1 .\" $Id: terminfo.tail,v 1.49 2008/02/16 20:57:43 tom Exp $
2 .\" Beginning of terminfo.tail file
3 .\" This file is part of ncurses.
4 .\" See "terminfo.head" for copyright.
9 The following entry, describing an ANSI-standard terminal, is representative
10 of what a \fBterminfo\fR entry for a modern terminal typically looks like.
16 \s-2ansi|ansi/pc-term compatible with color,
18 colors#8, ncv#3, pairs#64,
19 cub=\\E[%p1%dD, cud=\\E[%p1%dB, cuf=\\E[%p1%dC,
20 cuu=\\E[%p1%dA, dch=\\E[%p1%dP, dl=\\E[%p1%dM,
21 ech=\\E[%p1%dX, el1=\\E[1K, hpa=\\E[%p1%dG, ht=\\E[I,
22 ich=\\E[%p1%d@, il=\\E[%p1%dL, indn=\\E[%p1%dS, .indn=\\E[%p1%dT,
23 kbs=^H, kcbt=\\E[Z, kcub1=\\E[D, kcud1=\\E[B,
24 kcuf1=\\E[C, kcuu1=\\E[A, kf1=\\E[M, kf10=\\E[V,
25 kf11=\\E[W, kf12=\\E[X, kf2=\\E[N, kf3=\\E[O, kf4=\\E[P,
26 kf5=\\E[Q, kf6=\\E[R, kf7=\\E[S, kf8=\\E[T, kf9=\\E[U,
27 kich1=\\E[L, mc4=\\E[4i, mc5=\\E[5i, nel=\\r\\E[S,
28 op=\\E[37;40m, rep=%p1%c\\E[%p2%{1}%-%db,
29 rin=\\E[%p1%dT, s0ds=\\E(B, s1ds=\\E)B, s2ds=\\E*B,
30 s3ds=\\E+B, setab=\\E[4%p1%dm, setaf=\\E[3%p1%dm,
31 setb=\\E[4%?%p1%{1}%=%t4%e%p1%{3}%=%t6%e%p1%{4}%=%t1%e%p1%{6}%=%t3%e%p1%d%;m,
32 setf=\\E[3%?%p1%{1}%=%t4%e%p1%{3}%=%t6%e%p1%{4}%=%t1%e%p1%{6}%=%t3%e%p1%d%;m,
33 sgr=\\E[0;10%?%p1%t;7%;%?%p2%t;4%;%?%p3%t;7%;%?%p4%t;5%;%?%p6%t;1%;%?%p7%t;8%;%?%p8%t;11%;%?%p9%t;12%;m,
34 sgr0=\\E[0;10m, tbc=\\E[2g, u6=\\E[%d;%dR, u7=\\E[6n,
35 u8=\\E[?%[;0123456789]c, u9=\\E[c, vpa=\\E[%p1%dd,\s+2
40 Entries may continue onto multiple lines by placing white space at
41 the beginning of each line except the first.
42 Comments may be included on lines beginning with ``#''.
46 Boolean capabilities which indicate that the terminal has
47 some particular feature, numeric capabilities giving the size of the terminal
48 or the size of particular delays, and string
49 capabilities, which give a sequence which can be used to perform particular
52 .SS Types of Capabilities
54 All capabilities have names.
55 For instance, the fact that
56 ANSI-standard terminals have
57 .I "automatic margins"
58 (i.e., an automatic return and line-feed
59 when the end of a line is reached) is indicated by the capability \fBam\fR.
60 Hence the description of ansi includes \fBam\fR.
61 Numeric capabilities are followed by the character `#' and then a positive value.
62 Thus \fBcols\fR, which indicates the number of columns the terminal has,
63 gives the value `80' for ansi.
64 Values for numeric capabilities may be specified in decimal, octal or hexadecimal,
65 using the C programming language conventions (e.g., 255, 0377 and 0xff or 0xFF).
67 Finally, string valued capabilities, such as \fBel\fR (clear to end of line
68 sequence) are given by the two-character code, an `=', and then a string
69 ending at the next following `,'.
71 A number of escape sequences are provided in the string valued capabilities
72 for easy encoding of characters there.
73 Both \fB\eE\fR and \fB\ee\fR
74 map to an \s-1ESCAPE\s0 character,
75 \fB^x\fR maps to a control-x for any appropriate x, and the sequences
76 \fB\en \el \er \et \eb \ef \es\fR give
77 a newline, line-feed, return, tab, backspace, form-feed, and space.
78 Other escapes include \fB\e^\fR for \fB^\fR,
79 \fB\e\e\fR for \fB\e\fR,
81 \fB\e:\fR for \fB:\fR,
82 and \fB\e0\fR for null.
83 (\fB\e0\fR will produce \e200, which does not terminate a string but behaves
84 as a null character on most terminals, providing CS7 is specified.
86 Finally, characters may be given as three octal digits after a \fB\e\fR.
88 A delay in milliseconds may appear anywhere in a string capability, enclosed in
89 $<..> brackets, as in \fBel\fP=\eEK$<5>, and padding characters are supplied by
91 to provide this delay.
92 The delay must be a number with at most one decimal
93 place of precision; it may be followed by suffixes `*' or '/' or both.
95 indicates that the padding required is proportional to the number of lines
96 affected by the operation, and the amount given is the per-affected-unit
98 (In the case of insert character, the factor is still the
101 affected.) Normally, padding is advisory if the device has the \fBxon\fR
102 capability; it is used for cost computation but does not trigger delays.
104 suffix indicates that the padding is mandatory and forces a delay of the given
105 number of milliseconds even on devices for which \fBxon\fR is present to
106 indicate flow control.
108 Sometimes individual capabilities must be commented out.
109 To do this, put a period before the capability name.
110 For example, see the second
112 in the example above.
116 .SS Fetching Compiled Descriptions
118 If the environment variable TERMINFO is set, it is interpreted as the pathname
119 of a directory containing the compiled description you are working on.
121 that directory is searched.
123 If TERMINFO is not set, the \fBncurses\fR version of the terminfo reader code
124 will instead look in the directory \fB$HOME/.terminfo\fR
125 for a compiled description.
126 If it fails to find one there, and the environment variable TERMINFO_DIRS is
127 set, it will interpret the contents of that variable as a list of colon-
128 separated directories to be searched (an empty entry is interpreted as a
129 command to search \fI\*d\fR).
130 If no description is found in any of the
131 TERMINFO_DIRS directories, the fetch fails.
133 If neither TERMINFO nor TERMINFO_DIRS is set, the last place tried will be the
134 system terminfo directory, \fI\*d\fR.
136 (Neither the \fB$HOME/.terminfo\fR lookups nor TERMINFO_DIRS extensions are
137 supported under stock System V terminfo/curses.)
139 .SS Preparing Descriptions
141 We now outline how to prepare descriptions of terminals.
142 The most effective way to prepare a terminal description is by imitating
143 the description of a similar terminal in
145 and to build up a description gradually, using partial descriptions
148 or some other screen-oriented program to check that they are correct.
