched for a <B>CC</B> variable, and if found, all occurrences
1907 of the prototype character are replaced with the character
1908 in the environment variable.
1910 Terminal descriptions that do not represent a specific
1911 kind of known terminal, such as <I>switch</I>, <I>dialup</I>, <I>patch</I>, and
1912 <I>network</I>, should include the <B>gn</B> (generic) capability so
1913 that programs can complain that they do not know how to
1914 talk to the terminal. (This capability does not apply to
1915 <I>virtual</I> terminal descriptions for which the escape
1916 sequences are known.)
1918 If the terminal has a ``meta key'' which acts as a shift
1919 key, setting the 8th bit of any character transmitted,
1920 this fact can be indicated with <B>km</B>. Otherwise, software
1921 will assume that the 8th bit is parity and it will usually
1922 be cleared. If strings exist to turn this ``meta mode''
1923 on and off, they can be given as <B>smm</B> and <B>rmm</B>.
1925 If the terminal has more lines of memory than will fit on
1926 the screen at once, the number of lines of memory can be
1927 indicated with <B>lm</B>. A value of <B>lm</B>#0 indicates that the
1928 number of lines is not fixed, but that there is still more
1929 memory than fits on the screen.
1931 If the terminal is one of those supported by the UNIX vir-
1932 tual terminal protocol, the terminal number can be given
1935 Media copy strings which control an auxiliary printer con-
1936 nected to the terminal can be given as <B>mc0</B>: print the con-
1937 tents of the screen, <B>mc4</B>: turn off the printer, and <B>mc5</B>:
1938 turn on the printer. When the printer is on, all text
1939 sent to the terminal will be sent to the printer. It is
1940 undefined whether the text is also displayed on the termi-
1941 nal screen when the printer is on. A variation <B>mc5p</B> takes
1942 one parameter, and leaves the printer on for as many char-
1943 acters as the value of the parameter, then turns the
1944 printer off. The parameter should not exceed 255. All
1945 text, including <B>mc4</B>, is transparently passed to the
1946 printer while an <B>mc5p</B> is in effect.
1949 <B>Glitches</B> <B>and</B> <B>Braindamage</B>
1950 Hazeltine terminals, which do not allow `~' characters to
1951 be displayed should indicate <B>hz</B>.
1953 Terminals which ignore a line-feed immediately after an <B>am</B>
1954 wrap, such as the Concept and vt100, should indicate <B>xenl</B>.
1956 If <B>el</B> is required to get rid of standout (instead of
1957 merely writing normal text on top of it), <B>xhp</B> should be
1960 Teleray terminals, where tabs turn all characters moved
1961 over to blanks, should indicate <B>xt</B> (destructive tabs).
1962 Note: the variable indicating this is now
1963 `dest_tabs_magic_smso'; in older versions, it was tel-
1964 eray_glitch. This glitch is also taken to mean that it is
1965 not possible to position the cursor on top of a ``magic
1966 cookie'', that to erase standout mode it is instead neces-
1967 sary to use delete and insert line. The ncurses implemen-
1968 tation ignores this glitch.
1970 The Beehive Superbee, which is unable to correctly trans-
1971 mit the escape or control C characters, has <B>xsb</B>, indicat-
1972 ing that the f1 key is used for escape and f2 for control
1973 C. (Only certain Superbees have this problem, depending
1974 on the ROM.) Note that in older terminfo versions, this
1975 capability was called `beehive_glitch'; it is now
1978 Other specific terminal problems may be corrected by
1979 adding more capabilities of the form <B>x</B><I>x</I>.
1982 <B>Similar</B> <B>Terminals</B>
1983 If there are two very similar terminals, one (the variant)
1984 can be defined as being just like the other (the base)
1985 with certain exceptions. In the definition of the vari-
1986 ant, the string capability <B>use</B> can be given with the name
1987 of the base terminal. The capabilities given before <B>use</B>
1988 override those in the base type named by <B>use</B>. If there
1989 are multiple <B>use</B> capabilities, they are merged in reverse
1990 order. That is, the rightmost <B>use</B> reference is processed
1991 first, then the one to its left, and so forth. Capabili-
1992 ties given explicitly in the entry override those brought
1993 in by <B>use</B> references.
