X-Git-Url: https://ncurses.scripts.mit.edu/?p=ncurses.git;a=blobdiff_plain;f=doc%2Fhtml%2Fman%2Fterminfo.5.html;h=b3d1ce658ddbb69c0fe40ac3ef8575f8ea6d1b07;hp=05e2f9cef02a8d59e46316d7fddb2aff2a6c6be8;hb=89730563d0a660d4ddd83d28660dc23c6d3f0bed;hpb=9193d076200365eeb5ff932acdbbdcc5e452292c diff --git a/doc/html/man/terminfo.5.html b/doc/html/man/terminfo.5.html index 05e2f9ce..b3d1ce65 100644 --- a/doc/html/man/terminfo.5.html +++ b/doc/html/man/terminfo.5.html @@ -5,7 +5,8 @@ * Note: this must be run through tbl before nroff. * The magic cookie on the first line triggers this under some man programs. **************************************************************************** - * Copyright (c) 1998-2018,2019 Free Software Foundation, Inc. * + * Copyright 2018-2019,2020 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 * @@ -31,12 +32,37 @@ * sale, use or other dealings in this Software without prior written * * authorization. * **************************************************************************** - * @Id: terminfo.head,v 1.36 2019/07/13 23:17:33 tom Exp @ + * @Id: terminfo.head,v 1.39 2020/02/02 23:34:34 tom Exp @ * Head of terminfo man page ends here - * @Id: terminfo.tail,v 1.95 2019/07/13 23:29:04 tom Exp @ - * Beginning of terminfo.tail file - * This file is part of ncurses. - * See "terminfo.head" for copyright. + **************************************************************************** + * Copyright 2018-2019,2020 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 * + * "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including * + * without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, * + * distribute, distribute with modifications, sublicense, and/or sell * + * copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is * + * furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: * + * * + * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included * + * in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. * + * * + * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS * + * OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF * + * MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. * + * IN NO EVENT SHALL THE ABOVE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, * + * DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR * + * OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR * + * THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE. * + * * + * Except as contained in this notice, the name(s) of the above copyright * + * holders shall not be used in advertising or otherwise to promote the * + * sale, use or other dealings in this Software without prior written * + * authorization. * + **************************************************************************** + * @Id: terminfo.tail,v 1.99 2020/02/02 23:34:34 tom Exp @ *.in -2 *.in +2 *.in -2 @@ -70,60 +96,65 @@
Terminfo is a data base describing terminals, used by screen-oriented - programs such as nvi(1), rogue(1) and libraries such as curses(3x). + programs such as nvi(1), lynx(1), mutt(1), and other curses applica- + tions, using high-level calls to libraries such as curses(3x). It is + also used via low-level calls by non-curses applications which may be + screen-oriented (such as clear(1)) or non-screen (such as tabs(1)). + Terminfo describes terminals by giving a set of capabilities which they have, by specifying how to perform screen operations, and by specifying - padding requirements and initialization sequences. This describes - ncurses version 6.1 (patch 20190713). + padding requirements and initialization sequences. + + This manual describes ncurses version 6.2 (patch 20200425).
Entries in terminfo consist of a sequence of fields: - o Each field ends with a comma "," (embedded commas may be escaped + o Each field ends with a comma "," (embedded commas may be escaped with a backslash or written as "\054"). o White space between fields is ignored. o The first field in a terminfo entry begins in the first column. - o Newlines and leading whitespace (spaces or tabs) may be used for - formatting entries for readability. These are removed from parsed + o Newlines and leading whitespace (spaces or tabs) may be used for + formatting entries for readability. These are removed from parsed entries. - The infocmp -f and -W options rely on this to format if-then-else - expressions, or to enforce maximum line-width. The resulting for- + The infocmp -f and -W options rely on this to format if-then-else + expressions, or to enforce maximum line-width. The resulting for- matted terminal description can be read by tic. - o The first field for each terminal gives the names which are known + o The first field for each terminal gives the names which are known for the terminal, separated by "|" characters. The first name given is the most common abbreviation for the termi- - nal (its primary name), the last name given should be a long name - fully identifying the terminal (see longname(3x)), and all others + nal (its primary name), the last name given should be a long name + fully identifying the terminal (see longname(3x)), and all others are treated as synonyms (aliases) for the primary terminal name. - X/Open Curses advises that all names but the last should be in - lower case and contain no blanks; the last name may well contain + X/Open Curses advises that all names but the last should be in + lower case and contain no blanks; the last name may well contain upper case and blanks for readability. - This implementation is not so strict; it allows mixed case in the + This implementation is not so strict; it allows mixed case in the primary name and aliases. If the last name has no embedded blanks, - it allows that to be both an alias and a verbose name (but will + it allows that to be both an alias and a verbose name (but will warn about this ambiguity). - o Lines beginning with a "#" in the first column are treated as com- + o Lines beginning with a "#" in the first column are treated as com- ments. While comment lines are legal at any point, the output of captoinfo - and infotocap (aliases for tic) will move comments so they occur + and infotocap (aliases for tic) will move comments so they occur only between entries. - Terminal names (except for the last, verbose entry) should be chosen + Terminal names (except for the last, verbose entry) should be chosen using the following conventions. The particular piece of hardware mak- - ing up the terminal should have a root name, thus "hp2621". This name + ing up the terminal should have a root name, thus "hp2621". This name should not contain hyphens. Modes that the hardware can be in, or user - preferences, should be indicated by appending a hyphen and a mode suf- + preferences, should be indicated by appending a hyphen and a mode suf- fix. Thus, a vt100 in 132-column mode would be vt100-w. The following suffixes should be used where possible: @@ -146,96 +177,96 @@
- The terminfo entry consists of several capabilities, i.e., features - that the terminal has, or methods for exercising the terminal's fea- + The terminfo entry consists of several capabilities, i.e., features + that the terminal has, or methods for exercising the terminal's fea- tures. After the first field (giving the name(s) of the terminal entry), there should be one or more capability fields. These are boolean, numeric or string names with corresponding values: - o Boolean capabilities are true when present, false when absent. + o Boolean capabilities are true when present, false when absent. There is no explicit value for boolean capabilities. - o Numeric capabilities have a "#" following the name, then an + o Numeric capabilities have a "#" following the name, then an unsigned decimal integer value. - o String capabilities have a "=" following the name, then an string + o String capabilities have a "=" following the name, then an string of characters making up the capability value. - String capabilities can be split into multiple lines, just as the - fields comprising a terminal entry can be split into multiple - lines. While blanks between fields are ignored, blanks embedded - within a string value are retained, except for leading blanks on a + String capabilities can be split into multiple lines, just as the + fields comprising a terminal entry can be split into multiple + lines. While blanks between fields are ignored, blanks embedded + within a string value are retained, except for leading blanks on a line. - Any capability can be canceled, i.e., suppressed from the terminal + Any capability can be canceled, i.e., suppressed from the terminal entry, by following its name with "@" rather than a capability value.
- If there are two very similar terminals, one (the variant) can be - defined as being just like the other (the base) with certain excep- + If there are two very similar terminals, one (the variant) can be + defined as being just like the other (the base) with certain excep- tions. In the definition of the variant, the string capability use can be given with the name of the base terminal: - o The capabilities given before use override those in the base type + o The capabilities given before use override those in the base type named by use. - o If there are multiple use capabilities, they are merged in reverse - order. That is, the rightmost use reference is processed first, + o If there are multiple use capabilities, they are merged in reverse + order. That is, the rightmost use reference is processed first, then the one to its left, and so forth. - o Capabilities given explicitly in the entry override those brought + o Capabilities given explicitly in the entry override those brought in by use references. A capability can be canceled by placing xx@ to the left of the use ref- - erence that imports it, where xx is the capability. For example, the + erence that imports it, where xx is the capability. For example, the entry 2621-nl, smkx@, rmkx@, use=2621, defines a 2621-nl that does not have the smkx or rmkx capabilities, and - hence does not turn on the function key labels when in visual mode. - This is useful for different modes for a terminal, or for different + hence does not turn on the function key labels when in visual mode. + This is useful for different modes for a terminal, or for different user preferences. An entry included via use can contain canceled capabilities, which have - the same effect as if those cancels were inline in the using terminal + the same effect as if those cancels were inline in the using terminal entry.