149 Be aware that a very unusual terminal may expose deficiencies in
153 or bugs in the screen-handling code of the test program.
155 To get the padding for insert line right (if the terminal manufacturer
156 did not document it) a severe test is to edit a large file at 9600 baud,
157 delete 16 or so lines from the middle of the screen, then hit the `u'
158 key several times quickly.
159 If the terminal messes up, more padding is usually needed.
160 A similar test can be used for insert character.
162 .SS Basic Capabilities
164 The number of columns on each line for the terminal is given by the
165 \fBcols\fR numeric capability.
166 If the terminal is a \s-1CRT\s0, then the
167 number of lines on the screen is given by the \fBlines\fR capability.
168 If the terminal wraps around to the beginning of the next line when
169 it reaches the right margin, then it should have the \fBam\fR capability.
170 If the terminal can clear its screen, leaving the cursor in the home
171 position, then this is given by the \fBclear\fR string capability.
172 If the terminal overstrikes
173 (rather than clearing a position when a character is struck over)
174 then it should have the \fBos\fR capability.
175 If the terminal is a printing terminal, with no soft copy unit,
181 applies to storage scope terminals, such as \s-1TEKTRONIX\s+1 4010
182 series, as well as hard copy and APL terminals.)
183 If there is a code to move the cursor to the left edge of the current
186 (Normally this will be carriage return, control M.)
187 If there is a code to produce an audible signal (bell, beep, etc)
191 If there is a code to move the cursor one position to the left
192 (such as backspace) that capability should be given as
194 Similarly, codes to move to the right, up, and down should be
200 These local cursor motions should not alter the text they pass over,
201 for example, you would not normally use `\fBcuf1\fP=\ ' because the
202 space would erase the character moved over.
204 A very important point here is that the local cursor motions encoded
207 are undefined at the left and top edges of a \s-1CRT\s0 terminal.
208 Programs should never attempt to backspace around the left edge,
212 and never attempt to go up locally off the top.
213 In order to scroll text up, a program will go to the bottom left corner
214 of the screen and send the
218 To scroll text down, a program goes to the top left corner
219 of the screen and sends the
221 (reverse index) string.
226 are undefined when not on their respective corners of the screen.
228 Parameterized versions of the scrolling sequences are
232 which have the same semantics as
236 except that they take one parameter, and scroll that many lines.
237 They are also undefined except at the appropriate edge of the screen.
239 The \fBam\fR capability tells whether the cursor sticks at the right
240 edge of the screen when text is output, but this does not necessarily
243 from the last column.
244 The only local motion which is defined from the left edge is if
248 from the left edge will move to the right edge of the previous row.
251 is not given, the effect is undefined.
252 This is useful for drawing a box around the edge of the screen, for example.
253 If the terminal has switch selectable automatic margins,
256 file usually assumes that this is on; i.e., \fBam\fR.
257 If the terminal has a command which moves to the first column of the next
258 line, that command can be given as
261 It does not matter if the command clears the remainder of the current line,
262 so if the terminal has no
266 it may still be possible to craft a working
268 out of one or both of them.
270 These capabilities suffice to describe hard-copy and \*(lqglass-tty\*(rq terminals.
271 Thus the model 33 teletype is described as
277 \s-133\||\|tty33\||\|tty\||\|model 33 teletype,
278 bel=^G, cols#72, cr=^M, cud1=^J, hc, ind=^J, os,\s+1
282 while the Lear Siegler \s-1ADM-3\s0 is described as
288 \s-1adm3\||\|3\||\|lsi adm3,
289 am, bel=^G, clear=^Z, cols#80, cr=^M, cub1=^H, cud1=^J,
290 ind=^J, lines#24,\s+1
295 .SS Parameterized Strings
297 Cursor addressing and other strings requiring parameters
298 in the terminal are described by a
299 parameterized string capability, with
301 like escapes \fB%x\fR in it.
302 For example, to address the cursor, the
304 capability is given, using two parameters:
305 the row and column to address to.
306 (Rows and columns are numbered from zero and refer to the
307 physical screen visible to the user, not to any unseen memory.)
308 If the terminal has memory relative cursor addressing,
309 that can be indicated by
312 The parameter mechanism uses a stack and special \fB%\fP codes
314 Typically a sequence will push one of the
315 parameters onto the stack and then print it in some format.
316 Print (e.g., "%d") is a special case.
317 Other operations, including "%t" pop their operand from the stack.
318 It is noted that more complex operations are often necessary,
319 e.g., in the \fBsgr\fP string.
321 The \fB%\fR encodings have the following meanings:
327 %\fI[[\fP:\fI]flags][width[.precision]][\fPdoxXs\fI]\fP
328 as in \fBprintf\fP, flags are [-+#] and space.
329 Use a `:' to allow the next character to be a `-' flag,
330 avoiding interpreting "%-" as an operator.
333 print pop() like %c in \fBprintf\fP
336 print pop() like %s in \fBprintf\fP
339 push \fIi\fP'th parameter
342 set dynamic variable [a-z] to pop()
345 get dynamic variable [a-z] and push it
348 set static variable [a-z] to pop()
351 get static variable [a-z] and push it
353 The terms "static" and "dynamic" are misleading.
354 Historically, these are simply two different sets of variables,
355 whose values are not reset between calls to \fBtparm\fP.
356 However, that fact is not documented in other implementations.
357 Relying on it will adversely impact portability to other implementations.
360 char constant \fIc\fP
363 integer constant \fInn\fP
369 arithmetic (%m is mod): push(pop() op pop())
372 bit operations (AND, OR and exclusive-OR): push(pop() op pop())
375 logical operations: push(pop() op pop())
378 logical AND and OR operations (for conditionals)
381 unary operations (logical and bit complement): push(op pop())
384 add 1 to first two parameters (for ANSI terminals)
386 %? \fIexpr\fP %t \fIthenpart\fP %e \fIelsepart\fP %;
387 This forms an if-then-else.
388 The %e \fIelsepart\fP is optional.
389 Usually the %? \fIexpr\fP part pushes a value onto the stack,
390 and %t pops it from the stack, testing if it is nonzero (true).
391 If it is zero (false), control passes to the %e (else) part.
393 It is possible to form else-if's a la Algol 68:
395 %? c\d1\u %t b\d1\u %e c\d2\u %t b\d2\u %e c\d3\u %t b\d3\u %e c\d4\u %t b\d4\u %e %;
398 where c\di\u are conditions, b\di\u are bodies.
400 Use the \fB-f\fP option of \fBtic\fP or \fB@INFOCMP@\fP to see
401 the structure of if-the-else's.
402 Some strings, e.g., \fBsgr\fP can be very complicated when written
404 The \fB-f\fP option splits the string into lines with the parts indented.
406 Binary operations are in postfix form with the operands in the usual order.
407 That is, to get x-5 one would use "%gx%{5}%-".
408 %P and %g variables are
409 persistent across escape-string evaluations.
