ncurses 6.2 - patch 20210213

[ncurses.git] / man / tput.1

diff --git a/man/tput.1 b/man/tput.1
index 10e47b7b32161fd469994ff62fa590b542a9d23e..64fb453016eb19223bd99b3c4e710275075acf03 100644 (file)
--- a/man/tput.1
+++ b/man/tput.1
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 '\" t
 .\"***************************************************************************
 '\" t
 .\"***************************************************************************

-.\" Copyright (c) 1998-2017,2018 Free Software Foundation, Inc.              *
+.\" Copyright 2018,2020 Thomas E. Dickey                                     *
+.\" Copyright 1998-2016,2017 Free Software Foundation, Inc.                  *

 .\"                                                                          *
 .\" Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a  *
 .\" copy of this software and associated documentation files (the            *
 .\"                                                                          *
 .\" Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a  *
 .\" copy of this software and associated documentation files (the            *


@@ -27,7 +28,7 @@
 .\" authorization.                                                           *
 .\"***************************************************************************
 .\"
 .\" authorization.                                                           *
 .\"***************************************************************************
 .\"

-.\" $Id: tput.1,v 1.58 2018/05/19 21:07:46 tom Exp $
+.\" $Id: tput.1,v 1.65 2020/12/19 22:17:47 tom Exp $

 .TH @TPUT@ 1 ""
 .ds d @TERMINFO@
 .ds n 1
 .TH @TPUT@ 1 ""
 .ds d @TERMINFO@
 .ds n 1


@@ -226,7 +227,8 @@ Otherwise, \fBreset\fR acts identically to \fBinit\fR.
 \fBlongname\fR
 If the terminal database is present and an entry for the
 user's terminal exists (see \fB\-T\fR\fItype\fR above), then the long name
 \fBlongname\fR
 If the terminal database is present and an entry for the
 user's terminal exists (see \fB\-T\fR\fItype\fR above), then the long name

-of the terminal will be put out.  The long name is the last
+of the terminal will be put out.
+The long name is the last

 name in the first line of the terminal's description in the
 \fBterminfo\fR database [see \fBterm\fR(5)].
 .SS Aliases
 name in the first line of the terminal's description in the
 \fBterminfo\fR database [see \fBterm\fR(5)].
 .SS Aliases


@@ -252,13 +254,14 @@ The \fBreset\fP program is usually an alias for \fB@TSET@\fP,
 because of this difference with resetting terminal modes and special characters.
 .PP
 With the changes made for ncurses 6.1, the \fIreset\fP feature of the
 because of this difference with resetting terminal modes and special characters.
 .PP
 With the changes made for ncurses 6.1, the \fIreset\fP feature of the

-two programs is (mostly) the same.  A few differences remain:
+two programs is (mostly) the same.
+A few differences remain:

 .bP
 The \fB@TSET@\fP program waits one second when resetting,
 in case it happens to be a hardware terminal.
 .bP
 The two programs write the terminal initialization strings
 .bP
 The \fB@TSET@\fP program waits one second when resetting,
 in case it happens to be a hardware terminal.
 .bP
 The two programs write the terminal initialization strings

-to different streams (i.e.,. the standard error for \fB@TSET@\fP and the
+to different streams (i.e., the standard error for \fB@TSET@\fP and the

 standard output for \fB@TPUT@\fP).
 .IP
 \fBNote:\fP although these programs write to different streams,
 standard output for \fB@TPUT@\fP).
 .IP
 \fBNote:\fP although these programs write to different streams,


@@ -269,6 +272,27 @@ If \fB@TPUT@\fR is invoked by a link named \fBinit\fR, this has the
 same effect as \fB@TPUT@ init\fR.
 Again, you are less likely to use that link because another program
 named \fBinit\fP has a more well-established use.
 same effect as \fB@TPUT@ init\fR.
 Again, you are less likely to use that link because another program
 named \fBinit\fP has a more well-established use.

+.SS Terminal Size
+.PP
+Besides the special commands (e.g., \fBclear\fP),
+@TPUT@ treats certain terminfo capabilities specially:
+\fBlines\fP and \fBcols\fP.
+@TPUT@ calls \fBsetupterm\fP(3X) to obtain the terminal size:
+.bP
+first, it gets the size from the terminal database
+(which generally is not provided for terminal emulators
+which do not have a fixed window size)
+.bP
+then it asks the operating system for the terminal's size
+(which generally works, unless connecting via a serial line which
+does not support \fINAWS\fP: negotiations about window size).
+.bP
+finally, it inspects the environment variables \fBLINES\fP and \fBCOLUMNS\fP
+which may override the terminal size.
+.PP
+If the \fB\-T\fP option is given
+@TPUT@ ignores the environment variables by calling \fBuse_tioctl(TRUE)\fP,
+relying upon the operating system (or finally, the terminal database).

