1curs_terminfo(3X) curs_terminfo(3X)
2
6 del_curterm, mvcur, putp, restartterm, set_curterm, setterm, setupterm,
7 tigetflag, tigetnum, tigetstr, tiparm, tparm, tputs, vid_attr,
8 vid_puts, vidattr, vidputs - curses interfaces to terminfo database
9
11 #include <curses.h>
12 #include <term.h>
13 int setupterm(char *term, int fildes, int *errret);
15 int setterm(char *term);
16 TERMINAL *set_curterm(TERMINAL *nterm);
17 int del_curterm(TERMINAL *oterm);
18 int restartterm(char *term, int fildes, int *errret);
19 char *tparm(char *str, ...);
20 int tputs(const char *str, int affcnt, int (*putc)(int));
21 int putp(const char *str);
22 int vidputs(chtype attrs, int (*putc)(int));
23 int vidattr(chtype attrs);
24 int vid_puts(attr_t attrs, short pair, void *opts, int (*putc)(int));
25 int vid_attr(attr_t attrs, short pair, void *opts);
26 int mvcur(int oldrow, int oldcol, int newrow, int newcol);
27 int tigetflag(char *capname);
28 int tigetnum(char *capname);
29 char *tigetstr(char *capname);
30 char *tiparm(const char *str, ...);
31
33 These low-level routines must be called by programs that have to deal
34 directly with the terminfo database to handle certain terminal capabil‐
35 ities, such as programming function keys. For all other functionality,
36 curses routines are more suitable and their use is recommended.
37 Initially, setupterm should be called. Note that setupterm is automat‐
39 ically called by initscr and newterm. This defines the set of termi‐
40 nal-dependent variables [listed in terminfo(5)]. The terminfo vari‐
41 ables lines and columns are initialized by setupterm as follows:
42 If use_env(FALSE) has been called, values for lines and columns
44 specified in terminfo are used.
45 Otherwise, if the environment variables LINES and COLUMNS exist,
47 their values are used. If these environment variables do not
48 exist and the program is running in a window, the current window
49 size is used. Otherwise, if the environment variables do not
50 exist, the values for lines and columns specified in the termin‐
51 fo database are used.
52 The header files curses.h and term.h should be included (in this order)
54 to get the definitions for these strings, numbers, and flags. Parame‐
55 terized strings should be passed through tparm to instantiate them.
56 All terminfo strings [including the output of tparm] should be printed
57 with tputs or putp. Call the reset_shell_mode to restore the tty modes
58 before exiting [see curs_kernel(3X)]. Programs which use cursor ad‐
59 dressing should output enter_ca_mode upon startup and should output ex‐
60 it_ca_mode before exiting. Programs desiring shell escapes should call
61 reset_shell_mode and output exit_ca_mode before the shell is called and
63 should output enter_ca_mode and call reset_prog_mode after returning
64 from the shell.
65 The setupterm routine reads in the terminfo database, initializing the
67 terminfo structures, but does not set up the output virtualization
68 structures used by curses. The terminal type is the character string
69 term; if term is null, the environment variable TERM is used. All out‐
70 put is to file descriptor fildes which is initialized for output. If
71 errret is not null, then setupterm returns OK or ERR and stores a sta‐
72 tus value in the integer pointed to by errret. A return value of OK
73 combined with status of 1 in errret is normal. If ERR is returned, ex‐
74 amine errret:
75 1 means that the terminal is hardcopy, cannot be used for
77 curses applications.
78 0 means that the terminal could not be found, or that it is a
80 generic type, having too little information for curses ap‐
81 plications to run.
82 -1 means that the terminfo database could not be found.
84 If errret is null, setupterm prints an error message upon finding an
86 error and exits. Thus, the simplest call is:
87 setupterm((char *)0, 1, (int *)0);,
89 which uses all the defaults and sends the output to stdout.
91 The setterm routine is being replaced by setupterm. The call:
93 setupterm(term, 1, (int *)0)
95 provides the same functionality as setterm(term). The setterm routine
97 is included here for BSD compatibility, and is not recommended for new
98 programs.
99 The set_curterm routine sets the variable cur_term to nterm, and makes
101 all of the terminfo boolean, numeric, and string variables use the val‐
102 ues from nterm. It returns the old value of cur_term.
103 The del_curterm routine frees the space pointed to by oterm and makes
105 it available for further use. If oterm is the same as cur_term, refer‐
106 ences to any of the terminfo boolean, numeric, and string variables
107 thereafter may refer to invalid memory locations until another se‐
108 tupterm has been called.
109 The restartterm routine is similar to setupterm and initscr, except
111 that it is called after restoring memory to a previous state (for exam‐
112 ple, when reloading a game saved as a core image dump). It assumes
113 that the windows and the input and output options are the same as when
114 memory was saved, but the terminal type and baud rate may be different.
115 Accordingly, it saves various tty state bits, calls setupterm, and then
116 restores the bits.
117 The tparm routine instantiates the string str with parameters pi. A
119 pointer is returned to the result of str with the parameters applied.
120 tiparm is a newer form of tparm which uses <stdarg.h> rather than a
122 fixed-parameter list. Its numeric parameters are integers (int) rather
123 than longs.