- The following is a complete table of the capabilities included in a - terminfo description block and available to terminfo-using code. In + The following is a complete table of the capabilities included in a + terminfo description block and available to terminfo-using code. In each line of the table, - The variable is the name by which the programmer (at the terminfo + The variable is the name by which the programmer (at the terminfo level) accesses the capability. - The capname is the short name used in the text of the database, and is - used by a person updating the database. Whenever possible, capnames + The capname is the short name used in the text of the database, and is + used by a person updating the database. Whenever possible, capnames are chosen to be the same as or similar to the ANSI X3.64-1979 standard - (now superseded by ECMA-48, which uses identical or very similar - names). Semantics are also intended to match those of the specifica- + (now superseded by ECMA-48, which uses identical or very similar + names). Semantics are also intended to match those of the specifica- tion. - The termcap code is the old termcap capability name (some capabilities + The termcap code is the old termcap capability name (some capabilities are new, and have names which termcap did not originate). - Capability names have no hard length limit, but an informal limit of 5 + Capability names have no hard length limit, but an informal limit of 5 characters has been adopted to keep them short and to allow the tabs in the source file Caps to line up nicely. - Finally, the description field attempts to convey the semantics of the + Finally, the description field attempts to convey the semantics of the capability. You may find some codes in the description field: (P) indicates that padding may be specified - #[1-9] in the description field indicates that the string is passed + #[1-9] in the description field indicates that the string is passed through tparm with parms as given (#i). - (P*) indicates that padding may vary in proportion to the number of + (P*) indicates that padding may vary in proportion to the number of lines affected (#i) indicates the ith parameter. @@ -252,6 +283,9 @@ matic margins back_color_erase bce ut screen erased with background color + + + can_change ccc cc terminal can re- define existing col- ors @@ -259,7 +293,6 @@ by overwriting (hp) col_addr_glitch xhpa YA only positive motion for hpa/mhpa caps - cpi_changes_res cpix YF changing character pitch changes reso- lution @@ -318,14 +351,13 @@ echo on screen row_addr_glitch xvpa YD only positive motion for vpa/mvpa caps + semi_auto_right_margin sam YE printing in last column causes cr status_line_esc_ok eslok es escape can be used on the status line tilde_glitch hz hz cannot print ~'s (Hazeltine) - - transparent_underline ul ul underline character overstrikes xon_xoff xon xo terminal uses @@ -372,8 +404,8 @@ width_status_line wsl ws number of columns in status line - The following numeric capabilities are present in the SVr4.0 term - structure, but are not yet documented in the man page. They came in + The following numeric capabilities are present in the SVr4.0 term + structure, but are not yet documented in the man page. They came in with SVr4's printer support. @@ -383,6 +415,9 @@ each bit-image row bit_image_type bitype Yp type of bit-image device + + + buffer_capacity bufsz Ya numbers of bytes buffered before printing @@ -391,7 +426,6 @@ dot_horz_spacing spinh Yc spacing of dots hor- izontally in dots per inch - dot_vert_spacing spinv Yb spacing of pins ver- tically in pins per inch @@ -448,6 +482,8 @@ (P) char_padding rmp rP like ip but when in insert mode + + clear_all_tabs tbc ct clear all tab stops (P) clear_margins mgc MC clear right and left @@ -456,8 +492,6 @@ home cursor (P*) clr_bol el1 cb Clear to beginning of line - - clr_eol el ce clear to end of line (P) clr_eos ed cd clear to end of @@ -515,6 +549,7 @@ enter_delete_mode smdc dm enter delete mode enter_dim_mode dim mh turn on half-bright mode + enter_doublewide_mode swidm ZF Enter double-wide mode enter_draft_quality sdrfq ZG Enter draft-quality @@ -523,7 +558,6 @@ enter_italics_mode sitm ZH Enter italic mode enter_leftward_mode slm ZI Start leftward car- riage motion - enter_micro_mode smicm ZJ Start micro-motion mode enter_near_letter_quality snlq ZK Enter NLQ mode @@ -581,6 +615,7 @@ not move cursor) form_feed ff ff hardcopy terminal page eject (P*) + from_status_line fsl fs return from status line goto_window wingo WG go to window #1 @@ -589,7 +624,6 @@ string init_2string is2 is initialization string - init_3string is3 i3 initialization string init_file if if name of initializa- @@ -647,6 +681,7 @@ key_f15 kf15 F5 F15 function key key_f16 kf16 F6 F16 function key key_f17 kf17 F7 F17 function key + key_f18 kf18 F8 F18 function key key_f19 kf19 F9 F19 function key key_f2 kf2 k2 F2 function key @@ -655,7 +690,6 @@ key_f22 kf22 FC F22 function key key_f23 kf23 FD F23 function key key_f24 kf24 FE F24 function key - key_f25 kf25 FF F25 function key key_f26 kf26 FG F26 function key key_f27 kf27 FH F27 function key @@ -713,6 +747,7 @@ key_mark kmrk %2 mark key key_message kmsg %3 message key key_move kmov %4 move key + key_next knxt %5 next key key_npage knp kN next-page key key_open kopn %6 open key @@ -721,7 +756,6 @@ key_previous kprv %8 previous key key_print kprt %9 print key key_redo krdo %0 redo key - key_reference kref &1 reference key key_refresh krfr &2 refresh key key_replace krpl &3 replace key @@ -778,6 +812,8 @@ key f0 if not f0 lab_f1 lf1 l1 label on function key f1 if not f1 + + lab_f10 lf10 la label on function key f10 if not f10 lab_f2 lf2 l2 label on function @@ -786,8 +822,6 @@ key f3 if not f3 lab_f4 lf4 l4 label on function key f4 if not f4 - - lab_f5 lf5 l5 label on function key f5 if not f5 lab_f6 lf6 l6 label on function @@ -845,6 +879,7 @@ to the right (P*) parm_right_micro mcuf Zh Like parm_right_cur- sor in micro mode + parm_rindex rin SR scroll back #1 lines (P) parm_up_cursor cuu UP up #1 lines (P*) @@ -852,8 +887,6 @@ in micro mode pkey_key pfkey pk program function key #1 to type string #2 - - pkey_local pfloc pl program function key #1 to execute string #2 @@ -908,6 +941,11 @@ pair to #1 set_foreground setf Sf Set foreground color #1 + + + + + set_left_margin smgl ML set left soft margin at current col- umn. See smgl. @@ -918,8 +956,6 @@ set_right_margin smgr MR set right soft mar- gin at current col- umn - - set_right_margin_parm smgrp Zn Set right margin at column #1 set_tab hts st set a tab in every @@ -984,8 +1020,6 @@ lation bit_image_carriage_return bicr Yv Move to beginning of same row - - bit_image_newline binel Zz Move to next row of the bit image bit_image_repeat birep Xy Repeat bit image @@ -1043,6 +1077,7 @@ set_a_foreground setaf AF Set foreground color to #1, using ANSI escape + set_color_band setcolor Yz Change to ribbon color #1 set_lr_margin smglr ML Set both left and @@ -1050,19 +1085,17 @@ #1, #2. (ML is not in BSD term- cap). - - set_page_length slines YZ Set page length to #1 lines set_tb_margin smgtb MT Sets both top and bottom margins to #1, #2 - The XSI Curses standard added these hardcopy capabilities. They were - used in some post-4.1 versions of System V curses, e.g., Solaris 2.5 - and IRIX 6.x. Except for YI, the ncurses termcap names for them are - invented. According to the XSI Curses standard, they have no termcap - names. If your compiled terminfo entries use these, they may not be + The XSI Curses standard added these hardcopy capabilities. They were + used in some post-4.1 versions of System V curses, e.g., Solaris 2.5 + and IRIX 6.x. Except for YI, the ncurses termcap names for them are + invented. According to the XSI Curses standard, they have no termcap + names. If your compiled terminfo entries use these, they may not be binary-compatible with System V terminfo entries after SVr4.1; beware! @@ -1091,26 +1124,26 @@
- The preceding section listed the predefined capabilities. They deal - with some special features for terminals no longer (or possibly never) - produced. Occasionally there are special features of newer terminals - which are awkward or impossible to represent by reusing the predefined + The preceding section listed the predefined capabilities. They deal + with some special features for terminals no longer (or possibly never) + produced. Occasionally there are special features of newer terminals + which are awkward or impossible to represent by reusing the predefined capabilities. - ncurses addresses this limitation by allowing user-defined capabili- + ncurses addresses this limitation by allowing user-defined capabili- ties. The tic and infocmp programs provide the -x option for this pur- pose. When -x is set, tic treats unknown capabilities as user-defined. - That is, if tic encounters a capability name which it does not recog- - nize, it infers its type (boolean, number or string) from the syntax - and makes an extended table entry for that capability. The - use_extended_names(3x) function makes this information conditionally + That is, if tic encounters a capability name which it does not recog- + nize, it infers its type (boolean, number or string) from the syntax + and makes an extended table entry for that capability. The + use_extended_names(3x) function makes this information conditionally available to applications. The ncurses library provides the data leav- ing most of the behavior to applications: - o User-defined capability strings whose name begins with "k" are + o User-defined capability strings whose name begins with "k" are treated as function keys. - o The types (boolean, number, string) determined by tic can be + o The types (boolean, number, string) determined by tic can be inferred by successful calls on tigetflag, etc. o If the capability name happens to be two characters, the capability @@ -1118,18 +1151,18 @@ While termcap is said to be extensible because it does not use a prede- fined set of capabilities, in practice it has been limited to the capa- - bilities defined by terminfo implementations. As a rule, user-defined + bilities defined by terminfo implementations. As a rule, user-defined capabilities intended for use by termcap applications should be limited - to booleans and numbers to avoid running past the 1023 byte limit + to booleans and numbers to avoid running past the 1023 byte limit assumed by termcap implementations and their applications. In particu- - lar, providing extended sets of function keys (past the 60 numbered - keys and the handful of special named keys) is best done using the + lar, providing extended sets of function keys (past the 60 numbered + keys and the handful of special named keys) is best done using the longer names available using terminfo.
The following entry, describing an ANSI-standard terminal, is represen- - tative of what a terminfo entry for a modern terminal typically looks + tative of what a terminfo entry for a modern terminal typically looks like. ansi|ansi/pc-term compatible with color, @@ -1163,8 +1196,8 @@ smul=\E[4m, tbc=\E[3g, u6=\E[%i%d;%dR, u7=\E[6n, u8=\E[?%[;0123456789]c, u9=\E[c, vpa=\E[%i%p1%dd, - Entries may continue onto multiple lines by placing white space at the - beginning of each line except the first. Comments may be included on + Entries may continue onto multiple lines by placing white space at the + beginning of each line except the first. Comments may be included on lines beginning with "#". Capabilities in terminfo are of three types: o Boolean capabilities which indicate that the terminal has some par- @@ -1173,23 +1206,23 @@ o numeric capabilities giving the size of the terminal or the size of particular delays, and - o string capabilities, which give a sequence which can be used to + o string capabilities, which give a sequence which can be used to perform particular terminal operations.
All capabilities have names. For instance, the fact that ANSI-standard - terminals have automatic margins (i.e., an automatic return and line- - feed when the end of a line is reached) is indicated by the capability - am. Hence the description of ansi includes am. Numeric capabilities - are followed by the character "#" and then a positive value. Thus + terminals have automatic margins (i.e., an automatic return and line- + feed when the end of a line is reached) is indicated by the capability + am. Hence the description of ansi includes am. Numeric capabilities + are followed by the character "#" and then a positive value. Thus cols, which indicates the number of columns the terminal has, gives the - value "80" for ansi. Values for numeric capabilities may be specified + value "80" for ansi. Values for numeric capabilities may be specified in decimal, octal or hexadecimal, using the C programming language con- ventions (e.g., 255, 0377 and 0xff or 0xFF). - Finally, string valued capabilities, such as el (clear to end of line - sequence) are given by the two-character code, an "=", and then a + Finally, string valued capabilities, such as el (clear to end of line + sequence) are given by the two-character code, an "=", and then a string ending at the next following ",". A number of escape sequences are provided in the string valued capabil- @@ -1210,9 +1243,9 @@ respectively. X/Open Curses does not say what "appropriate x" might be. In practice, - that is a printable ASCII graphic character. The special case "^?" is - interpreted as DEL (127). In all other cases, the character value is - AND'd with 0x1f, mapping to ASCII control codes in the range 0 through + that is a printable ASCII graphic character. The special case "^?" is + interpreted as DEL (127). In all other cases, the character value is + AND'd with 0x1f, mapping to ASCII control codes in the range 0 through 31. Other escapes include @@ -1228,142 +1261,142 @@ o and \0 for null. \0 will produce \200, which does not terminate a string but behaves - as a null character on most terminals, providing CS7 is specified. + as a null character on most terminals, providing CS7 is specified. See stty(1). - The reason for this quirk is to maintain binary compatibility of - the compiled terminfo files with other implementations, e.g., the - SVr4 systems, which document this. Compiled terminfo files use - null-terminated strings, with no lengths. Modifying this would + The reason for this quirk is to maintain binary compatibility of + the compiled terminfo files with other implementations, e.g., the + SVr4 systems, which document this. Compiled terminfo files use + null-terminated strings, with no lengths. Modifying this would require a new binary format, which would not work with other imple- mentations. Finally, characters may be given as three octal digits after a \. - A delay in milliseconds may appear anywhere in a string capability, - enclosed in $<..> brackets, as in el=\EK$<5>, and padding characters + A delay in milliseconds may appear anywhere in a string capability, + enclosed in $<..> brackets, as in el=\EK$<5>, and padding characters are supplied by tputs(3x) to provide this delay. o The delay must be a number with at most one decimal place of preci- sion; it may be followed by suffixes "*" or "/" or both. - o A "*" indicates that the padding required is proportional to the - number of lines affected by the operation, and the amount given is - the per-affected-unit padding required. (In the case of insert + o A "*" indicates that the padding required is proportional to the + number of lines affected by the operation, and the amount given is + the per-affected-unit padding required. (In the case of insert character, the factor is still the number of lines affected.) Normally, padding is advisory if the device has the xon capability; it is used for cost computation but does not trigger delays. - o A "/" suffix indicates that the padding is mandatory and forces a + o A "/" suffix indicates that the padding is mandatory and forces a delay of the given number of milliseconds even on devices for which xon is present to indicate flow control. - Sometimes individual capabilities must be commented out. To do this, - put a period before the capability name. For example, see the second + Sometimes individual capabilities must be commented out. To do this, + put a period before the capability name. For example, see the second ind in the example above.
