1form(3X) form(3X)
2
6 form - curses extension for programming forms
7
9 #include <form.h>
10
12 The form library provides terminal-independent facilities for composing
13 form screens on character-cell terminals. The library includes: field
14 routines, which create and modify form fields; and form routines, which
15 group fields into forms, display forms on the screen, and handle inter‐
16 action with the user.
17 The form library uses the curses libraries. To use the form library,
19 link with the options -lform -lcurses.
20 Your program should set up the locale, e.g.,
22 setlocale(LC_ALL, "");
24 so that input/output processing will work.
26 A curses initialization routine such as initscr must be called before
28 using any of these functions.
29 Current Default Values for Field Attributes
31 The form library maintains a default value for field attributes. You
32 can get or set this default by calling the appropriate set_ or
33 retrieval routine with a NULL field pointer. Changing this default
34 with a set_ function affects future field creations, but does not
35 change the rendering of fields already created.
36 Routine Name Index
38 The following table lists each form routine and the name of the manual
39 page on which it is described.
40 curses Routine Name Manual Page Name
42 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
43 current_field form_page(3X)
44 data_ahead form_data(3X)
45 data_behind form_data(3X)
46 dup_field form_field_new(3X)
47 dynamic_field_info form_field_info(3X)
48 field_arg form_field_validation(3X)
49 field_back form_field_attributes(3X)
50 field_buffer form_field_buffer(3X)
51 field_count form_field(3X)
52 field_fore form_field_attributes(3X)
53 field_index form_page(3X)
54 field_info form_field_info(3X)
55 field_init form_hook(3X)
56 field_just form_field_just(3X)
57 field_opts form_field_opts(3X)
58 field_opts_off form_field_opts(3X)
59 field_opts_on form_field_opts(3X)
60 field_pad form_field_attributes(3X)
61 field_status form_field_buffer(3X)
62 field_term form_hook(3X)
63 field_type form_field_validation(3X)
64 field_userptr form_field_userptr(3X)
65 form_driver form_driver(3X)
66 form_driver_w form_driver(3X)*
68 form_fields form_field(3X)
69 form_init form_hook(3X)
70 form_opts form_opts(3X)
71 form_opts_off form_opts(3X)
72 form_opts_on form_opts(3X)
73 form_page form_page(3X)
74 form_request_by_name form_requestname(3X)
75 form_request_name form_requestname(3X)
76 form_sub form_win(3X)
77 form_term form_hook(3X)
78 form_userptr form_userptr(3X)
79 form_win form_win(3X)
80 free_field form_field_new(3X)
81 free_fieldtype form_fieldtype(3X)
82 free_form form_new(3X)
83 link_field form_field_new(3X)
84 link_fieldtype form_fieldtype(3X)
85 move_field form_field(3X)
86 new_field form_field_new(3X)
87 new_fieldtype form_fieldtype(3X)
88 new_form form_new(3X)
89 new_page form_new_page(3X)
90 pos_form_cursor form_cursor(3X)
91 post_form form_post(3X)
92 scale_form form_win(3X)
93 set_current_field form_page(3X)
94 set_field_back form_field_attributes(3X)
95 set_field_buffer form_field_buffer(3X)
96 set_field_fore form_field_attributes(3X)
97 set_field_init form_hook(3X)
98 set_field_just form_field_just(3X)
99 set_field_opts form_field_opts(3X)
100 set_field_pad form_field_attributes(3X)
101 set_field_status form_field_buffer(3X)
102 set_field_term form_hook(3X)
103 set_field_type form_field_validation(3X)
104 set_field_userptr form_field_userptr(3X)
105 set_fieldtype_arg form_fieldtype(3X)
106 set_fieldtype_choice form_fieldtype(3X)
107 set_form_fields form_field(3X)
108 set_form_init form_hook(3X)
109 set_form_opts form_field_opts(3X)
110 set_form_page form_page(3X)
111 set_form_sub form_win(3X)
112 set_form_term form_hook(3X)
113 set_form_userptr form_userptr(3X)
114 set_form_win form_win(3X)
115 set_max_field form_field_buffer(3X)
116 set_new_page form_new_page(3X)
117 unfocus_current_field form_page(3X)
118 unpost_form form_post(3X)
119
121 Routines that return pointers return NULL on error, and set errno to
122 the corresponding error-code returned by functions returning an inte‐
123 ger. Routines that return an integer return one of the following error
124 codes:
125 E_OK The routine succeeded.
127 E_BAD_ARGUMENT
129 Routine detected an incorrect or out-of-range argument.
130 E_BAD_STATE
132 Routine was called from an initialization or termination function.
133 E_CONNECTED
135 The field is already connected to a form.
136 E_INVALID_FIELD
138 Contents of a field are not valid.
139 E_NOT_CONNECTED
141 No fields are connected to the form.
142 E_NOT_POSTED
144 The form has not been posted.
145 E_NO_ROOM
147 Form is too large for its window.
148 E_POSTED
150 The form is already posted.
151 E_REQUEST_DENIED
153 The form driver could not process the request.
154 E_SYSTEM_ERROR
156 System error occurred (see errno(3)).
157 E_UNKNOWN_COMMAND
159 The form driver code saw an unknown request code.
160
162 The header file <form.h> automatically includes the header files
163 <curses.h> and <eti.h>.
164 In your library list, libform.a should be before libncurses.a; that is,
166 you want to say “-lform -lncurses”, not the other way around (which
167 would give you a link error when using static libraries).
168
170 These routines emulate the System V forms library. They were not sup‐
171 ported on Version 7 or BSD versions.
172 The menu facility was documented in SVr4.2 in Character User Interface
174 Programming (UNIX SVR4.2).
175 It is not part of X/Open Curses.
177 Aside from ncurses, there are few implementations:
179 · systems based on SVr4 source code, e.g., Solaris.
181 · NetBSD curses.
183 A few functions in this implementation are extensions added for
185 ncurses, but not provided by other implementations, e.g.,
186 form_driver_w, unfocus_current_field.
187
189 Juergen Pfeifer. Manual pages and adaptation for ncurses by Eric S.
190 Raymond.
191
193 curses(3X) and related pages whose names begin “form_” for detailed
194 descriptions of the entry points.
195 This describes ncurses version 6.2 (patch 20200222).
197 form(3X)