411 Consider the HP2645, which, to get to row 3 and column 12, needs
412 to be sent \eE&a12c03Y padded for 6 milliseconds.
414 of the rows and columns is inverted here, and that the row and column
415 are printed as two digits.
416 Thus its \fBcup\fR capability is \*(lqcup=6\eE&%p2%2dc%p1%2dY\*(rq.
418 The Microterm \s-1ACT-IV\s0 needs the current row and column sent
419 preceded by a \fB^T\fR, with the row and column simply encoded in binary,
420 \*(lqcup=^T%p1%c%p2%c\*(rq.
421 Terminals which use \*(lq%c\*(rq need to be able to
422 backspace the cursor (\fBcub1\fR),
423 and to move the cursor up one line on the screen (\fBcuu1\fR).
424 This is necessary because it is not always safe to transmit \fB\en\fR
425 \fB^D\fR and \fB\er\fR, as the system may change or discard them.
426 (The library routines dealing with terminfo set tty modes so that
427 tabs are never expanded, so \et is safe to send.
428 This turns out to be essential for the Ann Arbor 4080.)
430 A final example is the \s-1LSI ADM\s0-3a, which uses row and column
431 offset by a blank character, thus \*(lqcup=\eE=%p1%' '%+%c%p2%' '%+%c\*(rq.
432 After sending `\eE=', this pushes the first parameter, pushes the
433 ASCII value for a space (32), adds them (pushing the sum on the stack
434 in place of the two previous values) and outputs that value as a character.
435 Then the same is done for the second parameter.
436 More complex arithmetic is possible using the stack.
440 If the terminal has a fast way to home the cursor
441 (to very upper left corner of screen) then this can be given as
442 \fBhome\fR; similarly a fast way of getting to the lower left-hand corner
443 can be given as \fBll\fR; this may involve going up with \fBcuu1\fR
444 from the home position,
445 but a program should never do this itself (unless \fBll\fR does) because it
446 can make no assumption about the effect of moving up from the home position.
447 Note that the home position is the same as addressing to (0,0):
448 to the top left corner of the screen, not of memory.
449 (Thus, the \eEH sequence on HP terminals cannot be used for
452 If the terminal has row or column absolute cursor addressing,
453 these can be given as single parameter capabilities
455 (horizontal position absolute)
458 (vertical position absolute).
459 Sometimes these are shorter than the more general two parameter
460 sequence (as with the hp2645) and can be used in preference to
462 If there are parameterized local motions (e.g., move
464 spaces to the right) these can be given as
470 with a single parameter indicating how many spaces to move.
471 These are primarily useful if the terminal does not have
473 such as the \s-1TEKTRONIX\s+1 4025.
475 If the terminal needs to be in a special mode when running
476 a program that uses these capabilities,
477 the codes to enter and exit this mode can be given as \fBsmcup\fR and \fBrmcup\fR.
478 This arises, for example, from terminals like the Concept with more than
480 If the terminal has only memory relative cursor addressing and not screen
481 relative cursor addressing, a one screen-sized window must be fixed into
482 the terminal for cursor addressing to work properly.
483 This is also used for the \s-1TEKTRONIX\s+1 4025,
486 sets the command character to be the one used by terminfo.
487 If the \fBsmcup\fP sequence will not restore the screen after an
488 \fBrmcup\fP sequence is output (to the state prior to outputting
489 \fBrmcup\fP), specify \fBnrrmc\fP.
493 If the terminal can clear from the current position to the end of the
494 line, leaving the cursor where it is, this should be given as \fBel\fR.
495 If the terminal can clear from the beginning of the line to the current
496 position inclusive, leaving
497 the cursor where it is, this should be given as \fBel1\fP.
498 If the terminal can clear from the current position to the end of the
499 display, then this should be given as \fBed\fR.
500 \fBEd\fR is only defined from the first column of a line.
501 (Thus, it can be simulated by a request to delete a large number of lines,
506 .SS Insert/delete line and vertical motions
508 If the terminal can open a new blank line before the line where the cursor
509 is, this should be given as \fBil1\fR; this is done only from the first
511 The cursor must then appear on the newly blank line.
512 If the terminal can delete the line which the cursor is on, then this
513 should be given as \fBdl1\fR; this is done only from the first position on
514 the line to be deleted.
519 which take a single parameter and insert or delete that many lines can
525 If the terminal has a settable scrolling region (like the vt100)
526 the command to set this can be described with the
528 capability, which takes two parameters:
529 the top and bottom lines of the scrolling region.
530 The cursor position is, alas, undefined after using this command.
532 It is possible to get the effect of insert or delete line using
534 on a properly chosen region; the
538 (save and restore cursor) commands may be useful for ensuring that
539 your synthesized insert/delete string does not move the cursor.
540 (Note that the \fBncurses\fR(3X) library does this synthesis
541 automatically, so you need not compose insert/delete strings for
542 an entry with \fBcsr\fR).
544 Yet another way to construct insert and delete might be to use a combination of
545 index with the memory-lock feature found on some terminals (like the HP-700/90
546 series, which however also has insert/delete).
548 Inserting lines at the top or bottom of the screen can also be
553 on many terminals without a true insert/delete line,
554 and is often faster even on terminals with those features.
556 The boolean \fBnon_dest_scroll_region\fR should be set if each scrolling
557 window is effectively a view port on a screen-sized canvas.
559 this capability, create a scrolling region in the middle of the screen,
560 write something to the bottom line, move the cursor to the top of the region,
561 and do \fBri\fR followed by \fBdl1\fR or \fBind\fR.
563 off the bottom of the region by the \fBri\fR re-appears, then scrolling
565 System V and XSI Curses expect that \fBind\fR, \fBri\fR,
566 \fBindn\fR, and \fBrin\fR will simulate destructive scrolling; their
567 documentation cautions you not to define \fBcsr\fR unless this is true.
568 This \fBcurses\fR implementation is more liberal and will do explicit erases
569 after scrolling if \fBndstr\fR is defined.
571 If the terminal has the ability to define a window as part of
572 memory, which all commands affect,
573 it should be given as the parameterized string
575 The four parameters are the starting and ending lines in memory
576 and the starting and ending columns in memory, in that order.
578 If the terminal can retain display memory above, then the
579 \fBda\fR capability should be given; if display memory can be retained
580 below, then \fBdb\fR should be given.
582 that deleting a line or scrolling may bring non-blank lines up from below
583 or that scrolling back with \fBri\fR may bring down non-blank lines.
585 .SS Insert/Delete Character
587 There are two basic kinds of intelligent terminals with respect to
588 insert/delete character which can be described using
590 The most common insert/delete character operations affect only the characters
591 on the current line and shift characters off the end of the line rigidly.
592 Other terminals, such as the Concept 100 and the Perkin Elmer Owl, make
593 a distinction between typed and untyped blanks on the screen, shifting
594 upon an insert or delete only to an untyped blank on the screen which is
595 either eliminated, or expanded to two untyped blanks.