- The ncurses 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 envi- - ronment variables. Before starting to search, ncurses eliminates + The ncurses 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 envi- + ronment variables. Before starting to search, ncurses eliminates duplicates in its search list. - o If the environment variable TERMINFO is set, it is interpreted as + o 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. - o If TERMINFO is not set, ncurses will instead look in the directory + o If TERMINFO is not set, ncurses will instead look in the directory $HOME/.terminfo for a compiled description. - o Next, if the environment variable TERMINFO_DIRS is set, ncurses - will interpret the contents of that variable as a list of colon- + o Next, if the environment variable TERMINFO_DIRS is set, ncurses + will interpret the contents of that variable as a list of colon- separated directories (or database files) to be searched. - An empty directory name (i.e., if the variable begins or ends with - a colon, or contains adjacent colons) is interpreted as the system + An empty directory name (i.e., if the variable begins or ends with + a colon, or contains adjacent colons) is interpreted as the system location /usr/share/terminfo. o Finally, ncurses searches these compiled-in locations: - o a list of directories (/usr/local/ncurses/share/ter- + o a list of directories (/usr/local/ncurses/share/ter- minfo:/usr/share/terminfo), and - o the system terminfo directory, /usr/share/terminfo (the com- + o the system terminfo directory, /usr/share/terminfo (the com- piled-in default).
- We now outline how to prepare descriptions of terminals. The most - effective way to prepare a terminal description is by imitating the - description of a similar terminal in terminfo and to build up a + We now outline how to prepare descriptions of terminals. The most + effective way to prepare a terminal description is by imitating the + description of a similar terminal in terminfo and to build up a description gradually, using partial descriptions with vi or some other - screen-oriented program to check that they are correct. Be aware that - a very unusual terminal may expose deficiencies in the ability of the + screen-oriented program to check that they are correct. Be aware that + a very unusual terminal may expose deficiencies in the ability of the terminfo file to describe it or bugs in the screen-handling code of the test program. - To get the padding for insert line right (if the terminal manufacturer - did not document it) a severe test is to edit a large file at 9600 + To get the padding for insert line right (if the terminal manufacturer + did not document it) a severe test is to edit a large file at 9600 baud, delete 16 or so lines from the middle of the screen, then hit the "u" key several times quickly. If the terminal messes up, more padding is usually needed. A similar test can be used for insert character.
- The number of columns on each line for the terminal is given by the - cols numeric capability. If the terminal is a CRT, then the number of - lines on the screen is given by the lines capability. If the terminal - wraps around to the beginning of the next line when it reaches the - right margin, then it should have the am capability. If the terminal - can clear its screen, leaving the cursor in the home position, then - this is given by the clear string capability. If the terminal over- - strikes (rather than clearing a position when a character is struck - over) then it should have the os capability. If the terminal is a + The number of columns on each line for the terminal is given by the + cols numeric capability. If the terminal is a CRT, then the number of + lines on the screen is given by the lines capability. If the terminal + wraps around to the beginning of the next line when it reaches the + right margin, then it should have the am capability. If the terminal + can clear its screen, leaving the cursor in the home position, then + this is given by the clear string capability. If the terminal over- + strikes (rather than clearing a position when a character is struck + over) then it should have the os capability. If the terminal is a printing terminal, with no soft copy unit, give it both hc and os. (os - applies to storage scope terminals, such as TEKTRONIX 4010 series, as - well as hard copy and APL terminals.) If there is a code to move the + applies to storage scope terminals, such as TEKTRONIX 4010 series, as + well as hard copy and APL terminals.) If there is a code to move the cursor to the left edge of the current row, give this as cr. (Normally - this will be carriage return, control/M.) If there is a code to pro- + this will be carriage return, control/M.) If there is a code to pro- duce an audible signal (bell, beep, etc) give this as bel. If there is a code to move the cursor one position to the left (such as - backspace) that capability should be given as cub1. Similarly, codes - to move to the right, up, and down should be given as cuf1, cuu1, and - cud1. These local cursor motions should not alter the text they pass - over, for example, you would not normally use "cuf1= " because the + backspace) that capability should be given as cub1. Similarly, codes + to move to the right, up, and down should be given as cuf1, cuu1, and + cud1. These local cursor motions should not alter the text they pass + over, for example, you would not normally use "cuf1= " because the space would erase the character moved over. A very important point here is that the local cursor motions encoded in - terminfo are undefined at the left and top edges of a CRT terminal. + terminfo are undefined at the left and top edges of a CRT terminal. Programs should never attempt to backspace around the left edge, unless - bw is given, and never attempt to go up locally off the top. In order - to scroll text up, a program will go to the bottom left corner of the + bw is given, and never attempt to go up locally off the top. In order + to scroll text up, a program will go to the bottom left corner of the screen and send the ind (index) string. - To scroll text down, a program goes to the top left corner of the + To scroll text down, a program goes to the top left corner of the screen and sends the ri (reverse index) string. The strings ind and ri are undefined when not on their respective corners of the screen. - Parameterized versions of the scrolling sequences are indn and rin - which have the same semantics as ind and ri except that they take one - parameter, and scroll that many lines. They are also undefined except + Parameterized versions of the scrolling sequences are indn and rin + which have the same semantics as ind and ri except that they take one + parameter, and scroll that many lines. They are also undefined except at the appropriate edge of the screen. - The am capability tells whether the cursor sticks at the right edge of - the screen when text is output, but this does not necessarily apply to - a cuf1 from the last column. The only local motion which is defined - from the left edge is if bw is given, then a cub1 from the left edge - will move to the right edge of the previous row. If bw is not given, - the effect is undefined. This is useful for drawing a box around the + The am capability tells whether the cursor sticks at the right edge of + the screen when text is output, but this does not necessarily apply to + a cuf1 from the last column. The only local motion which is defined + from the left edge is if bw is given, then a cub1 from the left edge + will move to the right edge of the previous row. If bw is not given, + the effect is undefined. This is useful for drawing a box around the edge of the screen, for example. If the terminal has switch selectable - automatic margins, the terminfo file usually assumes that this is on; - i.e., am. If the terminal has a command which moves to the first col- - umn of the next line, that command can be given as nel (newline). It - does not matter if the command clears the remainder of the current - line, so if the terminal has no cr and lf it may still be possible to + automatic margins, the terminfo file usually assumes that this is on; + i.e., am. If the terminal has a command which moves to the first col- + umn of the next line, that command can be given as nel (newline). It + does not matter if the command clears the remainder of the current + line, so if the terminal has no cr and lf it may still be possible to craft a working nel out of one or both of them. These capabilities suffice to describe hard-copy and "glass-tty" termi- @@ -1380,20 +1413,20 @@
- Cursor addressing and other strings requiring parameters in the termi- - nal are described by a parameterized string capability, with printf- + Cursor addressing and other strings requiring parameters in the termi- + nal are described by a parameterized string capability, with printf- like escapes such as %x in it. For example, to address the cursor, the - cup capability is given, using two parameters: the row and column to - address to. (Rows and columns are numbered from zero and refer to the + cup capability is given, using two parameters: the row and column to + address to. (Rows and columns are numbered from zero and refer to the physical screen visible to the user, not to any unseen memory.) If the - terminal has memory relative cursor addressing, that can be indicated + terminal has memory relative cursor addressing, that can be indicated by mrcup. - The parameter mechanism uses a stack and special % codes to manipulate - it. Typically a sequence will push one of the parameters onto the - stack and then print it in some format. Print (e.g., "%d") is a spe- + The parameter mechanism uses a stack and special % codes to manipulate + it. Typically a sequence will push one of the parameters onto the + stack and then print it in some format. Print (e.g., "%d") is a spe- cial case. Other operations, including "%t" pop their operand from the - stack. It is noted that more complex operations are often necessary, + stack. It is noted that more complex operations are often necessary, e.g., in the sgr string. The % encodings have the following meanings: @@ -1401,7 +1434,7 @@ %% outputs "%" %[[:]flags][width[.precision]][doxXs] - as in printf(3), flags are [-+#] and space. Use a ":" to allow + as in printf(3), flags are [-+#] and space. Use a ":" to allow the next character to be a "-" flag, avoiding interpreting "%-" as an operator. @@ -1424,9 +1457,9 @@ %g[A-Z] get static variable [a-z] and push it - The terms "static" and "dynamic" are misleading. Historically, + The terms "static" and "dynamic" are misleading. Historically, these are simply two different sets of variables, whose values are - not reset between calls to tparm(3x). However, that fact is not + not reset between calls to tparm(3x). However, that fact is not documented in other implementations. Relying on it will adversely impact portability to other implementations. @@ -1456,8 +1489,8 @@ %? expr %t thenpart %e elsepart %; This forms an if-then-else. The %e elsepart is optional. Usually - the %? expr part pushes a value onto the stack, and %t pops it - from the stack, testing if it is nonzero (true). If it is zero + the %? expr part pushes a value onto the stack, and %t pops it + from the stack, testing if it is nonzero (true). If it is zero (false), control passes to the %e (else) part. It is possible to form else-if's a la Algol 68: @@ -1465,245 +1498,245 @@ where ci are conditions, bi are bodies. - Use the -f option of tic or infocmp to see the structure of if- + Use the -f option of tic or infocmp to see the structure of if- then-else's. Some strings, e.g., sgr can be very complicated when - written on one line. The -f option splits the string into lines + written on one line. The -f option splits the string into lines with the parts indented. - Binary operations are in postfix form with the operands in the usual + Binary operations are in postfix form with the operands in the usual order. That is, to get x-5 one would use "%gx%{5}%-". %P and %g vari- ables are persistent across escape-string evaluations. - Consider the HP2645, which, to get to row 3 and column 12, needs to be - sent \E&a12c03Y padded for 6 milliseconds. Note that the order of the - rows and columns is inverted here, and that the row and column are - printed as two digits. Thus its cup capability is + Consider the HP2645, which, to get to row 3 and column 12, needs to be + sent \E&a12c03Y padded for 6 milliseconds. Note that the order of the + rows and columns is inverted here, and that the row and column are + printed as two digits. Thus its cup capability is "cup=6\E&%p2%2dc%p1%2dY". - The Microterm ACT-IV needs the current row and column sent preceded by - a ^T, with the row and column simply encoded in binary, - "cup=^T%p1%c%p2%c". Terminals which use "%c" need to be able to - backspace the cursor (cub1), and to move the cursor up one line on the - screen (cuu1). This is necessary because it is not always safe to - transmit \n ^D and \r, as the system may change or discard them. (The - library routines dealing with terminfo set tty modes so that tabs are - never expanded, so \t is safe to send. This turns out to be essential + The Microterm ACT-IV needs the current row and column sent preceded by + a ^T, with the row and column simply encoded in binary, + "cup=^T%p1%c%p2%c". Terminals which use "%c" need to be able to + backspace the cursor (cub1), and to move the cursor up one line on the + screen (cuu1). This is necessary because it is not always safe to + transmit \n ^D and \r, as the system may change or discard them. (The + library routines dealing with terminfo set tty modes so that tabs are + never expanded, so \t is safe to send. This turns out to be essential for the Ann Arbor 4080.) - A final example is the LSI ADM-3a, which uses row and column offset by + A final example is the LSI ADM-3a, which uses row and column offset by a blank character, thus "cup=\E=%p1%' '%+%c%p2%' '%+%c". After sending - "\E=", this pushes the first parameter, pushes the ASCII value for a + "\E=", this pushes the first parameter, pushes the ASCII value for a space (32), adds them (pushing the sum on the stack in place of the two - previous values) and outputs that value as a character. Then the same - is done for the second parameter. More complex arithmetic is possible + previous values) and outputs that value as a character. Then the same + is done for the second parameter. More complex arithmetic is possible using the stack.
