-.\" $Id: terminfo.tail,v 1.57 2012/03/01 12:02:54 tom Exp $
+.\" $Id: terminfo.tail,v 1.58 2013/02/02 21:45:47 tom Exp $
.\" Beginning of terminfo.tail file
.\" This file is part of ncurses.
.\" See "terminfo.head" for copyright.
.PP
.SS Fetching Compiled Descriptions
.PP
+The \fBncurses\fP library searches for terminal descriptions in several places.
+It uses only the first description found.
+The library has a compiled-in list of places to search
+which can be overridden by environment variables.
+Before starting to search,
+\fBncurses\fP eliminates duplicates in its search list.
+.bP
If the environment variable TERMINFO is set, it is interpreted as the pathname
of a directory containing the compiled description you are working on.
-Only
-that directory is searched.
-.PP
-If TERMINFO is not set, the \fBncurses\fR version of the terminfo reader code
-will instead look in the directory \fB$HOME/.terminfo\fR
+Only that directory is searched.
+.bP
+If TERMINFO is not set,
+\fBncurses\fR will instead look in the directory \fB$HOME/.terminfo\fR
for a compiled description.
-If it fails to find one there, and the environment variable TERMINFO_DIRS is
-set, it will interpret the contents of that variable as a list of colon-
-separated directories (or database files) to be searched
-(an empty entry is interpreted as a command to search \fI\*d\fR).
-If no description is found in any of the
-TERMINFO_DIRS directories, the fetch fails.
-.PP
-If neither TERMINFO nor TERMINFO_DIRS is set, the last place tried will be the
-system terminfo directory, \fI\*d\fR.
-.PP
-(Neither the \fB$HOME/.terminfo\fR lookups nor TERMINFO_DIRS extensions are
-supported under stock System V terminfo/curses.)
-.PP
+.bP
+Next, if the environment variable TERMINFO_DIRS is set,
+\fBncurses\fR will interpret the contents of that variable
+as a list of colon-separated directories (or database files) to be searched.
+.IP
+An empty directory name (i.e., if the variable begins or ends
+with a colon, or contains adacent colons)
+is interpreted as the system location \fI\*d\fR.
+.bP
+Finally, \fBncurses\fP searches these compiled-in locations:
+.RS
+.bP
+a list of directories (@TERMINFO_DIRS@), and
+.bP
+the system terminfo directory, \fI\*d\fR (the compiled-in default).
+.RE
.SS Preparing Descriptions
.PP
We now outline how to prepare descriptions of terminals.
A capability can be canceled by placing \fBxx@\fR to the left of the
use reference that imports it, where \fIxx\fP is the capability.
For example, the entry
+.RS
.PP
- 2621\-nl, smkx@, rmkx@, use=2621,
+2621\-nl, smkx@, rmkx@, use=2621,
+.RE
.PP
defines a 2621\-nl that does not have the \fBsmkx\fR or \fBrmkx\fR capabilities,
and hence does not turn on the function key labels when in visual mode.
SVr1, and have added extension capabilities to the string table that (in the
binary format) collide with System V and XSI Curses extensions.
.SH EXTENSIONS
+.PP
+Searching for terminal descriptions in
+\fB$HOME/.terminfo\fR and TERMINFO_DIRS
+is not supported by older implementations.
+.PP
Some SVr4 \fBcurses\fR implementations, and all previous to SVr4, do not
interpret the %A and %O operators in parameter strings.
.PP
.PP
\fBSVr1, Ultrix\fR \-\-
These support a restricted subset of terminfo capabilities.
-The booleans
-end with \fBxon_xoff\fR; the numerics with \fBwidth_status_line\fR; and the
-strings with \fBprtr_non\fR.
+The booleans end with \fBxon_xoff\fR;
+the numerics with \fBwidth_status_line\fR;
+and the strings with \fBprtr_non\fR.
.PP
\fBHP/UX\fR \-\-
Supports the SVr1 subset, plus the SVr[234] numerics \fBnum_labels\fR,
projects / ncurses.git / blobdiff