596 You can determine the
597 kind of terminal you have by clearing the screen and then typing
598 text separated by cursor motions.
599 Type \*(lqabc\ \ \ \ def\*(rq using local
600 cursor motions (not spaces) between the \*(lqabc\*(rq and the \*(lqdef\*(rq.
601 Then position the cursor before the \*(lqabc\*(rq and put the terminal in insert
603 If typing characters causes the rest of the line to shift
604 rigidly and characters to fall off the end, then your terminal does
605 not distinguish between blanks and untyped positions.
607 shifts over to the \*(lqdef\*(rq which then move together around the end of the
608 current line and onto the next as you insert, you have the second type of
609 terminal, and should give the capability \fBin\fR, which stands for
610 \*(lqinsert null\*(rq.
611 While these are two logically separate attributes (one line versus multi-line
612 insert mode, and special treatment of untyped spaces) we have seen no
613 terminals whose insert mode cannot be described with the single attribute.
615 Terminfo can describe both terminals which have an insert mode, and terminals
616 which send a simple sequence to open a blank position on the current line.
617 Give as \fBsmir\fR the sequence to get into insert mode.
618 Give as \fBrmir\fR the sequence to leave insert mode.
619 Now give as \fBich1\fR any sequence needed to be sent just before sending
620 the character to be inserted.
621 Most terminals with a true insert mode
622 will not give \fBich1\fR; terminals which send a sequence to open a screen
623 position should give it here.
625 If your terminal has both, insert mode is usually preferable to \fBich1\fR.
626 Technically, you should not give both unless the terminal actually requires
627 both to be used in combination.
628 Accordingly, some non-curses applications get
629 confused if both are present; the symptom is doubled characters in an update
631 This requirement is now rare; most \fBich\fR sequences do not
632 require previous smir, and most smir insert modes do not require \fBich1\fR
633 before each character.
634 Therefore, the new \fBcurses\fR actually assumes this
635 is the case and uses either \fBrmir\fR/\fBsmir\fR or \fBich\fR/\fBich1\fR as
636 appropriate (but not both).
637 If you have to write an entry to be used under
638 new curses for a terminal old enough to need both, include the
639 \fBrmir\fR/\fBsmir\fR sequences in \fBich1\fR.
641 If post insert padding is needed, give this as a number of milliseconds
642 in \fBip\fR (a string option).
643 Any other sequence which may need to be
644 sent after an insert of a single character may also be given in \fBip\fR.
645 If your terminal needs both to be placed into an `insert mode' and
646 a special code to precede each inserted character, then both
650 can be given, and both will be used.
653 capability, with one parameter,
655 will repeat the effects of
660 If padding is necessary between characters typed while not
661 in insert mode, give this as a number of milliseconds padding in \fBrmp\fP.
663 It is occasionally necessary to move around while in insert mode
664 to delete characters on the same line (e.g., if there is a tab after
665 the insertion position).
666 If your terminal allows motion while in
667 insert mode you can give the capability \fBmir\fR to speed up inserting
669 Omitting \fBmir\fR will affect only speed.
671 (notably Datamedia's) must not have \fBmir\fR because of the way their
674 Finally, you can specify
676 to delete a single character,
682 and delete mode by giving \fBsmdc\fR and \fBrmdc\fR
683 to enter and exit delete mode (any mode the terminal needs to be placed
690 characters (equivalent to outputting
692 blanks without moving the cursor)
697 .SS "Highlighting, Underlining, and Visible Bells"
699 If your terminal has one or more kinds of display attributes,
700 these can be represented in a number of different ways.
701 You should choose one display form as
703 representing a good, high contrast, easy-on-the-eyes,
704 format for highlighting error messages and other attention getters.
705 (If you have a choice, reverse video plus half-bright is good,
706 or reverse video alone.)
707 The sequences to enter and exit standout mode
708 are given as \fBsmso\fR and \fBrmso\fR, respectively.
709 If the code to change into or out of standout
710 mode leaves one or even two blank spaces on the screen,
711 as the TVI 912 and Teleray 1061 do,
712 then \fBxmc\fR should be given to tell how many spaces are left.
714 Codes to begin underlining and end underlining can be given as \fBsmul\fR
715 and \fBrmul\fR respectively.
716 If the terminal has a code to underline the current character and move
717 the cursor one space to the right,
718 such as the Microterm Mime,
719 this can be given as \fBuc\fR.
721 Other capabilities to enter various highlighting modes include
725 (bold or extra bright)
729 (blanking or invisible text)
739 (enter alternate character set mode)
742 (exit alternate character set mode).
743 Turning on any of these modes singly may or may not turn off other modes.
745 If there is a sequence to set arbitrary combinations of modes,
746 this should be given as
750 Each parameter is either 0 or nonzero, as the corresponding attribute is on or off.
751 The 9 parameters are, in order:
752 standout, underline, reverse, blink, dim, bold, blank, protect, alternate
754 Not all modes need be supported by
756 only those for which corresponding separate attribute commands exist.
758 For example, the DEC vt220 supports most of the modes:
765 \fBtparm parameter attribute escape sequence\fP
768 p1 standout \\E[0;1;7m
769 p2 underline \\E[0;4m
776 p9 altcharset ^O (off) ^N (on)
779 We begin each escape sequence by turning off any existing modes, since
780 there is no quick way to determine whether they are active.
781 Standout is set up to be the combination of reverse and bold.
782 The vt220 terminal has a protect mode,
783 though it is not commonly used in sgr
784 because it protects characters on the screen from the host's erasures.
785 The altcharset mode also is different in that it is either ^O or ^N,
786 depending on whether it is off or on.
787 If all modes are turned on, the resulting sequence is \\E[0;1;4;5;7;8m^N.
789 Some sequences are common to different modes.
790 For example, ;7 is output when either p1 or p3 is true, that is, if
791 either standout or reverse modes are turned on.
793 Writing out the above sequences, along with their dependencies yields
800 \fBsequence when to output terminfo translation\fP
803 ;1 if p1 or p6 %?%p1%p6%|%t;1%;
804 ;4 if p2 %?%p2%|%t;4%;
805 ;5 if p4 %?%p4%|%t;5%;
806 ;7 if p1 or p3 %?%p1%p3%|%t;7%;
807 ;8 if p7 %?%p7%|%t;8%;
809 ^N or ^O if p9 ^N, else ^O %?%p9%t^N%e^O%;
812 Putting this all together into the sgr sequence gives:
815 sgr=\\E[0%?%p1%p6%|%t;1%;%?%p2%t;4%;%?%p1%p3%|%t;7%;
816 %?%p4%t;5%;%?%p7%t;8%;m%?%p9%t\\016%e\\017%;,
819 Remember that if you specify sgr, you must also specify sgr0.
820 Also, some implementations rely on sgr being given if sgr0 is,
821 Not all terminfo entries necessarily have an sgr string, however.
822 Many terminfo entries are derived from termcap entries
823 which have no sgr string.
