ncurses 6.1 - patch 20190623

[ncurses.git] / man / tput.1

diff --git a/man/tput.1 b/man/tput.1
index 44cedbfcc3532dae27646a46b0a489288e26c64c..9494a94e9df103928cccd1d20571876b917c8621 100644 (file)
--- a/man/tput.1
+++ b/man/tput.1
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 .\" authorization.                                                           *
 .\"***************************************************************************
 .\"
 .\" authorization.                                                           *
 .\"***************************************************************************
 .\"

-.\" $Id: tput.1,v 1.59 2018/07/28 21:30:27 tom Exp $
+.\" $Id: tput.1,v 1.62 2018/09/30 20:31:59 Sven.Joachim Exp $

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


@@ -271,6 +271,27 @@ 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 \fBcolumns\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


@@ -441,7 +462,7 @@ 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,


@@ -542,6 +563,27 @@ 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),
 .SH SEE ALSO
 \fB@CLEAR@\fR(\*n),
 \fBstty\fR(1),