124 The tputs routine applies padding information to the string str and
126 outputs it. The str must be a terminfo string variable or the return
127 value from tparm, tgetstr, or tgoto. affcnt is the number of lines af‐
128 fected, or 1 if not applicable. putc is a putchar-like routine to
129 which the characters are passed, one at a time.
130 The putp routine calls tputs(str, 1, putchar). Note that the output of
132 putp always goes to stdout, not to the fildes specified in setupterm.
133 The vidputs routine displays the string on the terminal in the video
135 attribute mode attrs, which is any combination of the attributes listed
136 in curses(3X). The characters are passed to the putchar-like routine
137 putc.
138 The vidattr routine is like the vidputs routine, except that it outputs
140 through putchar.
141 The vid_attr and vid_puts routines correspond to vidattr and vidputs,
143 respectively. They use a set of arguments for representing the video
144 attributes plus color, i.e., one of type attr_t for the attributes and
145 one of short for the color_pair number. The vid_attr and vid_puts rou‐
146 tines are designed to use the attribute constants with the WA_ prefix.
147 The opts argument is reserved for future use. Currently, applications
148 must provide a null pointer for that argument.
149 The mvcur routine provides low-level cursor motion. It takes effect
151 immediately (rather than at the next refresh).
152 The tigetflag, tigetnum and tigetstr routines return the value of the
154 capability corresponding to the terminfo capname passed to them, such
155 as xenl.
156 The tigetflag routine returns the value -1 if capname is not a boolean
158 capability, or 0 if it is canceled or absent from the terminal descrip‐
159 tion.
160 The tigetnum routine returns the value -2 if capname is not a numeric
162 capability, or -1 if it is canceled or absent from the terminal de‐
163 scription.
164 The tigetstr routine returns the value (char *)-1 if capname is not a
166 string capability, or 0 if it is canceled or absent from the terminal
167 description.
168 The capname for each capability is given in the table column entitled
170 capname code in the capabilities section of terminfo(5).
171 char *boolnames[], *boolcodes[], *boolfnames[]
173 char *numnames[], *numcodes[], *numfnames[]
175 char *strnames[], *strcodes[], *strfnames[]
177 These null-terminated arrays contain the capnames, the termcap codes,
179 and the full C names, for each of the terminfo variables.
180
182 Routines that return an integer return ERR upon failure and OK (SVr4
183 only specifies "an integer value other than ERR") upon successful com‐
184 pletion, unless otherwise noted in the preceding routine descriptions.
185 Routines that return pointers always return NULL on error.
187 X/Open defines no error conditions. In this implementation
189 del_curterm
191 returns an error if its terminal parameter is null.
192 putp calls tputs, returning the same error-codes.
194 restartterm
196 returns an error if the associated call to setupterm re‐
197 turns an error.
198 setupterm
200 returns an error if it cannot allocate enough memory, or
201 create the initial windows (stdscr, curscr, newscr). Other
202 error conditions are documented above.
203 tputs
205 returns an error if the string parameter is null. It does
206 not detect I/O errors: X/Open states that tputs ignores the
207 return value of the output function putc.
208
210 The setupterm routine should be used in place of setterm. It may be
211 useful when you want to test for terminal capabilities without commit‐
212 ting to the allocation of storage involved in initscr.
213 Note that vidattr and vidputs may be macros.
215
217 The function setterm is not described by X/Open and must be considered
218 non-portable. All other functions are as described by X/Open.
219 setupterm copies the terminal name to the array ttytype. This is not
221 part of X/Open Curses, but is assumed by some applications.
222 In System V Release 4, set_curterm has an int return type and returns
224 OK or ERR. We have chosen to implement the X/Open Curses semantics.
225 In System V Release 4, the third argument of tputs has the type int
227 (*putc)(char).
228 At least one implementation of X/Open Curses (Solaris) returns a value
230 other than OK/ERR from tputs. That returns the length of the string,
231 and does no error-checking.
232 X/Open Curses prototypes tparm with a fixed number of parameters,
234 rather than a variable argument list. This implementation uses a vari‐
235 able argument list, but can be configured to use the fixed-parameter
236 list. Portable applications should provide 9 parameters after the for‐
237 mat; zeroes are fine for this purpose.
238 In response to comments by Thomas E. Dickey, X/Open Curses Issue 7 pro‐
240 posed the tiparam function in mid-2009.
241 X/Open notes that after calling mvcur, the curses state may not match
243 the actual terminal state, and that an application should touch and re‐
244 fresh the window before resuming normal curses calls. Both ncurses and
245 System V Release 4 curses implement mvcur using the SCREEN data allo‐
246 cated in either initscr or newterm. So though it is documented as a
247 terminfo function, mvcur is really a curses function which is not well
248 specified.
249 X/Open states that the old location must be given for mvcur. This im‐
251 plementation allows the caller to use -1's for the old ordinates. In
252 that case, the old location is unknown.
253 Extended terminal capability names, e.g., as defined by tic -x, are not
255 stored in the arrays described in this section.
256
258 curses(3X), curs_initscr(3X), curs_kernel(3X), curs_termcap(3X),
259 curs_variables(3X), term_variables(3X), putc(3), terminfo(5)
260 curs_terminfo(3X)