824 The only drawback to adding an sgr string is that termcap also
825 assumes that sgr0 does not exit alternate character set mode.
827 Terminals with the ``magic cookie'' glitch
829 deposit special ``cookies'' when they receive mode-setting sequences,
830 which affect the display algorithm rather than having extra bits for
832 Some terminals, such as the HP 2621, automatically leave standout
833 mode when they move to a new line or the cursor is addressed.
834 Programs using standout mode should exit standout mode before
835 moving the cursor or sending a newline,
838 capability, asserting that it is safe to move in standout mode, is present.
841 a way of flashing the screen to indicate an error quietly (a bell replacement)
842 then this can be given as \fBflash\fR; it must not move the cursor.
844 If the cursor needs to be made more visible than normal when it is
845 not on the bottom line (to make, for example, a non-blinking underline into an
846 easier to find block or blinking underline)
847 give this sequence as
849 If there is a way to make the cursor completely invisible, give that as
853 should be given which undoes the effects of both of these modes.
855 If your terminal correctly generates underlined characters
856 (with no special codes needed)
857 even though it does not overstrike,
858 then you should give the capability \fBul\fR.
859 If a character overstriking another leaves both characters on the screen,
860 specify the capability \fBos\fP.
861 If overstrikes are erasable with a blank,
862 then this should be indicated by giving \fBeo\fR.
864 .SS Keypad and Function Keys
866 If the terminal has a keypad that transmits codes when the keys are pressed,
867 this information can be given.
868 Note that it is not possible to handle
869 terminals where the keypad only works in local (this applies, for example,
870 to the unshifted HP 2621 keys).
871 If the keypad can be set to transmit or not transmit,
872 give these codes as \fBsmkx\fR and \fBrmkx\fR.
873 Otherwise the keypad is assumed to always transmit.
874 The codes sent by the left arrow, right arrow, up arrow, down arrow,
875 and home keys can be given as
876 \fBkcub1, kcuf1, kcuu1, kcud1, \fRand\fB khome\fR respectively.
877 If there are function keys such as f0, f1, ..., f10, the codes they send
878 can be given as \fBkf0, kf1, ..., kf10\fR.
879 If these keys have labels other than the default f0 through f10, the labels
880 can be given as \fBlf0, lf1, ..., lf10\fR.
881 The codes transmitted by certain other special keys can be given:
889 (clear the tab stop in this column),
891 (clear screen or erase key),
899 (clear to end of line),
901 (clear to end of screen),
903 (insert character or enter insert mode),
911 (scroll forward/down),
913 (scroll backward/up),
915 (set a tab stop in this column).
916 In addition, if the keypad has a 3 by 3 array of keys including the four
917 arrow keys, the other five keys can be given as
924 These keys are useful when the effects of a 3 by 3 directional pad are needed.
926 Strings to program function keys can be given as
931 A string to program screen labels should be specified as \fBpln\fP.
932 Each of these strings takes two parameters: the function key number to
933 program (from 0 to 10) and the string to program it with.
934 Function key numbers out of this range may program undefined keys in
935 a terminal dependent manner.
936 The difference between the capabilities is that
938 causes pressing the given key to be the same as the user typing the
941 causes the string to be executed by the terminal in local; and
943 causes the string to be transmitted to the computer.
945 The capabilities \fBnlab\fP, \fBlw\fP and \fBlh\fP
946 define the number of programmable
947 screen labels and their width and height.
948 If there are commands to turn the labels on and off,
949 give them in \fBsmln\fP and \fBrmln\fP.
950 \fBsmln\fP is normally output after one or more pln
951 sequences to make sure that the change becomes visible.
953 .SS Tabs and Initialization
955 If the terminal has hardware tabs, the command to advance to the next
956 tab stop can be given as
959 A ``back-tab'' command which moves leftward to the preceding tab stop can
962 By convention, if the teletype modes indicate that tabs are being
963 expanded by the computer rather than being sent to the terminal,
964 programs should not use
968 even if they are present, since the user may not have the tab stops
970 If the terminal has hardware tabs which are initially set every
972 spaces when the terminal is powered up,
973 the numeric parameter
975 is given, showing the number of spaces the tabs are set to.
976 This is normally used by the
978 command to determine whether to set the mode for hardware tab expansion,
979 and whether to set the tab stops.
980 If the terminal has tab stops that can be saved in non-volatile memory,
981 the terminfo description can assume that they are properly set.
989 initialization strings for the terminal,
991 the path name of a program to be run to initialize the terminal,
992 and \fBif\fR, the name of a file containing long initialization strings.
993 These strings are expected to set the terminal into modes consistent
994 with the rest of the terminfo description.
995 They are normally sent to the terminal, by the
999 program, each time the user logs in.
1000 They will be printed in the following order:
1010 set the margins using
1029 Most initialization is done with
1031 Special terminal modes can be set up without duplicating strings
1032 by putting the common sequences in
1034 and special cases in
1039 A set of sequences that does a harder reset from a totally unknown state
1053 These strings are output by the
1055 program, which is used when the terminal gets into a wedged state.
1056 Commands are normally placed in
1062 only if they produce annoying effects on the screen and are not
1063 necessary when logging in.
1064 For example, the command to set the vt100 into 80-column mode would
1067 but it causes an annoying glitch of the screen and is not normally
1068 needed since the terminal is usually already in 80 column mode.
1072 program writes strings
1075 etc., in the same order as the
1088 reset capability strings are missing, the
1090 program falls back upon the corresponding initialization capability string.
1092 If there are commands to set and clear tab stops, they can be given as
1094 (clear all tab stops)
1097 (set a tab stop in the current column of every row).
1098 If a more complex sequence is needed to set the tabs than can be
1099 described by this, the sequence can be placed in
1103 .SS Delays and Padding
1105 Many older and slower terminals do not support either XON/XOFF or DTR
1106 handshaking, including hard copy terminals and some very archaic CRTs
1107 (including, for example, DEC VT100s).
1108 These may require padding characters
1109 after certain cursor motions and screen changes.
1111 If the terminal uses xon/xoff handshaking for flow control (that is,
1112 it automatically emits ^S back to the host when its input buffers are
1115 This capability suppresses the emission of padding.
1117 for memory-mapped console devices effectively that do not have a speed limit.
1118 Padding information should still be included so that routines can
1119 make better decisions about relative costs, but actual pad characters will
1122 If \fBpb\fR (padding baud rate) is given, padding is suppressed at baud rates
1123 below the value of \fBpb\fR.
1124 If the entry has no padding baud rate, then
1125 whether padding is emitted or not is completely controlled by \fBxon\fR.
1127 If the terminal requires other than a null (zero) character as a pad,
1128 then this can be given as \fBpad\fR.
1129 Only the first character of the
1134 Some terminals have an extra `status line' which is not normally used by
1135 software (and thus not counted in the terminal's \fBlines\fR capability).