 .SH EXAMPLES
 .TP 5
 \fB@TPUT@ init\fR
 .SH EXAMPLES
 .TP 5
 \fB@TPUT@ init\fR


@@ -299,7 +323,8 @@ Print the number of columns for the 450 terminal.
 \fBbold=`@TPUT@ smso` offbold=`@TPUT@ rmso`\fR
 Set the shell variables \fBbold\fR, to begin stand-out mode
 sequence, and \fBoffbold\fR, to end standout mode sequence,
 \fBbold=`@TPUT@ smso` offbold=`@TPUT@ rmso`\fR
 Set the shell variables \fBbold\fR, to begin stand-out mode
 sequence, and \fBoffbold\fR, to end standout mode sequence,

-for the current terminal.  This might be followed by a
+for the current terminal.
+This might be followed by a

 prompt: \fBecho "${bold}Please type in your name: ${offbold}\\c"\fR
 .TP 5
 \fB@TPUT@ hc\fR
 prompt: \fBecho "${bold}Please type in your name: ${offbold}\\c"\fR
 .TP 5
 \fB@TPUT@ hc\fR


@@ -354,7 +379,8 @@ and if any errors are found, will set the exit code to 4 plus the
 number of lines with errors.
 If no errors are found, the exit code is \fB0\fR.
 No indication of which line failed can be given so
 number of lines with errors.
 If no errors are found, the exit code is \fB0\fR.
 No indication of which line failed can be given so

-exit code \fB1\fR will never appear.  Exit codes \fB2\fR, \fB3\fR, and
+exit code \fB1\fR will never appear.
+Exit codes \fB2\fR, \fB3\fR, and

 \fB4\fR retain their usual interpretation.
 If the \fB\-S\fR option is not used,
 the exit code depends on the type of \fIcapname\fR:
 \fB4\fR retain their usual interpretation.
 If the \fB\-S\fR option is not used,
 the exit code depends on the type of \fIcapname\fR:


@@ -437,7 +463,7 @@ AT&T or BSD: Ross Ridge's \fImytinfo\fP package, published on
 \fIcomp.sources.unix\fP in December 1992.
 Ridge's program made more sophisticated use of the terminal capabilities
 than the BSD program.
 \fIcomp.sources.unix\fP in December 1992.
 Ridge's program made more sophisticated use of the terminal capabilities
 than the BSD program.

-Eric Raymond used the \fBtput\fP program
+Eric Raymond used that \fBtput\fP program

 (and other parts of \fImytinfo\fP) in ncurses in June 1995.
 Using the portions dealing with terminal capabilities
 almost without change,
 (and other parts of \fImytinfo\fP) in ncurses in June 1995.
 Using the portions dealing with terminal capabilities
 almost without change,


@@ -538,13 +564,34 @@ While it is certainly possible to write a \fBtput\fP program
 without using curses,
 none of the systems which have a curses implementation provide
 a \fBtput\fP utility which does not provide the \fIcapname\fP feature.
 without using curses,
 none of the systems which have a curses implementation provide
 a \fBtput\fP utility which does not provide the \fIcapname\fP feature.

+.PP
+X/Open Curses Issue 7 (2009) is the first version to document utilities.
+However that part of X/Open Curses does not follow existing practice
+(i.e., Unix features documented in SVID 3):
+.bP
+It assigns exit code 4 to \*(``invalid operand\*('',
+which may be the same as \fIunknown capability\fP.
+For instance, the source code for Solaris' xcurses uses the term
+\*(``invalid\*('' in this case.
+.bP
+It assigns exit code 255 to a numeric variable that is not specified in
+the terminfo database.
+That likely is a documentation error,
+confusing the \fB\-1\fP written to the standard output for an absent
+or cancelled numeric value versus an (unsigned) exit code.
+.PP
+The various Unix systems (AIX, HPUX, Solaris) use the same exit-codes
+as ncurses.
+.PP
+NetBSD curses documents different exit codes which do not correspond
+to either ncurses or X/Open.

 .SH SEE ALSO
 \fB@CLEAR@\fR(\*n),
 \fBstty\fR(1),
 \fB@TABS@\fR(\*n),
 \fB@TSET@\fR(\*n),
 .SH SEE ALSO
 \fB@CLEAR@\fR(\*n),
 \fBstty\fR(1),
 \fB@TABS@\fR(\*n),
 \fB@TSET@\fR(\*n),

-\fBterminfo\fR(5),
-\fBcurs_termcap\fR(3X).
+\fBcurs_termcap\fR(3X),
+\fBterminfo\fR(5).

 .PP
 This describes \fBncurses\fR
 version @NCURSES_MAJOR@.@NCURSES_MINOR@ (patch @NCURSES_PATCH@).
 .PP
 This describes \fBncurses\fR
 version @NCURSES_MAJOR@.@NCURSES_MINOR@ (patch @NCURSES_PATCH@).