1995 A capability can be canceled by placing <B>xx@</B> to the left of
1996 the use reference that imports it, where <I>xx</I> is the capa-
1997 bility. For example, the entry
1999 2621-nl, smkx@, rmkx@, use=2621,
2001 defines a 2621-nl that does not have the <B>smkx</B> or <B>rmkx</B>
2002 capabilities, and hence does not turn on the function key
2003 labels when in visual mode. This is useful for different
2004 modes for a terminal, or for different user preferences.
2007 <B>Pitfalls</B> <B>of</B> <B>Long</B> <B>Entries</B>
2008 Long terminfo entries are unlikely to be a problem; to
2009 date, no entry has even approached terminfo's 4K string-
2010 table maximum. Unfortunately, the termcap translations
2011 are much more strictly limited (to 1K), thus termcap
2012 translations of long terminfo entries can cause problems.
2014 The man pages for 4.3BSD and older versions of tgetent()
2015 instruct the user to allocate a 1K buffer for the termcap
2016 entry. The entry gets null-terminated by the termcap
2017 library, so that makes the maximum safe length for a term-
2018 cap entry 1k-1 (1023) bytes. Depending on what the appli-
2019 cation and the termcap library being used does, and where
2020 in the termcap file the terminal type that tgetent() is
2021 searching for is, several bad things can happen.
2023 Some termcap libraries print a warning message or exit if
2024 they find an entry that's longer than 1023 bytes; others
2025 don't; others truncate the entries to 1023 bytes. Some
2026 application programs allocate more than the recommended 1K
2027 for the termcap entry; others don't.
2029 Each termcap entry has two important sizes associated with
2030 it: before "tc" expansion, and after "tc" expansion. "tc"
2031 is the capability that tacks on another termcap entry to
2032 the end of the current one, to add on its capabilities.
2033 If a termcap entry doesn't use the "tc" capability, then
2034 of course the two lengths are the same.
2036 The "before tc expansion" length is the most important
2037 one, because it affects more than just users of that par-
2038 ticular terminal. This is the length of the entry as it
2039 exists in /etc/termcap, minus the backslash-newline pairs,
2040 which tgetent() strips out while reading it. Some termcap
2041 libraries strip off the final newline, too (GNU termcap
2042 does not). Now suppose:
2044 * a termcap entry before expansion is more than 1023
2047 * and the application has only allocated a 1k buffer,
2049 * and the termcap library (like the one in BSD/OS 1.1
2050 and GNU) reads the whole entry into the buffer, no
2051 matter what its length, to see if it's the entry it
2054 * and tgetent() is searching for a terminal type that
2055 either is the long entry, appears in the termcap file
2056 after the long entry, or doesn't appear in the file
2057 at all (so that tgetent() has to search the whole
2060 Then tgetent() will overwrite memory, perhaps its stack,
2061 and probably core dump the program. Programs like telnet
2062 are particularly vulnerable; modern telnets pass along
2063 values like the terminal type automatically. The results
2064 are almost as undesirable with a termcap library, like
2065 SunOS 4.1.3 and Ultrix 4.4, that prints warning messages
2066 when it reads an overly long termcap entry. If a termcap
2067 library truncates long entries, like OSF/1 3.0, it is
2068 immune to dying here but will return incorrect data for
2071 The "after tc expansion" length will have a similar effect
2072 to the above, but only for people who actually set TERM to
2073 that terminal type, since tgetent() only does "tc" expan-
2074 sion once it's found the terminal type it was looking for,
2075 not while searching.