1137 The simplest case is a status line which is cursor-addressable but not
1138 part of the main scrolling region on the screen; the Heathkit H19 has
1139 a status line of this kind, as would a 24-line VT100 with a 23-line
1140 scrolling region set up on initialization.
1141 This situation is indicated
1142 by the \fBhs\fR capability.
1144 Some terminals with status lines need special sequences to access the
1146 These may be expressed as a string with single parameter
1147 \fBtsl\fR which takes the cursor to a given zero-origin column on the
1149 The capability \fBfsl\fR must return to the main-screen
1150 cursor positions before the last \fBtsl\fR.
1151 You may need to embed the
1152 string values of \fBsc\fR (save cursor) and \fBrc\fR (restore cursor)
1153 in \fBtsl\fR and \fBfsl\fR to accomplish this.
1155 The status line is normally assumed to be the same width as the width
1157 If this is untrue, you can specify it with the numeric
1158 capability \fBwsl\fR.
1160 A command to erase or blank the status line may be specified as \fBdsl\fR.
1162 The boolean capability \fBeslok\fR specifies that escape sequences, tabs,
1163 etc., work ordinarily in the status line.
1165 The \fBncurses\fR implementation does not yet use any of these capabilities.
1166 They are documented here in case they ever become important.
1170 Many terminals have alternate character sets useful for forms-drawing.
1171 Terminfo and \fBcurses\fR build in support for the drawing characters
1172 supported by the VT100, with some characters from the AT&T 4410v1 added.
1173 This alternate character set may be specified by the \fBacsc\fR capability.
1181 \fBGlyph ACS Ascii VT100\fR
1182 \fBName Name Default Name\fR
1183 UK pound sign ACS_STERLING f }
1184 arrow pointing down ACS_DARROW v .
1185 arrow pointing left ACS_LARROW < ,
1186 arrow pointing right ACS_RARROW > +
1187 arrow pointing up ACS_UARROW ^ -
1188 board of squares ACS_BOARD # h
1189 bullet ACS_BULLET o ~
1190 checker board (stipple) ACS_CKBOARD : a
1191 degree symbol ACS_DEGREE \e f
1192 diamond ACS_DIAMOND + `
1193 greater-than-or-equal-to ACS_GEQUAL > z
1195 horizontal line ACS_HLINE - q
1196 lantern symbol ACS_LANTERN # i
1197 large plus or crossover ACS_PLUS + n
1198 less-than-or-equal-to ACS_LEQUAL < y
1199 lower left corner ACS_LLCORNER + m
1200 lower right corner ACS_LRCORNER + j
1201 not-equal ACS_NEQUAL ! |
1202 plus/minus ACS_PLMINUS # g
1203 scan line 1 ACS_S1 ~ o
1204 scan line 3 ACS_S3 - p
1205 scan line 7 ACS_S7 - r
1206 scan line 9 ACS_S9 \&_ s
1207 solid square block ACS_BLOCK # 0
1208 tee pointing down ACS_TTEE + w
1209 tee pointing left ACS_RTEE + u
1210 tee pointing right ACS_LTEE + t
1211 tee pointing up ACS_BTEE + v
1212 upper left corner ACS_ULCORNER + l
1213 upper right corner ACS_URCORNER + k
1214 vertical line ACS_VLINE | x
1217 The best way to define a new device's graphics set is to add a column
1218 to a copy of this table for your terminal, giving the character which
1219 (when emitted between \fBsmacs\fR/\fBrmacs\fR switches) will be rendered
1220 as the corresponding graphic.
1221 Then read off the VT100/your terminal
1222 character pairs right to left in sequence; these become the ACSC string.
1226 Most color terminals are either `Tektronix-like' or `HP-like'.
1228 terminals have a predefined set of N colors (where N usually 8), and can set
1229 character-cell foreground and background characters independently, mixing them
1230 into N * N color-pairs.
1231 On HP-like terminals, the use must set each color
1232 pair up separately (foreground and background are not independently settable).
1233 Up to M color-pairs may be set up from 2*M different colors.
1235 terminals are Tektronix-like.
1237 Some basic color capabilities are independent of the color method.
1239 capabilities \fBcolors\fR and \fBpairs\fR specify the maximum numbers of colors
1240 and color-pairs that can be displayed simultaneously.
1241 The \fBop\fR (original
1242 pair) string resets foreground and background colors to their default values
1244 The \fBoc\fR string resets all colors or color-pairs to
1245 their default values for the terminal.
1246 Some terminals (including many PC
1247 terminal emulators) erase screen areas with the current background color rather
1248 than the power-up default background; these should have the boolean capability
1251 To change the current foreground or background color on a Tektronix-type
1252 terminal, use \fBsetaf\fR (set ANSI foreground) and \fBsetab\fR (set ANSI
1253 background) or \fBsetf\fR (set foreground) and \fBsetb\fR (set background).
1254 These take one parameter, the color number.
1255 The SVr4 documentation describes
1256 only \fBsetaf\fR/\fBsetab\fR; the XPG4 draft says that "If the terminal
1257 supports ANSI escape sequences to set background and foreground, they should
1258 be coded as \fBsetaf\fR and \fBsetab\fR, respectively.
1260 supports other escape sequences to set background and foreground, they should
1261 be coded as \fBsetf\fR and \fBsetb\fR, respectively.
1263 function and the refresh functions use \fBsetaf\fR and \fBsetab\fR if they are
1266 The \fBsetaf\fR/\fBsetab\fR and \fBsetf\fR/\fBsetb\fR capabilities take a
1267 single numeric argument each.
1268 Argument values 0-7 of \fBsetaf\fR/\fBsetab\fR are portably defined as
1269 follows (the middle column is the symbolic #define available in the header for
1270 the \fBcurses\fR or \fBncurses\fR libraries).
1271 The terminal hardware is free to
1272 map these as it likes, but the RGB values indicate normal locations in color
1279 \fBColor #define Value RGB\fR
1280 black \fBCOLOR_BLACK\fR 0 0, 0, 0
1281 red \fBCOLOR_RED\ \fR 1 max,0,0
1282 green \fBCOLOR_GREEN\fR 2 0,max,0
1283 yellow \fBCOLOR_YELLOW\fR 3 max,max,0
1284 blue \fBCOLOR_BLUE\fR 4 0,0,max
1285 magenta \fBCOLOR_MAGENTA\fR 5 max,0,max
1286 cyan \fBCOLOR_CYAN\fR 6 0,max,max
1287 white \fBCOLOR_WHITE\fR 7 max,max,max
1290 The argument values of \fBsetf\fR/\fBsetb\fR historically correspond to
1291 a different mapping, i.e.,
1296 \fBColor #define Value RGB\fR
1297 black \fBCOLOR_BLACK\fR 0 0, 0, 0
1298 blue \fBCOLOR_BLUE\fR 1 0,0,max
1299 green \fBCOLOR_GREEN\fR 2 0,max,0
1300 cyan \fBCOLOR_CYAN\fR 3 0,max,max
1301 red \fBCOLOR_RED\ \fR 4 max,0,0
1302 magenta \fBCOLOR_MAGENTA\fR 5 max,0,max
1303 yellow \fBCOLOR_YELLOW\fR 6 max,max,0
1304 white \fBCOLOR_WHITE\fR 7 max,max,max
1306 It is important to not confuse the two sets of color capabilities;
1307 otherwise red/blue will be interchanged on the display.