- If the terminal has a fast way to home the cursor (to very upper left - corner of screen) then this can be given as home; similarly a fast way - of getting to the lower left-hand corner can be given as ll; this may + If the terminal has a fast way to home the cursor (to very upper left + corner of screen) then this can be given as home; similarly a fast way + of getting to the lower left-hand corner can be given as ll; this may involve going up with cuu1 from the home position, but a program should never do this itself (unless ll does) because it can make no assumption - about the effect of moving up from the home position. Note that the - home position is the same as addressing to (0,0): to the top left cor- + about the effect of moving up from the home position. Note that the + home position is the same as addressing to (0,0): to the top left cor- ner of the screen, not of memory. (Thus, the \EH sequence on HP termi- nals cannot be used for home.) If the terminal has row or column absolute cursor addressing, these can - be given as single parameter capabilities hpa (horizontal position - absolute) and vpa (vertical position absolute). Sometimes these are - shorter than the more general two parameter sequence (as with the - hp2645) and can be used in preference to cup. If there are parameter- - ized local motions (e.g., move n spaces to the right) these can be - given as cud, cub, cuf, and cuu with a single parameter indicating how - many spaces to move. These are primarily useful if the terminal does + be given as single parameter capabilities hpa (horizontal position + absolute) and vpa (vertical position absolute). Sometimes these are + shorter than the more general two parameter sequence (as with the + hp2645) and can be used in preference to cup. If there are parameter- + ized local motions (e.g., move n spaces to the right) these can be + given as cud, cub, cuf, and cuu with a single parameter indicating how + many spaces to move. These are primarily useful if the terminal does not have cup, such as the TEKTRONIX 4025. - If the terminal needs to be in a special mode when running a program + If the terminal needs to be in a special mode when running a program that uses these capabilities, the codes to enter and exit this mode can - be given as smcup and rmcup. This arises, for example, from terminals - like the Concept with more than one page of memory. If the terminal + be given as smcup and rmcup. This arises, for example, from terminals + like the Concept with more than one page of memory. If the terminal has only memory relative cursor addressing and not screen relative cur- sor addressing, a one screen-sized window must be fixed into the termi- - nal for cursor addressing to work properly. This is also used for the - TEKTRONIX 4025, where smcup sets the command character to be the one - used by terminfo. If the smcup sequence will not restore the screen - after an rmcup sequence is output (to the state prior to outputting + nal for cursor addressing to work properly. This is also used for the + TEKTRONIX 4025, where smcup sets the command character to be the one + used by terminfo. If the smcup sequence will not restore the screen + after an rmcup sequence is output (to the state prior to outputting rmcup), specify nrrmc.
- If the terminal can clear from the current position to the end of the - line, leaving the cursor where it is, this should be given as el. If - the terminal can clear from the beginning of the line to the current - position inclusive, leaving the cursor where it is, this should be - given as el1. If the terminal can clear from the current position to - the end of the display, then this should be given as ed. Ed is only + If the terminal can clear from the current position to the end of the + line, leaving the cursor where it is, this should be given as el. If + the terminal can clear from the beginning of the line to the current + position inclusive, leaving the cursor where it is, this should be + given as el1. If the terminal can clear from the current position to + the end of the display, then this should be given as ed. Ed is only defined from the first column of a line. (Thus, it can be simulated by a request to delete a large number of lines, if a true ed is not avail- able.)
- If the terminal can open a new blank line before the line where the - cursor is, this should be given as il1; this is done only from the - first position of a line. The cursor must then appear on the newly - blank line. If the terminal can delete the line which the cursor is - on, then this should be given as dl1; this is done only from the first + If the terminal can open a new blank line before the line where the + cursor is, this should be given as il1; this is done only from the + first position of a line. The cursor must then appear on the newly + blank line. If the terminal can delete the line which the cursor is + on, then this should be given as dl1; this is done only from the first position on the line to be deleted. Versions of il1 and dl1 which take a single parameter and insert or delete that many lines can be given as il and dl. - If the terminal has a settable scrolling region (like the vt100) the - command to set this can be described with the csr capability, which + If the terminal has a settable scrolling region (like the vt100) the + command to set this can be described with the csr capability, which takes two parameters: the top and bottom lines of the scrolling region. The cursor position is, alas, undefined after using this command. - It is possible to get the effect of insert or delete line using csr on - a properly chosen region; the sc and rc (save and restore cursor) com- - mands may be useful for ensuring that your synthesized insert/delete - string does not move the cursor. (Note that the ncurses(3x) library - does this synthesis automatically, so you need not compose + It is possible to get the effect of insert or delete line using csr on + a properly chosen region; the sc and rc (save and restore cursor) com- + mands may be useful for ensuring that your synthesized insert/delete + string does not move the cursor. (Note that the ncurses(3x) library + does this synthesis automatically, so you need not compose insert/delete strings for an entry with csr). Yet another way to construct insert and delete might be to use a combi- - nation of index with the memory-lock feature found on some terminals + nation of index with the memory-lock feature found on some terminals (like the HP-700/90 series, which however also has insert/delete). - Inserting lines at the top or bottom of the screen can also be done - using ri or ind on many terminals without a true insert/delete line, + Inserting lines at the top or bottom of the screen can also be done + using ri or ind on many terminals without a true insert/delete line, and is often faster even on terminals with those features. The boolean non_dest_scroll_region should be set if each scrolling win- - dow is effectively a view port on a screen-sized canvas. To test for + dow is effectively a view port on a screen-sized canvas. To test for this capability, create a scrolling region in the middle of the screen, - write something to the bottom line, move the cursor to the top of the + write something to the bottom line, move the cursor to the top of the region, and do ri followed by dl1 or ind. If the data scrolled off the - bottom of the region by the ri re-appears, then scrolling is non- - destructive. System V and XSI Curses expect that ind, ri, indn, and - rin will simulate destructive scrolling; their documentation cautions - you not to define csr unless this is true. This curses implementation + bottom of the region by the ri re-appears, then scrolling is non- + destructive. System V and XSI Curses expect that ind, ri, indn, and + rin will simulate destructive scrolling; their documentation cautions + you not to define csr unless this is true. This curses implementation is more liberal and will do explicit erases after scrolling if ndsrc is defined. - If the terminal has the ability to define a window as part of memory, - which all commands affect, it should be given as the parameterized - string wind. The four parameters are the starting and ending lines in + If the terminal has the ability to define a window as part of memory, + which all commands affect, it should be given as the parameterized + string wind. The four parameters are the starting and ending lines in memory and the starting and ending columns in memory, in that order. If the terminal can retain display memory above, then the da capability - should be given; if display memory can be retained below, then db - should be given. These indicate that deleting a line or scrolling may - bring non-blank lines up from below or that scrolling back with ri may + should be given; if display memory can be retained below, then db + should be given. These indicate that deleting a line or scrolling may + bring non-blank lines up from below or that scrolling back with ri may bring down non-blank lines.
- There are two basic kinds of intelligent terminals with respect to - insert/delete character which can be described using terminfo. The - most common insert/delete character operations affect only the charac- - ters on the current line and shift characters off the end of the line + There are two basic kinds of intelligent terminals with respect to + insert/delete character which can be described using terminfo. The + most common insert/delete character operations affect only the charac- + ters on the current line and shift characters off the end of the line rigidly. Other terminals, such as the Concept 100 and the Perkin Elmer Owl, make a distinction between typed and untyped blanks on the screen, - shifting upon an insert or delete only to an untyped blank on the + shifting upon an insert or delete only to an untyped blank on the screen which is either eliminated, or expanded to two untyped blanks. - You can determine the kind of terminal you have by clearing the screen - and then typing text separated by cursor motions. Type "abc def" - using local cursor motions (not spaces) between the "abc" and the - "def". Then position the cursor before the "abc" and put the terminal - in insert mode. If typing characters causes the rest of the line to - shift rigidly and characters to fall off the end, then your terminal - does not distinguish between blanks and untyped positions. If the - "abc" shifts over to the "def" which then move together around the end - of the current line and onto the next as you insert, you have the sec- - ond type of terminal, and should give the capability in, which stands + You can determine the kind of terminal you have by clearing the screen + and then typing text separated by cursor motions. Type "abc def" + using local cursor motions (not spaces) between the "abc" and the + "def". Then position the cursor before the "abc" and put the terminal + in insert mode. If typing characters causes the rest of the line to + shift rigidly and characters to fall off the end, then your terminal + does not distinguish between blanks and untyped positions. If the + "abc" shifts over to the "def" which then move together around the end + of the current line and onto the next as you insert, you have the sec- + ond type of terminal, and should give the capability in, which stands for "insert null". - While these are two logically separate attributes (one line versus - multi-line insert mode, and special treatment of untyped spaces) we - have seen no terminals whose insert mode cannot be described with the + While these are two logically separate attributes (one line versus + multi-line insert mode, and special treatment of untyped spaces) we + have seen no terminals whose insert mode cannot be described with the single attribute. - Terminfo can describe both terminals which have an insert mode, and - terminals which send a simple sequence to open a blank position on the + Terminfo can describe both terminals which have an insert mode, and + terminals which send a simple sequence to open a blank position on the current line. Give as smir the sequence to get into insert mode. Give - as rmir the sequence to leave insert mode. Now give as ich1 any - sequence needed to be sent just before sending the character to be - inserted. Most terminals with a true insert mode will not give ich1; - terminals which send a sequence to open a screen position should give + as rmir the sequence to leave insert mode. Now give as ich1 any + sequence needed to be sent just before sending the character to be + inserted. Most terminals with a true insert mode will not give ich1; + terminals which send a sequence to open a screen position should give it here. - If your terminal has both, insert mode is usually preferable to ich1. - Technically, you should not give both unless the terminal actually - requires both to be used in combination. Accordingly, some non-curses - applications get confused if both are present; the symptom is doubled - characters in an update using insert. This requirement is now rare; - most ich sequences do not require previous smir, and most smir insert - modes do not require ich1 before each character. Therefore, the new - curses actually assumes this is the case and uses either rmir/smir or - ich/ich1 as appropriate (but not both). If you have to write an entry - to be used under new curses for a terminal old enough to need both, + If your terminal has both, insert mode is usually preferable to ich1. + Technically, you should not give both unless the terminal actually + requires both to be used in combination. Accordingly, some non-curses + applications get confused if both are present; the symptom is doubled + characters in an update using insert. This requirement is now rare; + most ich sequences do not require previous smir, and most smir insert + modes do not require ich1 before each character. Therefore, the new + curses actually assumes this is the case and uses either rmir/smir or + ich/ich1 as appropriate (but not both). If you have to write an entry + to be used under new curses for a terminal old enough to need both, include the rmir/smir sequences in ich1. If post insert padding is needed, give this as a number of milliseconds - in ip (a string option). Any other sequence which may need to be sent + in ip (a string option). Any other sequence which may need to be sent after an insert of a single character may also be given in ip. If your - terminal needs both to be placed into an "insert mode" and a special - code to precede each inserted character, then both smir/rmir and ich1 - can be given, and both will be used. The ich capability, with one + terminal needs both to be placed into an "insert mode" and a special + code to precede each inserted character, then both smir/rmir and ich1 + can be given, and both will be used. The ich capability, with one parameter, n, will repeat the effects of ich1 n times. - If padding is necessary between characters typed while not in insert + If padding is necessary between characters typed while not in insert mode, give this as a number of milliseconds padding in rmp. - It is occasionally necessary to move around while in insert mode to - delete characters on the same line (e.g., if there is a tab after the - insertion position). If your terminal allows motion while in insert - mode you can give the capability mir to speed up inserting in this - case. Omitting mir will affect only speed. Some terminals (notably - Datamedia's) must not have mir because of the way their insert mode + It is occasionally necessary to move around while in insert mode to + delete characters on the same line (e.g., if there is a tab after the + insertion position). If your terminal allows motion while in insert + mode you can give the capability mir to speed up inserting in this + case. Omitting mir will affect only speed. Some terminals (notably + Datamedia's) must not have mir because of the way their insert mode works. - Finally, you can specify dch1 to delete a single character, dch with - one parameter, n, to delete n characters, and delete mode by giving - smdc and rmdc to enter and exit delete mode (any mode the terminal + Finally, you can specify dch1 to delete a single character, dch with + one parameter, n, to delete n characters, and delete mode by giving + smdc and rmdc to enter and exit delete mode (any mode the terminal needs to be placed in for dch1 to work). - A command to erase n characters (equivalent to outputting n blanks + A command to erase n characters (equivalent to outputting n blanks without moving the cursor) can be given as ech with one parameter.
If your terminal has one or more kinds of display attributes, these can - be represented in a number of different ways. You should choose one - display form as standout mode, representing a good, high contrast, - easy-on-the-eyes, format for highlighting error messages and other - attention getters. (If you have a choice, reverse video plus half- - bright is good, or reverse video alone.) The sequences to enter and - exit standout mode are given as smso and rmso, respectively. If the - code to change into or out of standout mode leaves one or even two - blank spaces on the screen, as the TVI 912 and Teleray 1061 do, then + be represented in a number of different ways. You should choose one + display form as standout mode, representing a good, high contrast, + easy-on-the-eyes, format for highlighting error messages and other + attention getters. (If you have a choice, reverse video plus half- + bright is good, or reverse video alone.) The sequences to enter and + exit standout mode are given as smso and rmso, respectively. If the + code to change into or out of standout mode leaves one or even two + blank spaces on the screen, as the TVI 912 and Teleray 1061 do, then xmc should be given to tell how many spaces are left. Codes to begin underlining and end underlining can be given as smul and rmul respectively. If the terminal has a code to underline the current - character and move the cursor one space to the right, such as the + character and move the cursor one space to the right, such as the Microterm Mime, this can be given as uc. - Other capabilities to enter various highlighting modes include blink - (blinking) bold (bold or extra bright) dim (dim or half-bright) invis - (blanking or invisible text) prot (protected) rev (reverse video) sgr0 - (turn off all attribute modes) smacs (enter alternate character set + Other capabilities to enter various highlighting modes include blink + (blinking) bold (bold or extra bright) dim (dim or half-bright) invis + (blanking or invisible text) prot (protected) rev (reverse video) sgr0 + (turn off all attribute modes) smacs (enter alternate character set mode) and rmacs (exit alternate character set mode). Turning on any of these modes singly may or may not turn off other modes. - If there is a sequence to set arbitrary combinations of modes, this - should be given as sgr (set attributes), taking 9 parameters. Each - parameter is either 0 or nonzero, as the corresponding attribute is on - or off. The 9 parameters are, in order: standout, underline, reverse, - blink, dim, bold, blank, protect, alternate character set. Not all + If there is a sequence to set arbitrary combinations of modes, this + should be given as sgr (set attributes), taking 9 parameters. Each + parameter is either 0 or nonzero, as the corresponding attribute is on + or off. The 9 parameters are, in order: standout, underline, reverse, + blink, dim, bold, blank, protect, alternate character set. Not all modes need be supported by sgr, only those for which corresponding sep- arate attribute commands exist. @@ -1722,17 +1755,17 @@ p8 protect not used p9 altcharset ^O (off) ^N (on) - We begin each escape sequence by turning off any existing modes, since - there is no quick way to determine whether they are active. Standout - is set up to be the combination of reverse and bold. The vt220 termi- - nal has a protect mode, though it is not commonly used in sgr because - it protects characters on the screen from the host's erasures. The - altcharset mode also is different in that it is either ^O or ^N, - depending on whether it is off or on. If all modes are turned on, the + We begin each escape sequence by turning off any existing modes, since + there is no quick way to determine whether they are active. Standout + is set up to be the combination of reverse and bold. The vt220 termi- + nal has a protect mode, though it is not commonly used in sgr because + it protects characters on the screen from the host's erasures. The + altcharset mode also is different in that it is either ^O or ^N, + depending on whether it is off or on. If all modes are turned on, the resulting sequence is \E[0;1;4;5;7;8m^N. - Some sequences are common to different modes. For example, ;7 is out- - put when either p1 or p3 is true, that is, if either standout or + Some sequences are common to different modes. For example, ;7 is out- + put when either p1 or p3 is true, that is, if either standout or reverse modes are turned on. Writing out the above sequences, along with their dependencies yields @@ -1753,54 +1786,54 @@ sgr=\E[0%?%p1%p6%|%t;1%;%?%p2%t;4%;%?%p4%t;5%; %?%p1%p3%|%t;7%;%?%p7%t;8%;m%?%p9%t\016%e\017%;, - Remember that if you specify sgr, you must also specify sgr0. Also, - some implementations rely on sgr being given if sgr0 is, Not all ter- - minfo entries necessarily have an sgr string, however. Many terminfo + Remember that if you specify sgr, you must also specify sgr0. Also, + some implementations rely on sgr being given if sgr0 is, Not all ter- + minfo entries necessarily have an sgr string, however. Many terminfo entries are derived from termcap entries which have no sgr string. The only drawback to adding an sgr string is that termcap also assumes that sgr0 does not exit alternate character set mode. - Terminals with the "magic cookie" glitch (xmc) deposit special "cook- + Terminals with the "magic cookie" glitch (xmc) deposit special "cook- ies" when they receive mode-setting sequences, which affect the display - algorithm rather than having extra bits for each character. Some ter- - minals, such as the HP 2621, automatically leave standout mode when - they move to a new line or the cursor is addressed. Programs using - standout mode should exit standout mode before moving the cursor or - sending a newline, unless the msgr capability, asserting that it is + algorithm rather than having extra bits for each character. Some ter- + minals, such as the HP 2621, automatically leave standout mode when + they move to a new line or the cursor is addressed. Programs using + standout mode should exit standout mode before moving the cursor or + sending a newline, unless the msgr capability, asserting that it is safe to move in standout mode, is present. - If the terminal has a way of flashing the screen to indicate an error - quietly (a bell replacement) then this can be given as flash; it must + If the terminal has a way of flashing the screen to indicate an error + quietly (a bell replacement) then this can be given as flash; it must not move the cursor. - If the cursor needs to be made more visible than normal when it is not + If the cursor needs to be made more visible than normal when it is not on the bottom line (to make, for example, a non-blinking underline into - an easier to find block or blinking underline) give this sequence as + an easier to find block or blinking underline) give this sequence as cvvis. If there is a way to make the cursor completely invisible, give - that as civis. The capability cnorm should be given which undoes the + that as civis. The capability cnorm should be given which undoes the effects of both of these modes. - If your terminal correctly generates underlined characters (with no - special codes needed) even though it does not overstrike, then you - should give the capability ul. If a character overstriking another - leaves both characters on the screen, specify the capability os. If + If your terminal correctly generates underlined characters (with no + special codes needed) even though it does not overstrike, then you + should give the capability ul. If a character overstriking another + leaves both characters on the screen, specify the capability os. If overstrikes are erasable with a blank, then this should be indicated by giving eo.
- If the terminal has a keypad that transmits codes when the keys are - pressed, this information can be given. Note that it is not possible + If the terminal has a keypad that transmits codes when the keys are + pressed, this information can be given. Note that it is not possible to handle terminals where the keypad only works in local (this applies, - for example, to the unshifted HP 2621 keys). If the keypad can be set + for example, to the unshifted HP 2621 keys). If the keypad can be set to transmit or not transmit, give these codes as smkx and rmkx. Other- wise the keypad is assumed to always transmit. - The codes sent by the left arrow, right arrow, up arrow, down arrow, - and home keys can be given as kcub1, kcuf1, kcuu1, kcud1, and khome + The codes sent by the left arrow, right arrow, up arrow, down arrow, + and home keys can be given as kcub1, kcuf1, kcuu1, kcud1, and khome respectively. If there are function keys such as f0, f1, ..., f10, the - codes they send can be given as kf0, kf1, ..., kf10. If these keys - have labels other than the default f0 through f10, the labels can be + codes they send can be given as kf0, kf1, ..., kf10. If these keys + have labels other than the default f0 through f10, the labels can be given as lf0, lf1, ..., lf10. The codes transmitted by certain other special keys can be given: @@ -1839,64 +1872,64 @@ o khts (set a tab stop in this column). - In addition, if the keypad has a 3 by 3 array of keys including the - four arrow keys, the other five keys can be given as ka1, ka3, kb2, - kc1, and kc3. These keys are useful when the effects of a 3 by 3 + In addition, if the keypad has a 3 by 3 array of keys including the + four arrow keys, the other five keys can be given as ka1, ka3, kb2, + kc1, and kc3. These keys are useful when the effects of a 3 by 3 directional pad are needed. Strings to program function keys can be given as pfkey, pfloc, and pfx. - A string to program screen labels should be specified as pln. Each of - these strings takes two parameters: the function key number to program + A string to program screen labels should be specified as pln. Each of + these strings takes two parameters: the function key number to program (from 0 to 10) and the string to program it with. Function key numbers - out of this range may program undefined keys in a terminal dependent - manner. The difference between the capabilities is that pfkey causes - pressing the given key to be the same as the user typing the given - string; pfloc causes the string to be executed by the terminal in + out of this range may program undefined keys in a terminal dependent + manner. The difference between the capabilities is that pfkey causes + pressing the given key to be the same as the user typing the given + string; pfloc causes the string to be executed by the terminal in local; and pfx causes the string to be transmitted to the computer. - The capabilities nlab, lw and lh define the number of programmable - screen labels and their width and height. If there are commands to - turn the labels on and off, give them in smln and rmln. smln is nor- - mally output after one or more pln sequences to make sure that the + The capabilities nlab, lw and lh define the number of programmable + screen labels and their width and height. If there are commands to + turn the labels on and off, give them in smln and rmln. smln is nor- + mally output after one or more pln sequences to make sure that the change becomes visible.
A few capabilities are used only for tabs: - o If the terminal has hardware tabs, the command to advance to the + o If the terminal has hardware tabs, the command to advance to the next tab stop can be given as ht (usually control/I). o A "back-tab" command which moves leftward to the preceding tab stop can be given as cbt. - By convention, if the teletype modes indicate that tabs are being - expanded by the computer rather than being sent to the terminal, - programs should not use ht or cbt even if they are present, since + By convention, if the teletype modes indicate that tabs are being + expanded by the computer rather than being sent to the terminal, + programs should not use ht or cbt even if they are present, since the user may not have the tab stops properly set. - o If the terminal has hardware tabs which are initially set every n + o If the terminal has hardware tabs which are initially set every n spaces when the terminal is powered up, the numeric parameter it is given, showing the number of spaces the tabs are set to. The it capability is normally used by the tset command to determine - whether to set the mode for hardware tab expansion, and whether to + whether to set the mode for hardware tab expansion, and whether to set the tab stops. If the terminal has tab stops that can be saved - in non-volatile memory, the terminfo description can assume that + in non-volatile memory, the terminfo description can assume that they are properly set. Other capabilities include o is1, is2, and is3, initialization strings for the terminal, - o iprog, the path name of a program to be run to initialize the ter- + o iprog, the path name of a program to be run to initialize the ter- minal, o and if, the name of a file containing long initialization strings. - These strings are expected to set the terminal into modes consistent - with the rest of the terminfo description. They are normally sent to - the terminal, by the init option of the tput program, each time the + These strings are expected to set the terminal into modes consistent + with the rest of the terminfo description. They are normally sent to + the terminal, by the init option of the tput program, each time the user logs in. They will be printed in the following order: run the program @@ -1920,34 +1953,34 @@ and finally output is3. - Most initialization is done with is2. Special terminal modes can be - set up without duplicating strings by putting the common sequences in + Most initialization is done with is2. Special terminal modes can be + set up without duplicating strings by putting the common sequences in is2 and special cases in is1 and is3. - A set of sequences that does a harder reset from a totally unknown + A set of sequences that does a harder reset from a totally unknown state can be given as rs1, rs2, rf and rs3, analogous to is1 , is2 , if - and is3 respectively. These strings are output by reset option of - tput, or by the reset program (an alias of tset), which is used when + and is3 respectively. These strings are output by reset option of + tput, or by the reset program (an alias of tset), which is used when the terminal gets into a wedged state. Commands are normally placed in rs1, rs2 rs3 and rf only if they produce annoying effects on the screen and are not necessary when logging in. For example, the command to set - the vt100 into 80-column mode would normally be part of is2, but it - causes an annoying glitch of the screen and is not normally needed + the vt100 into 80-column mode would normally be part of is2, but it + causes an annoying glitch of the screen and is not normally needed since the terminal is usually already in 80-column mode. - The reset program writes strings including iprog, etc., in the same - order as the init program, using rs1, etc., instead of is1, etc. If - any of rs1, rs2, rs3, or rf reset capability strings are missing, the + The reset program writes strings including iprog, etc., in the same + order as the init program, using rs1, etc., instead of is1, etc. If + any of rs1, rs2, rs3, or rf reset capability strings are missing, the reset program falls back upon the corresponding initialization capabil- ity string. - If there are commands to set and clear tab stops, they can be given as + If there are commands to set and clear tab stops, they can be given as tbc (clear all tab stops) and hts (set a tab stop in the current column - of every row). If a more complex sequence is needed to set the tabs + of every row). If a more complex sequence is needed to set the tabs than can be described by this, the sequence can be placed in is2 or if. - The tput reset command uses the same capability strings as the reset - command, although the two programs (tput and reset) provide different + The tput reset command uses the same capability strings as the reset + command, although the two programs (tput and reset) provide different command-line options. In practice, these terminfo capabilities are not often used in initial- @@ -1956,78 +1989,78 @@ o Almost all hardware terminals (at least those which supported tabs) initialized those to every eight columns: - The only exception was the AT&T 2300 series, which set tabs to + The only exception was the AT&T 2300 series, which set tabs to every five columns. - o In particular, developers of the hardware terminals which are com- - monly used as models for modern terminal emulators provided docu- + o In particular, developers of the hardware terminals which are com- + monly used as models for modern terminal emulators provided docu- mentation demonstrating that eight columns were the standard. o Because of this, the terminal initialization programs tput and tset - use the tbc (clear_all_tabs) and hts (set_tab) capabilities - directly only when the it (init_tabs) capability is set to a value + use the tbc (clear_all_tabs) and hts (set_tab) capabilities + directly only when the it (init_tabs) capability is set to a value other than eight.
- Many older and slower terminals do not support either XON/XOFF or DTR - handshaking, including hard copy terminals and some very archaic CRTs - (including, for example, DEC VT100s). These may require padding char- + Many older and slower terminals do not support either XON/XOFF or DTR + handshaking, including hard copy terminals and some very archaic CRTs + (including, for example, DEC VT100s). These may require padding char- acters after certain cursor motions and screen changes. If the terminal uses xon/xoff handshaking for flow control (that is, it - automatically emits ^S back to the host when its input buffers are - close to full), set xon. This capability suppresses the emission of - padding. You can also set it for memory-mapped console devices effec- - tively that do not have a speed limit. Padding information should + automatically emits ^S back to the host when its input buffers are + close to full), set xon. This capability suppresses the emission of + padding. You can also set it for memory-mapped console devices effec- + tively that do not have a speed limit. Padding information should still be included so that routines can make better decisions about rel- ative costs, but actual pad characters will not be transmitted. If pb (padding baud rate) is given, padding is suppressed at baud rates - below the value of pb. If the entry has no padding baud rate, then + below the value of pb. If the entry has no padding baud rate, then whether padding is emitted or not is completely controlled by xon. - If the terminal requires other than a null (zero) character as a pad, - then this can be given as pad. Only the first character of the pad + If the terminal requires other than a null (zero) character as a pad, + then this can be given as pad. Only the first character of the pad string is used.
- Some terminals have an extra "status line" which is not normally used + Some terminals have an extra "status line" which is not normally used by software (and thus not counted in the terminal's lines capability). - The simplest case is a status line which is cursor-addressable but not + The simplest case is a status line which is cursor-addressable but not part of the main scrolling region on the screen; the Heathkit H19 has a - status line of this kind, as would a 24-line VT100 with a 23-line + status line of this kind, as would a 24-line VT100 with a 23-line scrolling region set up on initialization. This situation is indicated by the hs capability. - Some terminals with status lines need special sequences to access the - status line. These may be expressed as a string with single parameter - tsl which takes the cursor to a given zero-origin column on the status - line. The capability fsl must return to the main-screen cursor posi- - tions before the last tsl. You may need to embed the string values of - sc (save cursor) and rc (restore cursor) in tsl and fsl to accomplish + Some terminals with status lines need special sequences to access the + status line. These may be expressed as a string with single parameter + tsl which takes the cursor to a given zero-origin column on the status + line. The capability fsl must return to the main-screen cursor posi- + tions before the last tsl. You may need to embed the string values of + sc (save cursor) and rc (restore cursor) in tsl and fsl to accomplish this. - The status line is normally assumed to be the same width as the width - of the terminal. If this is untrue, you can specify it with the + The status line is normally assumed to be the same width as the width + of the terminal. If this is untrue, you can specify it with the numeric capability wsl. A command to erase or blank the status line may be specified as dsl. - The boolean capability eslok specifies that escape sequences, tabs, + The boolean capability eslok specifies that escape sequences, tabs, etc., work ordinarily in the status line. - The ncurses implementation does not yet use any of these capabilities. + The ncurses implementation does not yet use any of these capabilities. They are documented here in case they ever become important.
- Many terminals have alternate character sets useful for forms-drawing. + Many terminals have alternate character sets useful for forms-drawing. Terminfo and curses have built-in support for most of the drawing char- - acters supported by the VT100, with some characters from the AT&T - 4410v1 added. This alternate character set may be specified by the + acters supported by the VT100, with some characters from the AT&T + 4410v1 added. This alternate character set may be specified by the acsc capability. Glyph ACS Ascii acsc acsc @@ -2068,34 +2101,34 @@ A few notes apply to the table itself: - o X/Open Curses incorrectly states that the mapping for lantern is - uppercase "I" although Unix implementations use the lowercase "i" + o X/Open Curses incorrectly states that the mapping for lantern is + uppercase "I" although Unix implementations use the lowercase "i" mapping. - o The DEC VT100 implemented graphics using the alternate character - set feature, temporarily switching modes and sending characters in + o The DEC VT100 implemented graphics using the alternate character + set feature, temporarily switching modes and sending characters in the range 0x60 (96) to 0x7e (126) (the acsc Value column in the ta- ble). o The AT&T terminal added graphics characters outside that range. - Some of the characters within the range do not match the VT100; - presumably they were used in the AT&T terminal: board of squares - replaces the VT100 newline symbol, while lantern symbol replaces + Some of the characters within the range do not match the VT100; + presumably they were used in the AT&T terminal: board of squares + replaces the VT100 newline symbol, while lantern symbol replaces the VT100 vertical tab symbol. The other VT100 symbols for control - characters (horizontal tab, carriage return and line-feed) are not + characters (horizontal tab, carriage return and line-feed) are not (re)used in curses. - The best way to define a new device's graphics set is to add a column - to a copy of this table for your terminal, giving the character which - (when emitted between smacs/rmacs switches) will be rendered as the + The best way to define a new device's graphics set is to add a column + to a copy of this table for your terminal, giving the character which + (when emitted between smacs/rmacs switches) will be rendered as the corresponding graphic. Then read off the VT100/your terminal character pairs right to left in sequence; these become the ACSC string.
- The curses library functions init_pair and init_color manipulate the - color pairs and color values discussed in this section (see + The curses library functions init_pair and init_color manipulate the + color pairs and color values discussed in this section (see curs_color(3x) for details on these and related functions). Most color terminals are either "Tektronix-like" or "HP-like": @@ -2104,43 +2137,43 @@ is usually 8), and can set character-cell foreground and background characters independently, mixing them into N * N color-pairs. - o On HP-like terminals, the user must set each color pair up sepa- - rately (foreground and background are not independently settable). + o On HP-like terminals, the user must set each color pair up sepa- + rately (foreground and background are not independently settable). Up to M color-pairs may be set up from 2*M different colors. ANSI- compatible terminals are Tektronix-like. Some basic color capabilities are independent of the color method. The - numeric capabilities colors and pairs specify the maximum numbers of - colors and color-pairs that can be displayed simultaneously. The op + numeric capabilities colors and pairs specify the maximum numbers of + colors and color-pairs that can be displayed simultaneously. The op (original pair) string resets foreground and background colors to their - default values for the terminal. The oc string resets all colors or - color-pairs to their default values for the terminal. Some terminals + default values for the terminal. The oc string resets all colors or + color-pairs to their default values for the terminal. Some terminals (including many PC terminal emulators) erase screen areas with the cur- - rent background color rather than the power-up default background; + rent background color rather than the power-up default background; these should have the boolean capability bce. While the curses library works with color pairs (reflecting the inabil- - ity of some devices to set foreground and background colors indepen- + ity of some devices to set foreground and background colors indepen- dently), there are separate capabilities for setting these features: - o To change the current foreground or background color on a Tek- - tronix-type terminal, use setaf (set ANSI foreground) and setab - (set ANSI background) or setf (set foreground) and setb (set back- - ground). These take one parameter, the color number. The SVr4 - documentation describes only setaf/setab; the XPG4 draft says that - "If the terminal supports ANSI escape sequences to set background - and foreground, they should be coded as setaf and setab, respec- + o To change the current foreground or background color on a Tek- + tronix-type terminal, use setaf (set ANSI foreground) and setab + (set ANSI background) or setf (set foreground) and setb (set back- + ground). These take one parameter, the color number. The SVr4 + documentation describes only setaf/setab; the XPG4 draft says that + "If the terminal supports ANSI escape sequences to set background + and foreground, they should be coded as setaf and setab, respec- tively. - o If the terminal supports other escape sequences to set background - and foreground, they should be coded as setf and setb, respec- - tively. The vidputs and the refresh(3x) functions use the setaf + o If the terminal supports other escape sequences to set background + and foreground, they should be coded as setf and setb, respec- + tively. The vidputs and the refresh(3x) functions use the setaf and setab capabilities if they are defined. - The setaf/setab and setf/setb capabilities take a single numeric argu- - ment each. Argument values 0-7 of setaf/setab are portably defined as - follows (the middle column is the symbolic #define available in the - header for the curses or ncurses libraries). The terminal hardware is + The setaf/setab and setf/setb capabilities take a single numeric argu- + ment each. Argument values 0-7 of setaf/setab are portably defined as + follows (the middle column is the symbolic #define available in the + header for the curses or ncurses libraries). The terminal hardware is free to map these as it likes, but the RGB values indicate normal loca- tions in color space. @@ -2170,28 +2203,28 @@ It is important to not confuse the two sets of color capabilities; oth- erwise red/blue will be interchanged on the display. - On an HP-like terminal, use scp with a color-pair number parameter to + On an HP-like terminal, use scp with a color-pair number parameter to set which color pair is current. Some terminals allow the color values to be modified: - o On a Tektronix-like terminal, the capability ccc may be present to - indicate that colors can be modified. If so, the initc capability + o On a Tektronix-like terminal, the capability ccc may be present to + indicate that colors can be modified. If so, the initc capability will take a color number (0 to colors - 1)and three more parameters - which describe the color. These three parameters default to being + which describe the color. These three parameters default to being interpreted as RGB (Red, Green, Blue) values. If the boolean capa- - bility hls is present, they are instead as HLS (Hue, Lightness, + bility hls is present, they are instead as HLS (Hue, Lightness, Saturation) indices. The ranges are terminal-dependent. - o On an HP-like terminal, initp may give a capability for changing a + o On an HP-like terminal, initp may give a capability for changing a color-pair value. It will take seven parameters; a color-pair num- - ber (0 to max_pairs - 1), and two triples describing first back- - ground and then foreground colors. These parameters must be (Red, + ber (0 to max_pairs - 1), and two triples describing first back- + ground and then foreground colors. These parameters must be (Red, Green, Blue) or (Hue, Lightness, Saturation) depending on hls. - On some color terminals, colors collide with highlights. You can reg- - ister these collisions with the ncv capability. This is a bit-mask of - attributes not to be used when colors are enabled. The correspondence + On some color terminals, colors collide with highlights. You can reg- + ister these collisions with the ncv capability. This is a bit-mask of + attributes not to be used when colors are enabled. The correspondence with the attributes understood by curses is as follows: Attribute Bit Decimal Set by @@ -2203,6 +2236,7 @@ A_BOLD 5 32 sgr A_INVIS 6 64 sgr A_PROTECT 7 128 sgr + A_ALTCHARSET 8 256 sgr A_HORIZONTAL 9 512 sgr1 A_LEFT 10 1024 sgr1 @@ -2212,134 +2246,134 @@ A_VERTICAL 14 16384 sgr1 A_ITALIC 15 32768 sitm - For example, on many IBM PC consoles, the underline attribute collides - with the foreground color blue and is not available in color mode. + For example, on many IBM PC consoles, the underline attribute collides + with the foreground color blue and is not available in color mode. These should have an ncv capability of 2. - SVr4 curses does nothing with ncv, ncurses recognizes it and optimizes + SVr4 curses does nothing with ncv, ncurses recognizes it and optimizes the output in favor of colors.
- If the terminal requires other than a null (zero) character as a pad, - then this can be given as pad. Only the first character of the pad + If the terminal requires other than a null (zero) character as a pad, + then this can be given as pad. Only the first character of the pad string is used. If the terminal does not have a pad character, specify - npc. Note that ncurses implements the termcap-compatible PC variable; - though the application may set this value to something other than a - null, ncurses will test npc first and use napms if the terminal has no + npc. Note that ncurses implements the termcap-compatible PC variable; + though the application may set this value to something other than a + null, ncurses will test npc first and use napms if the terminal has no pad character. - If the terminal can move up or down half a line, this can be indicated + If the terminal can move up or down half a line, this can be indicated with hu (half-line up) and hd (half-line down). This is primarily use- ful for superscripts and subscripts on hard-copy terminals. If a hard- - copy terminal can eject to the next page (form feed), give this as ff + copy terminal can eject to the next page (form feed), give this as ff (usually control/L). - If there is a command to repeat a given character a given number of - times (to save time transmitting a large number of identical charac- - ters) this can be indicated with the parameterized string rep. The - first parameter is the character to be repeated and the second is the + If there is a command to repeat a given character a given number of + times (to save time transmitting a large number of identical charac- + ters) this can be indicated with the parameterized string rep. The + first parameter is the character to be repeated and the second is the number of times to repeat it. Thus, tparm(repeat_char, 'x', 10) is the same as "xxxxxxxxxx". If the terminal has a settable command character, such as the TEKTRONIX - 4025, this can be indicated with cmdch. A prototype command character - is chosen which is used in all capabilities. This character is given - in the cmdch capability to identify it. The following convention is + 4025, this can be indicated with cmdch. A prototype command character + is chosen which is used in all capabilities. This character is given + in the cmdch capability to identify it. The following convention is supported on some UNIX systems: The environment is to be searched for a - CC variable, and if found, all occurrences of the prototype character + CC variable, and if found, all occurrences of the prototype character are replaced with the character in the environment variable. - Terminal descriptions that do not represent a specific kind of known - terminal, such as switch, dialup, patch, and network, should include - the gn (generic) capability so that programs can complain that they do - not know how to talk to the terminal. (This capability does not apply - to virtual terminal descriptions for which the escape sequences are + Terminal descriptions that do not represent a specific kind of known + terminal, such as switch, dialup, patch, and network, should include + the gn (generic) capability so that programs can complain that they do + not know how to talk to the terminal. (This capability does not apply + to virtual terminal descriptions for which the escape sequences are known.) If the terminal has a "meta key" which acts as a shift key, setting the - 8th bit of any character transmitted, this fact can be indicated with - km. Otherwise, software will assume that the 8th bit is parity and it - will usually be cleared. If strings exist to turn this "meta mode" on + 8th bit of any character transmitted, this fact can be indicated with + km. Otherwise, software will assume that the 8th bit is parity and it + will usually be cleared. If strings exist to turn this "meta mode" on and off, they can be given as smm and rmm. If the terminal has more lines of memory than will fit on the screen at - once, the number of lines of memory can be indicated with lm. A value + once, the number of lines of memory can be indicated with lm. A value of lm#0 indicates that the number of lines is not fixed, but that there is still more memory than fits on the screen. - If the terminal is one of those supported by the UNIX virtual terminal + If the terminal is one of those supported by the UNIX virtual terminal protocol, the terminal number can be given as vt. - Media copy strings which control an auxiliary printer connected to the - terminal can be given as mc0: print the contents of the screen, mc4: - turn off the printer, and mc5: turn on the printer. When the printer - is on, all text sent to the terminal will be sent to the printer. It - is undefined whether the text is also displayed on the terminal screen - when the printer is on. A variation mc5p takes one parameter, and + Media copy strings which control an auxiliary printer connected to the + terminal can be given as mc0: print the contents of the screen, mc4: + turn off the printer, and mc5: turn on the printer. When the printer + is on, all text sent to the terminal will be sent to the printer. It + is undefined whether the text is also displayed on the terminal screen + when the printer is on. A variation mc5p takes one parameter, and leaves the printer on for as many characters as the value of the param- eter, then turns the printer off. The parameter should not exceed 255. - All text, including mc4, is transparently passed to the printer while + All text, including mc4, is transparently passed to the printer while an mc5p is in effect.
- Hazeltine terminals, which do not allow "~" characters to be displayed + Hazeltine terminals, which do not allow "~" characters to be displayed should indicate hz. - Terminals which ignore a line-feed immediately after an am wrap, such + Terminals which ignore a line-feed immediately after an am wrap, such as the Concept and vt100, should indicate xenl. - If el is required to get rid of standout (instead of merely writing + If el is required to get rid of standout (instead of merely writing normal text on top of it), xhp should be given. Teleray terminals, where tabs turn all characters moved over to blanks, - should indicate xt (destructive tabs). Note: the variable indicating - this is now "dest_tabs_magic_smso"; in older versions, it was tel- + should indicate xt (destructive tabs). Note: the variable indicating + this is now "dest_tabs_magic_smso"; in older versions, it was tel- eray_glitch. This glitch is also taken to mean that it is not possible to position the cursor on top of a "magic cookie", that to erase stand- - out mode it is instead necessary to use delete and insert line. The + out mode it is instead necessary to use delete and insert line. The ncurses implementation ignores this glitch. - The Beehive Superbee, which is unable to correctly transmit the escape - or control/C characters, has xsb, indicating that the f1 key is used - for escape and f2 for control/C. (Only certain Superbees have this - problem, depending on the ROM.) Note that in older terminfo versions, + The Beehive Superbee, which is unable to correctly transmit the escape + or control/C characters, has xsb, indicating that the f1 key is used + for escape and f2 for control/C. (Only certain Superbees have this + problem, depending on the ROM.) Note that in older terminfo versions, this capability was called "beehive_glitch"; it is now "no_esc_ctl_c". - Other specific terminal problems may be corrected by adding more capa- + Other specific terminal problems may be corrected by adding more capa- bilities of the form xx.
- Long terminfo entries are unlikely to be a problem; to date, no entry - has even approached terminfo's 4096-byte string-table maximum. Unfor- - tunately, the termcap translations are much more strictly limited (to - 1023 bytes), thus termcap translations of long terminfo entries can + Long terminfo entries are unlikely to be a problem; to date, no entry + has even approached terminfo's 4096-byte string-table maximum. Unfor- + tunately, the termcap translations are much more strictly limited (to + 1023 bytes), thus termcap translations of long terminfo entries can cause problems. - The man pages for 4.3BSD and older versions of tgetent instruct the - user to allocate a 1024-byte buffer for the termcap entry. The entry - gets null-terminated by the termcap library, so that makes the maximum - safe length for a termcap entry 1k-1 (1023) bytes. Depending on what - the application and the termcap library being used does, and where in - the termcap file the terminal type that tgetent is searching for is, + The man pages for 4.3BSD and older versions of tgetent instruct the + user to allocate a 1024-byte buffer for the termcap entry. The entry + gets null-terminated by the termcap library, so that makes the maximum + safe length for a termcap entry 1k-1 (1023) bytes. Depending on what + the application and the termcap library being used does, and where in + the termcap file the terminal type that tgetent is searching for is, several bad things can happen. - Some termcap libraries print a warning message or exit if they find an + Some termcap libraries print a warning message or exit if they find an entry that's longer than 1023 bytes; others do not; others truncate the - entries to 1023 bytes. Some application programs allocate more than + entries to 1023 bytes. Some application programs allocate more than the recommended 1K for the termcap entry; others do not. - Each termcap entry has two important sizes associated with it: before - "tc" expansion, and after "tc" expansion. "tc" is the capability that + Each termcap entry has two important sizes associated with it: before + "tc" expansion, and after "tc" expansion. "tc" is the capability that tacks on another termcap entry to the end of the current one, to add on its capabilities. If a termcap entry does not use the "tc" capability, then of course the two lengths are the same. - The "before tc expansion" length is the most important one, because it - affects more than just users of that particular terminal. This is the - length of the entry as it exists in /etc/termcap, minus the backslash- + The "before tc expansion" length is the most important one, because it + affects more than just users of that particular terminal. This is the + length of the entry as it exists in /etc/termcap, minus the backslash- newline pairs, which tgetent strips out while reading it. Some termcap libraries strip off the final newline, too (GNU termcap does not). Now suppose: @@ -2348,87 +2382,87 @@ o and the application has only allocated a 1k buffer, - o and the termcap library (like the one in BSD/OS 1.1 and GNU) reads - the whole entry into the buffer, no matter what its length, to see + o and the termcap library (like the one in BSD/OS 1.1 and GNU) reads + the whole entry into the buffer, no matter what its length, to see if it is the entry it wants, - o and tgetent is searching for a terminal type that either is the - long entry, appears in the termcap file after the long entry, or - does not appear in the file at all (so that tgetent has to search + o and tgetent is searching for a terminal type that either is the + long entry, appears in the termcap file after the long entry, or + does not appear in the file at all (so that tgetent has to search the whole termcap file). - Then tgetent will overwrite memory, perhaps its stack, and probably - core dump the program. Programs like telnet are particularly vulnera- - ble; modern telnets pass along values like the terminal type automati- - cally. The results are almost as undesirable with a termcap library, - like SunOS 4.1.3 and Ultrix 4.4, that prints warning messages when it - reads an overly long termcap entry. If a termcap library truncates - long entries, like OSF/1 3.0, it is immune to dying here but will + Then tgetent will overwrite memory, perhaps its stack, and probably + core dump the program. Programs like telnet are particularly vulnera- + ble; modern telnets pass along values like the terminal type automati- + cally. The results are almost as undesirable with a termcap library, + like SunOS 4.1.3 and Ultrix 4.4, that prints warning messages when it + reads an overly long termcap entry. If a termcap library truncates + long entries, like OSF/1 3.0, it is immune to dying here but will return incorrect data for the terminal. - The "after tc expansion" length will have a similar effect to the + The "after tc expansion" length will have a similar effect to the above, but only for people who actually set TERM to that terminal type, - since tgetent only does "tc" expansion once it is found the terminal + since tgetent only does "tc" expansion once it is found the terminal type it was looking for, not while searching. - In summary, a termcap entry that is longer than 1023 bytes can cause, - on various combinations of termcap libraries and applications, a core - dump, warnings, or incorrect operation. If it is too long even before - "tc" expansion, it will have this effect even for users of some other - terminal types and users whose TERM variable does not have a termcap + In summary, a termcap entry that is longer than 1023 bytes can cause, + on various combinations of termcap libraries and applications, a core + dump, warnings, or incorrect operation. If it is too long even before + "tc" expansion, it will have this effect even for users of some other + terminal types and users whose TERM variable does not have a termcap entry. - When in -C (translate to termcap) mode, the ncurses implementation of - tic(1m) issues warning messages when the pre-tc length of a termcap - translation is too long. The -c (check) option also checks resolved + When in -C (translate to termcap) mode, the ncurses implementation of + tic(1m) issues warning messages when the pre-tc length of a termcap + translation is too long. The -c (check) option also checks resolved (after tc expansion) lengths.
- It is not wise to count on portability of binary terminfo entries - between commercial UNIX versions. The problem is that there are at - least two versions of terminfo (under HP-UX and AIX) which diverged - from System V terminfo after SVr1, and have added extension capabili- - ties to the string table that (in the binary format) collide with Sys- + It is not wise to count on portability of binary terminfo entries + between commercial UNIX versions. The problem is that there are at + least two versions of terminfo (under HP-UX and AIX) which diverged + from System V terminfo after SVr1, and have added extension capabili- + ties to the string table that (in the binary format) collide with Sys- tem V and XSI Curses extensions.
- Searching for terminal descriptions in $HOME/.terminfo and TER- + Searching for terminal descriptions in $HOME/.terminfo and TER- MINFO_DIRS is not supported by older implementations. - Some SVr4 curses implementations, and all previous to SVr4, do not + Some SVr4 curses implementations, and all previous to SVr4, do not interpret the %A and %O operators in parameter strings. - SVr4/XPG4 do not specify whether msgr licenses movement while in an - alternate-character-set mode (such modes may, among other things, map - CR and NL to characters that do not trigger local motions). The - ncurses implementation ignores msgr in ALTCHARSET mode. This raises - the possibility that an XPG4 implementation making the opposite inter- - pretation may need terminfo entries made for ncurses to have msgr + SVr4/XPG4 do not specify whether msgr licenses movement while in an + alternate-character-set mode (such modes may, among other things, map + CR and NL to characters that do not trigger local motions). The + ncurses implementation ignores msgr in ALTCHARSET mode. This raises + the possibility that an XPG4 implementation making the opposite inter- + pretation may need terminfo entries made for ncurses to have msgr turned off. The ncurses library handles insert-character and insert-character modes - in a slightly non-standard way to get better update efficiency. See + in a slightly non-standard way to get better update efficiency. See the Insert/Delete Character subsection above. - The parameter substitutions for set_clock and display_clock are not - documented in SVr4 or the XSI Curses standard. They are deduced from + The parameter substitutions for set_clock and display_clock are not + documented in SVr4 or the XSI Curses standard. They are deduced from the documentation for the AT&T 505 terminal. - Be careful assigning the kmous capability. The ncurses library wants - to interpret it as KEY_MOUSE, for use by terminals and emulators like - xterm that can return mouse-tracking information in the keyboard-input + Be careful assigning the kmous capability. The ncurses library wants + to interpret it as KEY_MOUSE, for use by terminals and emulators like + xterm that can return mouse-tracking information in the keyboard-input stream. - X/Open Curses does not mention italics. Portable applications must - assume that numeric capabilities are signed 16-bit values. This - includes the no_color_video (ncv) capability. The 32768 mask value - used for italics with ncv can be confused with an absent or cancelled - ncv. If italics should work with colors, then the ncv value must be + X/Open Curses does not mention italics. Portable applications must + assume that numeric capabilities are signed 16-bit values. This + includes the no_color_video (ncv) capability. The 32768 mask value + used for italics with ncv can be confused with an absent or cancelled + ncv. If italics should work with colors, then the ncv value must be specified, even if it is zero. - Different commercial ports of terminfo and curses support different + Different commercial ports of terminfo and curses support different subsets of the XSI Curses standard and (in some cases) different exten- sion sets. Here is a summary, accurate as of October 1995: @@ -2438,15 +2472,15 @@ capability (set_pglen). o SVr1, Ultrix -- These support a restricted subset of terminfo capa- - bilities. The booleans end with xon_xoff; the numerics with + bilities. The booleans end with xon_xoff; the numerics with width_status_line; and the strings with prtr_non. - o HP/UX -- Supports the SVr1 subset, plus the SVr[234] numerics - num_labels, label_height, label_width, plus function keys 11 - through 63, plus plab_norm, label_on, and label_off, plus some + o HP/UX -- Supports the SVr1 subset, plus the SVr[234] numerics + num_labels, label_height, label_width, plus function keys 11 + through 63, plus plab_norm, label_on, and label_off, plus some incompatible extensions in the string table. - o AIX -- Supports the SVr1 subset, plus function keys 11 through 63, + o AIX -- Supports the SVr1 subset, plus function keys 11 through 63, plus a number of incompatible string table extensions. o OSF -- Supports both the SVr4 set and the AIX extensions. @@ -2457,7 +2491,7 @@
- tabs(1m), tic(1m), infocmp(1m), curses(3x), curs_color(3x), curs_vari- + tabs(1), tic(1m), infocmp(1m), curses(3x), curs_color(3x), curs_vari- ables(3x), printf(3), term(5). term_variables(3x). user_caps(5).