2077 In summary, a termcap entry that is longer than 1023 bytes
2078 can cause, on various combinations of termcap libraries
2079 and applications, a core dump, warnings, or incorrect
2080 operation. If it's too long even before "tc" expansion,
2081 it will have this effect even for users of some other ter-
2082 minal types and users whose TERM variable does not have a
2085 When in -C (translate to termcap) mode, the <B>ncurses</B> imple-
2086 mentation of <B><A HREF="tic.1.html">tic(1)</A></B> issues warning messages when the pre-
2087 tc length of a termcap translation is too long. The -c
2088 (check) option also checks resolved (after tc expansion)
2091 <B>Binary</B> <B>Compatibility</B>
2092 It is not wise to count on portability of binary terminfo
2093 entries between commercial UNIX versions. The problem is
2094 that there are at least two versions of terminfo (under
2095 HP-UX and AIX) which diverged from System V terminfo after
2096 SVr1, and have added extension capabilities to the string
2097 table that (in the binary format) collide with System V
2098 and XSI Curses extensions.
2102 <H2>EXTENSIONS</H2><PRE>
2103 Some SVr4 <B>curses</B> implementations, and all previous to
2104 SVr4, don't interpret the %A and %O operators in parameter
2107 SVr4/XPG4 do not specify whether <B>msgr</B> licenses movement
2108 while in an alternate-character-set mode (such modes may,
2109 among other things, map CR and NL to characters that don't
2110 trigger local motions). The <B>ncurses</B> implementation
2111 ignores <B>msgr</B> in <B>ALTCHARSET</B> mode. This raises the possi-
2112 bility that an XPG4 implementation making the opposite
2113 interpretation may need terminfo entries made for <B>ncurses</B>
2114 to have <B>msgr</B> turned off.
2116 The <B>ncurses</B> library handles insert-character and insert-
2117 character modes in a slightly non-standard way in order to
2118 get better update efficiency. See the <B>Insert/Delete</B> <B>Char-</B>
2119 <B>acter</B> subsection above.
2121 The parameter substitutions for <B>set_clock</B> and <B>dis-</B>
2122 <B>play_clock</B> are not documented in SVr4 or the XSI Curses
2123 standard. They are deduced from the documentation for the
2124 AT&T 505 terminal.
2126 Be careful assigning the <B>kmous</B> capability. The <B>ncurses</B>
2127 wants to interpret it as <B>KEY_MOUSE</B>, for use by terminals
2128 and emulators like xterm that can return mouse-tracking
2129 information in the keyboard-input stream.
2131 Different commercial ports of terminfo and curses support
2132 different subsets of the XSI Curses standard and (in some
2133 cases) different extension sets. Here is a summary, accu-
2134 rate as of October 1995:
2136 <B>SVR4,</B> <B>Solaris,</B> <B>ncurses</B> -- These support all SVr4 capabili-
2139 <B>SGI</B> -- Supports the SVr4 set, adds one undocumented
2140 extended string capability (<B>set_pglen</B>).
2142 <B>SVr1,</B> <B>Ultrix</B> -- These support a restricted subset of ter-
2143 minfo capabilities. The booleans end with <B>xon_xoff</B>; the
2144 numerics with <B>width_status_line</B>; and the strings with
2147 <B>HP/UX</B> -- Supports the SVr1 subset, plus the SVr[234]
2148 numerics <B>num_labels</B>, <B>label_height</B>, <B>label_width</B>, plus func-
2149 tion keys 11 through 63, plus <B>plab_norm</B>, <B>label_on</B>, and
2150 <B>label_off</B>, plus some incompatible extensions in the string
2153 <B>AIX</B> -- Supports the SVr1 subset, plus function keys 11
2154 through 63, plus a number of incompatible string table
2157 <B>OSF</B> -- Supports both the SVr4 set and the AIX extensions.
2162 @DATADIR@/terminfo/?/* files containing terminal
2167 <H2>SEE ALSO</H2><PRE>
2168 <B><A HREF="tic.1m.html">tic(1m)</A></B>, <B><A HREF="ncurses.3x.html">curses(3x)</A></B>, <B><A HREF="printf.3S.html">printf(3S)</A></B>, <B><A HREF="term.5.html">term(5)</A></B>.
2172 <H2>AUTHORS</H2><PRE>
2173 Zeyd M. Ben-Halim, Eric S. Raymond, Thomas E. Dickey.
2174 Based on pcurses by Pavel Curtis.
2184 Man(1) output converted with
2185 <a href="http://www.oac.uci.edu/indiv/ehood/man2html.html">man2html</a>
projects / ncurses.git / blob