1309 On an HP-like terminal, use \fBscp\fR with a color-pair number parameter to set
1310 which color pair is current.
1312 On a Tektronix-like terminal, the capability \fBccc\fR may be present to
1313 indicate that colors can be modified.
1314 If so, the \fBinitc\fR capability will
1315 take a color number (0 to \fBcolors\fR - 1)and three more parameters which
1317 These three parameters default to being interpreted as RGB
1318 (Red, Green, Blue) values.
1319 If the boolean capability \fBhls\fR is present,
1320 they are instead as HLS (Hue, Lightness, Saturation) indices.
1324 On an HP-like terminal, \fBinitp\fR may give a capability for changing a
1326 It will take seven parameters; a color-pair number (0 to
1327 \fBmax_pairs\fR - 1), and two triples describing first background and then
1329 These parameters must be (Red, Green, Blue) or
1330 (Hue, Lightness, Saturation) depending on \fBhls\fR.
1332 On some color terminals, colors collide with highlights.
1334 these collisions with the \fBncv\fR capability.
1335 This is a bit-mask of
1336 attributes not to be used when colors are enabled.
1337 The correspondence with the
1338 attributes understood by \fBcurses\fR is as follows:
1344 \fBAttribute Bit Decimal\fR
1356 For example, on many IBM PC consoles, the underline attribute collides with the
1357 foreground color blue and is not available in color mode.
1359 an \fBncv\fR capability of 2.
1361 SVr4 curses does nothing with \fBncv\fR, ncurses recognizes it and optimizes
1362 the output in favor of colors.
1365 If the terminal requires other than a null (zero) character as a pad, then this
1366 can be given as pad.
1367 Only the first character of the pad string is used.
1368 If the terminal does not have a pad character, specify npc.
1369 Note that ncurses implements the termcap-compatible \fBPC\fR variable;
1370 though the application may set this value to something other than
1371 a null, ncurses will test \fBnpc\fR first and use napms if the terminal
1372 has no pad character.
1374 If the terminal can move up or down half a line,
1375 this can be indicated with
1381 This is primarily useful for superscripts and subscripts on hard-copy terminals.
1382 If a hard-copy terminal can eject to the next page (form feed), give this as
1384 (usually control L).
1386 If there is a command to repeat a given character a given number of
1387 times (to save time transmitting a large number of identical characters)
1388 this can be indicated with the parameterized string
1390 The first parameter is the character to be repeated and the second
1391 is the number of times to repeat it.
1392 Thus, tparm(repeat_char, 'x', 10) is the same as `xxxxxxxxxx'.
1394 If the terminal has a settable command character, such as the \s-1TEKTRONIX\s+1 4025,
1395 this can be indicated with
1397 A prototype command character is chosen which is used in all capabilities.
1398 This character is given in the
1400 capability to identify it.
1401 The following convention is supported on some UNIX systems:
1402 The environment is to be searched for a
1404 variable, and if found, all
1405 occurrences of the prototype character are replaced with the character
1406 in the environment variable.
1408 Terminal descriptions that do not represent a specific kind of known
1417 (generic) capability so that programs can complain that they do not know
1418 how to talk to the terminal.
1419 (This capability does not apply to
1421 terminal descriptions for which the escape sequences are known.)
1423 If the terminal has a ``meta key'' which acts as a shift key,
1424 setting the 8th bit of any character transmitted, this fact can
1427 Otherwise, software will assume that the 8th bit is parity and it
1428 will usually be cleared.
1429 If strings exist to turn this ``meta mode'' on and off, they
1435 If the terminal has more lines of memory than will fit on the screen
1436 at once, the number of lines of memory can be indicated with
1440 indicates that the number of lines is not fixed,
1441 but that there is still more memory than fits on the screen.
1443 If the terminal is one of those supported by the \s-1UNIX\s+1 virtual
1444 terminal protocol, the terminal number can be given as
1448 strings which control an auxiliary printer connected to the terminal
1451 print the contents of the screen,
1453 turn off the printer, and
1455 turn on the printer.
1456 When the printer is on, all text sent to the terminal will be sent
1458 It is undefined whether the text is also displayed on the terminal screen
1459 when the printer is on.
1462 takes one parameter, and leaves the printer on for as many characters
1463 as the value of the parameter, then turns the printer off.
1464 The parameter should not exceed 255.
1467 is transparently passed to the printer while an
1471 .SS Glitches and Braindamage
1473 Hazeltine terminals, which do not allow `~' characters to be displayed should
1476 Terminals which ignore a line-feed immediately after an \fBam\fR wrap,
1477 such as the Concept and vt100,
1478 should indicate \fBxenl\fR.
1482 is required to get rid of standout
1483 (instead of merely writing normal text on top of it),
1484 \fBxhp\fP should be given.
1486 Teleray terminals, where tabs turn all characters moved over to blanks,
1487 should indicate \fBxt\fR (destructive tabs).
1488 Note: the variable indicating this is now `dest_tabs_magic_smso'; in
1489 older versions, it was teleray_glitch.
1490 This glitch is also taken to mean that it is not possible to position
1491 the cursor on top of a ``magic cookie'',
1492 that to erase standout mode it is instead necessary to use
1493 delete and insert line.
1494 The ncurses implementation ignores this glitch.
1496 The Beehive Superbee, which is unable to correctly transmit the escape
1497 or control C characters, has
1499 indicating that the f1 key is used for escape and f2 for control C.
1500 (Only certain Superbees have this problem, depending on the ROM.)
1501 Note that in older terminfo versions, this capability was called
1502 `beehive_glitch'; it is now `no_esc_ctl_c'.
1504 Other specific terminal problems may be corrected by adding more
1505 capabilities of the form \fBx\fR\fIx\fR.
1507 .SS Similar Terminals
1509 If there are two very similar terminals, one (the variant) can be defined as
1510 being just like the other (the base) with certain exceptions.
1512 definition of the variant, the string capability \fBuse\fR can be given with
1513 the name of the base terminal.
1514 The capabilities given before
1516 override those in the base type named by
1518 If there are multiple \fBuse\fR capabilities, they are merged in reverse order.
1519 That is, the rightmost \fBuse\fR reference is processed first, then the one to
1520 its left, and so forth.
1521 Capabilities given explicitly in the entry override
1522 those brought in by \fBuse\fR references.
1524 A capability can be canceled by placing \fBxx@\fR to the left of the
1525 use reference that imports it, where \fIxx\fP is the capability.
1526 For example, the entry
1528 2621-nl, smkx@, rmkx@, use=2621,
1530 defines a 2621-nl that does not have the \fBsmkx\fR or \fBrmkx\fR capabilities,
1531 and hence does not turn on the function key labels when in visual mode.
1532 This is useful for different modes for a terminal, or for different
1535 .SS Pitfalls of Long Entries
1537 Long terminfo entries are unlikely to be a problem; to date, no entry has even
1538 approached terminfo's 4096-byte string-table maximum.
1539 Unfortunately, the termcap
1540 translations are much more strictly limited (to 1023 bytes), thus termcap translations
1541 of long terminfo entries can cause problems.
1543 The man pages for 4.3BSD and older versions of \fBtgetent()\fP instruct the user to
1544 allocate a 1024-byte buffer for the termcap entry.
1545 The entry gets null-terminated by
1546 the termcap library, so that makes the maximum safe length for a termcap entry
1548 Depending on what the application and the termcap library
1549 being used does, and where in the termcap file the terminal type that \fBtgetent()\fP
1550 is searching for is, several bad things can happen.
1552 Some termcap libraries print a warning message or exit if they find an
1553 entry that's longer than 1023 bytes; others do not; others truncate the
1554 entries to 1023 bytes.
1555 Some application programs allocate more than
1556 the recommended 1K for the termcap entry; others do not.
1558 Each termcap entry has two important sizes associated with it: before
1559 "tc" expansion, and after "tc" expansion.
1560 "tc" is the capability that
1561 tacks on another termcap entry to the end of the current one, to add
1562 on its capabilities.
1563 If a termcap entry does not use the "tc"
1564 capability, then of course the two lengths are the same.
1566 The "before tc expansion" length is the most important one, because it
1567 affects more than just users of that particular terminal.
1569 length of the entry as it exists in /etc/termcap, minus the
1570 backslash-newline pairs, which \fBtgetent()\fP strips out while reading it.
1571 Some termcap libraries strip off the final newline, too (GNU termcap does not).
1575 a termcap entry before expansion is more than 1023 bytes long,
1578 and the application has only allocated a 1k buffer,
1581 and the termcap library (like the one in BSD/OS 1.1 and GNU) reads
1582 the whole entry into the buffer, no matter what its length, to see
1583 if it is the entry it wants,
1586 and \fBtgetent()\fP is searching for a terminal type that either is the
1587 long entry, appears in the termcap file after the long entry, or
1588 does not appear in the file at all (so that \fBtgetent()\fP has to search
1589 the whole termcap file).
1591 Then \fBtgetent()\fP will overwrite memory, perhaps its stack, and probably core dump
1593 Programs like telnet are particularly vulnerable; modern telnets
1594 pass along values like the terminal type automatically.
1595 The results are almost
1596 as undesirable with a termcap library, like SunOS 4.1.3 and Ultrix 4.4, that
1597 prints warning messages when it reads an overly long termcap entry.
1599 termcap library truncates long entries, like OSF/1 3.0, it is immune to dying
1600 here but will return incorrect data for the terminal.
1602 The "after tc expansion" length will have a similar effect to the
1603 above, but only for people who actually set TERM to that terminal
1604 type, since \fBtgetent()\fP only does "tc" expansion once it is found the
1605 terminal type it was looking for, not while searching.
1607 In summary, a termcap entry that is longer than 1023 bytes can cause,
1608 on various combinations of termcap libraries and applications, a core
1609 dump, warnings, or incorrect operation.
1610 If it is too long even before
1611 "tc" expansion, it will have this effect even for users of some other
1612 terminal types and users whose TERM variable does not have a termcap
1615 When in -C (translate to termcap) mode, the \fBncurses\fR implementation of
1616 \fB@TIC@\fR(1M) issues warning messages when the pre-tc length of a termcap
1617 translation is too long.
1618 The -c (check) option also checks resolved (after tc
1620 .SS Binary Compatibility
1621 It is not wise to count on portability of binary terminfo entries between
1622 commercial UNIX versions.
1623 The problem is that there are at least two versions
1624 of terminfo (under HP-UX and AIX) which diverged from System V terminfo after
1625 SVr1, and have added extension capabilities to the string table that (in the
1626 binary format) collide with System V and XSI Curses extensions.
1628 Some SVr4 \fBcurses\fR implementations, and all previous to SVr4, do not
1629 interpret the %A and %O operators in parameter strings.
1631 SVr4/XPG4 do not specify whether \fBmsgr\fR licenses movement while in
1632 an alternate-character-set mode (such modes may, among other things, map
1633 CR and NL to characters that do not trigger local motions).
1634 The \fBncurses\fR implementation ignores \fBmsgr\fR in \fBALTCHARSET\fR
1636 This raises the possibility that an XPG4
1637 implementation making the opposite interpretation may need terminfo
1638 entries made for \fBncurses\fR to have \fBmsgr\fR turned off.
1640 The \fBncurses\fR library handles insert-character and insert-character modes
1641 in a slightly non-standard way to get better update efficiency.
1643 the \fBInsert/Delete Character\fR subsection above.
1645 The parameter substitutions for \fBset_clock\fR and \fBdisplay_clock\fR are
1646 not documented in SVr4 or the XSI Curses standard.
1647 They are deduced from the
1648 documentation for the AT&T 505 terminal.
1650 Be careful assigning the \fBkmous\fR capability.
1651 The \fBncurses\fR wants to
1652 interpret it as \fBKEY_MOUSE\fR, for use by terminals and emulators like xterm
1653 that can return mouse-tracking information in the keyboard-input stream.
1655 Different commercial ports of terminfo and curses support different subsets of
1656 the XSI Curses standard and (in some cases) different extension sets.
1658 is a summary, accurate as of October 1995:
1660 \fBSVR4, Solaris, ncurses\fR --
1661 These support all SVr4 capabilities.
1664 Supports the SVr4 set, adds one undocumented extended string
1665 capability (\fBset_pglen\fR).
1667 \fBSVr1, Ultrix\fR --
1668 These support a restricted subset of terminfo capabilities.
1670 end with \fBxon_xoff\fR; the numerics with \fBwidth_status_line\fR; and the
1671 strings with \fBprtr_non\fR.
1674 Supports the SVr1 subset, plus the SVr[234] numerics \fBnum_labels\fR,
1675 \fBlabel_height\fR, \fBlabel_width\fR, plus function keys 11 through 63, plus
1676 \fBplab_norm\fR, \fBlabel_on\fR, and \fBlabel_off\fR, plus some incompatible
1677 extensions in the string table.
1680 Supports the SVr1 subset, plus function keys 11 through 63, plus a number
1681 of incompatible string table extensions.
1684 Supports both the SVr4 set and the AIX extensions.
1688 files containing terminal descriptions
1691 \fB@INFOCMP@\fR(1M),
1696 Zeyd M. Ben-Halim, Eric S. Raymond, Thomas E. Dickey.
1697 Based on pcurses by Pavel Curtis.
1699 .\"# The following sets edit modes for GNU EMACS
1700 .\"# Local Variables: