terminfo(4) DG/UX R4.11 terminfo(4)
NAME
terminfo - terminal and printer capability database
DESCRIPTION
Terminfo is a compiled database of terminal and printer device
capabilities. The capabilities of each type of device are described
in a data file that has a name of the following form:
/usr/lib/terminfo/?/*, where * stands for the device name and ?
stands for the first character of the name. For example,
/usr/lib/terminfo/d/d215
is the terminfo entry for Data General's DASHER D215 terminal and
terminals that behave like it.
Terminfo data files are obtained by compiling source descriptions
with the tic(1M) command. Terminfo source descriptions describe, in
special code, how basic operations are performed on a terminal or
printer. They also describe padding requirements, initialization
sequences, and so on. The section entitled "Preparing a Terminfo
Description" explains how to build a terminfo source description.
Applications such as vi(1) and curses(3X) refer to the compiled
terminfo database so that they can work with a variety of terminals
without changes to the program code.
Entries in a terminfo source file consist of a number of comma-
separated fields. The white space after each comma is ignored. The
first line names the device, and the remaining lines describe its
capabilities.
Device Names
The first line of each device description in the terminfo source file
gives the names by which terminfo knows the device. Each name is
separated by bar ( | ) characters. The first name specifies the most
common abbreviation for the device (this is the one to use for the
environment variable TERM; see profile(4)). The last name should be
a long name that fully identifies the device. All other names are
synonyms for the device name. All names but the last should contain
no blanks; the last, verbose name may contain blanks for readability.
Device names (except for the verbose entry) should be chosen using
the following conventions. First, the particular vendor and model of
the device should be specified in the root name, for example, att4425
for the AT&T 4425 terminal. Second, device modes or user preferences
should be indicated by appending a hyphen and an indicator of the
mode, for example, d410-w for the Data General DASHER D410 series in
wide mode (more than 80 columns). See term(5) for examples and more
information on choosing names and synonyms.
Device Capabilities
Lines after the first line of a device description describe the
device's capabilities. Terminfo device capabilities are of three
general types: boolean capabilities indicate that the device has some
particular feature, numeric capabilities specify a numeric value
associated with a particular feature, for example, the size of a
terminal screen, and string capabilities give a sequence which can be
used to perform particular device operations.
In the table below, the variable is the name by which a C programmer
(at the terminfo level) accesses the capability. The capname is the
short name for this variable used in the text of the database. It is
used by a person updating the database and by the tput(1) command
when asking what the value of the capability is for a particular
device. See Also refers to the numbered subsection in "Terminfo
Terminal Capabilities" or the lettered subsection in "Terminfo
Printer Capabilities" where the capability is described in detail.
Capability names have no fixed length limit, but an informal limit of
5 characters has been adopted to keep them short. Most of the time,
names are chosen to be the same as or similar to the ANSI X3.64-1979
standard. Semantics are also intended to match those of the
description.
All string capabilities listed below may have padding described, with
the exception of those used for input. Input capabilities, listed
under the strings section in the table below, have names beginning
with key. The following indicators may appear at the end of the
description for a variable.
(G) indicates that the string needs to be instantiated by tparm()
with arguments (parms) as given (#i as described below).
Tparm() will substitute the arguments into the string to
create a customized version. (See curses(3X) for more
information on tparm() and the strings it creates.)
(*) indicates that padding may be based on the number of lines
affected.
(#i) indicates the ith parameter.
Variable Cap- See Description
name Also
Boolean Capabilities:
auto_left_margin bw 1 cub1 wraps back from column 0
auto_right_margin am 1,13 Device has automatic margins
back_color_erase bce 12 Screen erased with background color
can_change ccc 12 Device can redefine existing color
ceol_standout_glitch xhp 14 Standout not erased by overwriting
(HP)
col_addr_glitch xhpa B Only positive motion for hpa/mhpa
cpi_changes_res cpix A,G Character pitch affects resolution
cr_cancels_micro_mode crxm B Using cr disables micro mode
dest_tabs_magic_smso xt 13 Destructive tabs, magic smso
character (t1061)
eat_newline_glitch xenl 14 Newline ignored after 80 columns
(Concept)
erase_overstrike eo 6 Overstrikes are erased by blanks
generic_type gn 13 Generic line type
(e.g., dialup, switch)
hard_copy hc 1 Hardcopy device
hard_cursor chts 6 Cursor is hard to see
has_meta_key km 13 Device can send meta-characters
(e.g., key sets eighth bit)
has_print_wheel daisy E Printer needs operator to change
character sets
has_status_line hs 10 Terminal has extra ``status line''
hue_lightness_saturation hls 12 Device uses only HLS color notation
(Tektronix)
insert_null_glitch in 5 Insert mode distinguishes nulls
lpi_changes_res lpix A,G Line pitch affects resolution
memory_above da 4 Display may be retained above screen
memory_below db 4 Display may be retained below screen
move_insert_mode mir 5 Safe to move in insert mode
move_standout_mode msgr 6 Safe to move in standout modes
needs_xon_xoff nxon 14 Padding won't work, XON/XOFF needed
no_esc_ctlc xsb 14 Beehive (F1=<ESC>, F2=<Ctrl-C>)
no_pad_char npc 13 Pad character doesn't exist
non_dest_scroll_region ndscr 4 Scrolling region is non-destructive
non_rev_rmcup nrrmc 6 smcup does not reverse rmcup
over_strike os 1,6 Device overstrikes (hardcopy device)
prtr_silent mc5i 13 Printer won't echo on screen
row_addr_glitch xvpa B Only positive motion for vpa/mvpa
semi_auto_right_margin sam B Printing in last column causes cr
status_line_esc_ok eslok 10 Escape sequences work on status line
tilde_glitch hz 14 Hazeltine; can't print tildes (~)
transparent_underline ul 6 Underline character overstrikes
xon_xoff xon 1,13 Device uses XON/XOFF handshaking
Numeric Capabilities:
buffer_capacity bufsz I Bytes buffered before printing
buttons btns 13 Number of buttons on the mouse
columns cols 1 Number of columns in a line
dot_horz_spacing spinh F Horizontal dot spacing (dots/inch)
dot_vert_spacing spinv F Vertical pin spacing (pins/inch)
init_tabs it 8 Initial spacing of tab settings
label_height lh 7 Number of rows in each soft label
label_width lw 7 Number of columns in each soft label
lines lines 1 Number of lines on screen or page
lines_of_memory lm 13 Lines of memory; variable if 0
magic_cookie_glitch xmc 6 Number of blanks left by smso/rmso
max_attributes ma 6 max combined video attributes
terminal can display
max_colors colors 12 Maximum number of colors on-screen
max_micro_address maddr B Maximum limit on micro...address
max_micro_jump mjump B Maximum limit on parm...micro
max_pairs pairs 12 Maximum number of color-pairs
maximum_windows wnum 4 Maximum number of definable windows
micro_col_size mcs A Horizontal step size in micro mode
micro_line_size mls A Vertical step size in micro mode
no_color_video ncv 12 Video attributes unusable with color
num_labels nlab 7 Number of soft labels available
(starting from 1)
number_of_pins npins F Number of pins in print head
output_res_char orc A Horizontal resolution (steps/column)
output_res_horz_inch orhi A Horizontal resolution (steps/inch)
output_res_line orl A Vertical resolution (steps/line)
output_res_vert_inch orvi A Vertical resolution (steps/inch)
padding_baud_rate pb 9 Lowest baud rate requiring padding
print_rate cps I Average speed (characters/second)
virtual_terminal vt 13 UNIX system virtual terminal number
wide_char_size widcs A Character size in double wide mode
width_status_line wsl 10 Number of columns in status line
String Capabilities:
acs_chars acsc 11 Graphic character set pairs aAbBcC
(vt100+)
alt_scancode_esc scesca E Alternate esc for scancode emulation
back_tab cbt 8 Back tab
bell bel 1 Audible signal (bell)
bit_image_carriage_return bicr F Move to beginning of same row
bit_image_entwining bitwin F Number of passes for each
bit-image row
bit_image_newline binel F Move to next row of the bit image
bit_image_repeat birep F Repeat bit-image cell #1 #2 times
bit_image_type bitype F Type of bit-image device
carriage_return cr 1,9 Carriage return (*)
change_char_pitch cpi A,G Set pitch to #1 characters/inch (G)
change_line_pitch lpi A,G Set pitch to #1 lines/inch (G)
change_res_horz chr A Set horizontal resolution to #1 (G)
change_res_vert cvr A Set vertical resolution to #1 (G)
change_scroll_region csr 4 Scrolling area lines #1 through #2
(vt100) (G)
char_padding rmp 5 Like ip but when in replace mode
char_set_names csnm E Name of character set #1 (G)
clear_all_tabs tbc 8 Clear all tab stops
clear_margins mgc 8 Clear left and right soft margins
clear_screen clear 1 Clear screen and home cursor (*)
clr_bol el1 3 Clear to beginning of line
clr_eol el 3,14 Clear to end of line
clr_eos ed 3 Clear to end of display (*)
code_set_init csin E Init sequence for multiple codesets
color_names colornm 12 Give name for color #1
column_address hpa 2 Horizontal position to column #1 (G)
command_character cmdch 13 Prototype settable command character
create_window cwin 4 Define win #1 to go from #2,#3
to #4,#5
cursor_address cup 2 Move cursor to row #1, column #2 (G)
cursor_down cud1 1 Move cursor down one line
cursor_home home 2 Home cursor (especially if no cup)
cursor_invisible civis 6 Make cursor invisible
cursor_left cub1 1 Move cursor left one space
cursor_mem_address mrcup 2 Like cup but memory relative (G)
cursor_normal cnorm 6 Make cursor normal (undo civis/cvvis)
cursor_right cuf1 1 Move cursor right one space
(non-destructive)
cursor_to_ll ll 2 Move cursor to column 0 of last line
cursor_up cuu1 2 Move cursor up one line
cursor_visible cvvis 6 Make cursor very visible
define_bit_image_region defbi F Define rectangular bit-image region
define_char defc E Define character #1 with width #2
and descender #3 (G)
delete_character dch1 5 Delete character (*)
delete_line dl1 4 Delete line (*)
device_type devt E Indicate language/codeset support
dial_phone dial 13 Dial phone number #1
dis_status_line dsl 10 Disable status line
display_clock dclk 13 Display time-of-day clock
display_pc_char dispc E Display PC character
down_half_line hd 13 Move cursor down one half-line
(forward 1/2 linefeed)
ena_acs enacs 6 Initialize alternate character set
end_bit_image_region endbi F End a bit-image region
enter_alt_charset_mode smacs 6 Enable alternate character set mode
enter_am_mode smam 13 Enable automatic margins
enter_blink_mode blink 6 Enable blinking mode
enter_bold_mode bold 6 Enable bold (extra bright) mode
enter_ca_mode smcup 6 String to send before using cup
enter_delete_mode smdc 5 Begin delete mode
enter_dim_mode dim 6 Enable half-bright mode
enter_doublewide_mode swidm D Enable double wide printing
enter_draft_quality sdrfq G Set draft quality printing
enter_insert_mode smir 5 Begin insert mode
enter_italics_mode sitm D Enable italics
enter_leftward_mode slm B Enable leftward carriage motion
enter_micro_mode smicm B Enable micro motion capabilities
enter_near_letter_quality snlq G Set near-letter-quality printing
enter_normal_quality snrmq G Set normal quality printing
enter_pc_charset_mode smpch E Enter PC character display mode
enter_protected_mode prot 6 Enable protected mode
enter_reverse_mode rev 6 Enable reverse video mode
enter_scancode_mode smsc E Enter PC scancode mode
enter_secure_mode invis 6 Enable blank mode (invisible text)
enter_shadow_mode sshm D Enable shadow printing
enter_standout_mode smso 6 Enable standout mode
enter_subscript_mode ssubm D Enable subscript printing
enter_superscript_mode ssupm D Enable superscript printing
enter_underline_mode smul 6 Enable underscore mode
enter_upward_mode sum B Enable upward carriage motion
enter_xon_mode smxon 13 Enable XON/XOFF handshaking
erase_chars ech 5 Erase #1 characters (G)
exit_alt_charset_mode rmacs 6 Disable alternate character set mode
exit_am_mode rmam 13 Disable automatic margins
exit_attribute_mode sgr0 6 Disable all video attributes (G)
exit_ca_mode rmcup 6 String to send when done with cup
exit_delete_mode rmdc 5 End delete mode
exit_doublewide_mode rwidm D Disable double wide printing
exit_insert_mode rmir 5 End insert mode
exit_italics_mode ritm D Disable italics
exit_leftward_mode rlm B Enable rightward carriage motion
(the normal state)
exit_micro_mode rmicm B Disable micro motion capabilities
exit_pc_charset_mode rmpch E Disable PC character display mode
exit_scancode_mode rmsc E Disable PC scancode mode
exit_shadow_mode rshm D Disable shadow printing
exit_standout_mode rmso 6 Disable standout mode
exit_subscript_mode rsubm D Disable subscript printing
exit_superscript_mode rsupm D Disable superscript printing
exit_underline_mode rmul 6 Disable underscore mode
exit_upward_mode rum B Enable downward carriage motion
(the normal state)
exit_xon_mode rmxon 13 Disable XON/XOFF handshaking
fixed_pause pause 13 Pause for 2-3 seconds
flash_hook hook 13 Flash the switch hook
flash_screen flash 6 Visible bell (must not move cursor)
form_feed ff 13 Hardcopy device page eject (*)
from_status_line fsl 10 Return from status line
get_mouse getm 13 Curses should get button events
goto_window wingo 4 Go to window #1
hangup hup 13 Hang-up phone
init_1string is1 8 Device initialization string 1
init_2string is2 8 Device initialization string 2
init_3string is3 8 Device initialization string 3
init_file if 8 Name of initialization data file
init_prog iprog 8 Path name of initialization program
initialize_color initc 12 Define color #1 as RGB #2-#4 (G)
initialize_pair initp 12 Define color-pair #1 as RGB #2-#7 (G)
insert_character ich1 5 Insert new blank character
insert_line il1 4 Add new blank line (*)
insert_padding ip 5 Padding after character inserted (*)
key_a1 ka1 7 KEY_A1, Upper left of keypad
key_a3 ka3 7 KEY_A3, Upper right of keypad
key_b2 kb2 7 KEY_B2, Center of keypad
key_backspace kbs 7 KEY_BACKSPACE, Sent by backspace key
key_beg kbeg 7 KEY_BEG, Sent by beginning key
(beg key)
key_btab kcbt 7 KEY_BTAB, Sent by back-tab key
key_c1 kc1 7 KEY_C1, Lower left of keypad
key_c3 kc3 7 KEY_C3, Lower right of keypad
key_cancel kcan 7 KEY_CANCEL, Sent by cancel key
key_catab ktbc 7 KEY_CATAB, Sent by clear-all-tabs key
key_clear kclr 7 KEY_CLEAR, Sent by clear-screen key
(erase key)
key_close kclo 7 KEY_CLOSE, Sent by close key
key_command kcmd 7 KEY_COMMAND, Sent by command key
(cmd key)
key_copy kcpy 7 KEY_COPY, Sent by copy key
key_create kcrt 7 KEY_CREATE, Sent by create key
key_ctab kctab 7 KEY_CTAB, Sent by clear-tab key
key_dc kdch1 7 KEY_DC, Sent by delete-character key
key_dl kdl1 7 KEY_DL, Sent by delete-line key
key_down kcud1 7 KEY_DOWN, Sent by cursor-down key
(down-arrow key)
key_eic krmir 7 KEY_EIC, Sent by end-insert-mode key
key_end kend 7 KEY_END, Sent by end key
key_enter kent 7 KEY_ENTER, Sent by enter/send key
key_eol kel 7 KEY_EOL, Sent by
clear-to-end-of-line key
key_eos ked 7 KEY_EOS, Sent by
clear-to-end-of-screen key
key_exit kext 7 KEY_EXIT, Sent by exit key
key_f0 kf0 7 KEY_F(0), Sent by function key F0
key_f1 kf1 7 KEY_F(1), Sent by function key F1
key_f2 kf2 7 KEY_F(2), Sent by function key F2
key_f3 kf3 7 KEY_F(3), Sent by function key F3
key_f4 kf4 7 KEY_F(4), Sent by function key F4
key_f5 kf5 7 KEY_F(5), Sent by function key F5
key_f6 kf6 7 KEY_F(6), Sent by function key F6
key_f7 kf7 7 KEY_F(7), Sent by function key F7
key_f8 kf8 7 KEY_F(8), Sent by function key F8
key_f9 kf9 7 KEY_F(9), Sent by function key F9
key_f10 kf10 7 KEY_F(10), Sent by function key F10
key_f11 kf11 7 KEY_F(11), Sent by function key F11
key_f12 kf12 7 KEY_F(12), Sent by function key F12
key_f13 kf13 7 KEY_F(13), Sent by function key F13
key_f14 kf14 7 KEY_F(14), Sent by function key F14
key_f15 kf15 7 KEY_F(15), Sent by function key F15
key_f16 kf16 7 KEY_F(16), Sent by function key F16
key_f17 kf17 7 KEY_F(17), Sent by function key F17
key_f18 kf18 7 KEY_F(18), Sent by function key F18
key_f19 kf19 7 KEY_F(19), Sent by function key F19
key_f20 kf20 7 KEY_F(20), Sent by function key F20
key_f21 kf21 7 KEY_F(21), Sent by function key F21
key_f22 kf22 7 KEY_F(22), Sent by function key F22
key_f23 kf23 7 KEY_F(23), Sent by function key F23
key_f24 kf24 7 KEY_F(24), Sent by function key F24
key_f25 kf25 7 KEY_F(25), Sent by function key F25
key_f26 kf26 7 KEY_F(26), Sent by function key F26
key_f27 kf27 7 KEY_F(27), Sent by function key F27
key_f28 kf28 7 KEY_F(28), Sent by function key F28
key_f29 kf29 7 KEY_F(29), Sent by function key F29
key_f30 kf30 7 KEY_F(30), Sent by function key F30
key_f31 kf31 7 KEY_F(31), Sent by function key F31
key_f32 kf32 7 KEY_F(32), Sent by function key F32
key_f33 kf33 7 KEY_F(33), Sent by function key F33
key_f34 kf34 7 KEY_F(34), Sent by function key F34
key_f35 kf35 7 KEY_F(35), Sent by function key F35
key_f36 kf36 7 KEY_F(36), Sent by function key F36
key_f37 kf37 7 KEY_F(37), Sent by function key F37
key_f38 kf38 7 KEY_F(38), Sent by function key F38
key_f39 kf39 7 KEY_F(39), Sent by function key F39
key_f40 kf40 7 KEY_F(40), Sent by function key F40
key_f41 kf41 7 KEY_F(41), Sent by function key F41
key_f42 kf42 7 KEY_F(42), Sent by function key F42
key_f43 kf43 7 KEY_F(43), Sent by function key F43
key_f44 kf44 7 KEY_F(44), Sent by function key F44
key_f45 kf45 7 KEY_F(45), Sent by function key F45
key_f46 kf46 7 KEY_F(46), Sent by function key F46
key_f47 kf47 7 KEY_F(47), Sent by function key F47
key_f48 kf48 7 KEY_F(48), Sent by function key F48
key_f49 kf49 7 KEY_F(49), Sent by function key F49
key_f50 kf50 7 KEY_F(50), Sent by function key F50
key_f51 kf51 7 KEY_F(51), Sent by function key F51
key_f52 kf52 7 KEY_F(52), Sent by function key F52
key_f53 kf53 7 KEY_F(53), Sent by function key F53
key_f54 kf54 7 KEY_F(54), Sent by function key F54
key_f55 kf55 7 KEY_F(55), Sent by function key F55
key_f56 kf56 7 KEY_F(56), Sent by function key F56
key_f57 kf57 7 KEY_F(57), Sent by function key F57
key_f58 kf58 7 KEY_F(58), Sent by function key F58
key_f59 kf59 7 KEY_F(59), Sent by function key F59
key_f60 kf60 7 KEY_F(60), Sent by function key F60
key_f61 kf61 7 KEY_F(61), Sent by function key F61
key_f62 kf62 7 KEY_F(62), Sent by function key F62
key_f63 kf63 7 KEY_F(63), Sent by function key F63
key_find kfnd 7 KEY_FIND, Sent by find key
key_help khlp 7 KEY_HELP, Sent by help key
key_home khome 7 KEY_HOME, Sent by home key
key_ic kich1 7 KEY_IC, Sent by insert-character key
(enter-insert-mode key)
key_il kil1 7 KEY_IL, Sent by insert-line key
key_left kcub1 7 KEY_LEFT, Sent by cursor-left key
(left-arrow key)
key_ll kll 7 KEY_LL, Sent by home-down key
key_mark kmrk 7 KEY_MARK, Sent by mark key
key_message kmsg 7 KEY_MESSAGE, Sent by message key
key_mouse kmous 13 KEY_MOUSE, 0631, Mouse event
has occurred
key_move kmov 7 KEY_MOVE, Sent by move key
key_next knxt 7 KEY_NEXT, Sent by next-object key
key_npage knp 7 KEY_NPAGE, Sent by next-page key
key_open kopn 7 KEY_OPEN, Sent by open key
key_options kopt 7 KEY_OPTIONS, Sent by options key
key_ppage kpp 7 KEY_PPAGE, Sent by previous-page key
key_previous kprv 7 KEY_PREVIOUS, Sent by
previous-object key
key_print kprt 7 KEY_PRINT, Sent by print key
(copy key)
key_redo krdo 7 KEY_REDO, Sent by redo key
key_reference kref 7 KEY_REFERENCE, Sent by reference key
(ref key)
key_refresh krfr 7 KEY_REFRESH, Sent by refresh key
key_replace krpl 7 KEY_REPLACE, Sent by replace key
key_restart krst 7 KEY_RESTART, Sent by restart key
key_resume kres 7 KEY_RESUME, Sent by resume key
key_right kcuf1 7 KEY_RIGHT, Sent by cursor-right key
(right-arrow key)
key_save ksav 7 KEY_SAVE, Sent by save key
key_sbeg kBEG 7 KEY_SBEG, Sent by shifted
beginning key
key_scancel kCAN 7 KEY_SCANCEL, Sent by shifted
cancel key
key_scommand kCMD 7 KEY_SCOMMAND, Sent by shifted
command key (cmd key)
key_scopy kCPY 7 KEY_SCOPY, Sent by shifted copy key
key_screate kCRT 7 KEY_SCREATE, Sent by shifted
create key
key_sdc kDC 7 KEY_SDC, Sent by shifted
delete-character key
key_sdl kDL 7 KEY_SDL, Sent by shifted
delete-line key
key_select kslt 7 KEY_SELECT, Sent by select key
key_send kEND 7 KEY_SEND, Sent by shifted end key
key_seol kEOL 7 KEY_SEOL, Sent by shifted
clear-to-end-of-line key
key_sexit kEXT 7 KEY_SEXIT, Sent by shifted exit key
key_sf kind 7 KEY_SF, Sent by scroll-forward key
(scroll-down key)
key_sfind kFND 7 KEY_SFIND, Sent by shifted find key
key_shelp kHLP 7 KEY_SHELP, Sent by shifted help key
key_shome kHOM 7 KEY_SHOME, Sent by shifted home key
key_sic kIC 7 KEY_SIC, Sent by shifted input key
key_sleft kLFT 7 KEY_SLEFT, Sent by shifted
cursor-left key (left-arrow key)
key_smessage kMSG 7 KEY_SMESSAGE, Sent by shifted
message key
key_smove kMOV 7 KEY_SMOVE, Sent by shifted move key
key_snext kNXT 7 KEY_SNEXT, Sent by shifted next key
key_soptions kOPT 7 KEY_SOPTIONS, Sent by shifted
options key
key_sprevious kPRV 7 KEY_SPREVIOUS, Sent by shifted
previous-object key
key_sprint kPRT 7 KEY_SPRINT, Sent by shifted
print key
key_sr kri 7 KEY_SR, Sent by scroll-backward key
(scroll-up key)
key_sredo kRDO 7 KEY_SREDO, Sent by shifted redo key
key_sreplace kRPL 7 KEY_SREPLACE, Sent by shifted
replace key
key_sright kRIT 7 KEY_SRIGHT, Sent by shifted
cursor-right key (right-arrow key)
key_srsume kRES 7 KEY_SRSUME, Sent by shifted
resume key
key_ssave kSAV 7 KEY_SSAVE, Sent by shifted save key
key_ssuspend kSPD 7 KEY_SSUSPEND, Sent by shifted
suspend key
key_stab khts 7 KEY_STAB, Sent by set-tab key
key_sundo kUND 7 KEY_SUNDO, Sent by shifted undo key
key_suspend kspd 7 KEY_SUSPEND, Sent by suspend key
key_undo kund 7 KEY_UNDO, Sent by undo key
key_up kcuu1 7 KEY_UP, Sent by cursor-up key
(up-arrow key)
keypad_local rmkx 7 Disable ``keypad-transmit'' mode
keypad_xmit smkx 7 Enable ``keypad-transmit'' mode
lab_f0 lf0 7 Label on function key F0 if not F0
lab_f1 lf1 7 Label on function key F1 if not F1
lab_f2 lf2 7 Label on function key F2 if not F2
lab_f3 lf3 7 Label on function key F3 if not F3
lab_f4 lf4 7 Label on function key F4 if not F4
lab_f5 lf5 7 Label on function key F5 if not F5
lab_f6 lf6 7 Label on function key F6 if not F6
lab_f7 lf7 7 Label on function key F7 if not F7
lab_f8 lf8 7 Label on function key F8 if not F8
lab_f9 lf9 7 Label on function key F9 if not F9
lab_f10 lf10 7 Label on function key F10 if not F10
label_format fln 7 Label format
label_off rmln 7 Disable soft labels
label_on smln 7 Enable soft labels
meta_off rmm 13 Disable ``meta mode''
meta_on smm 13 Enable ``meta mode'' (eight-bit I/O)
micro_column_address mhpa B Like columnaddress for micro
adjustment (G)
micro_down mcud1 B Like cursordown for micro
adjustment
micro_left mcub1 B Like cursorleft for micro
adjustment
micro_right mcuf1 B Like cursorright for micro
adjustment
micro_row_address mvpa B Like rowaddress for micro
adjustment (G)
micro_up mcuu1 B Like cursorup for micro adjustment
mouse_info minfo 13 Mouse status information
newline nel 1 Newline (like CR followed by LF)
order_of_pins porder F Matches data bits to print head pins
orig_colors oc 12 Set all color(-pair)s to defaults
orig_pair op 12 Set color-pair to the default (G)
pad_char pad 13 Pad character (rather than null)
parm_dch dch 5 Delete #1 characters (G*)
parm_delete_line dl 4 Delete #1 lines (G*)
parm_down_cursor cud 1 Move cursor down #1 lines (G*)
parm_down_micro mcud B Like parmdowncursor for micro
adjustment (G)
parm_ich ich 4 Insert #1 blank characters (G*)
parm_index indn 1 Scroll forward #1 lines (G)
parm_insert_line il 4 Add #1 new blank lines (G*)
parm_left_cursor cub 1 Move cursor left #1 spaces (G)
parm_left_micro mcub B Like parmleftcursor for micro
adjustment (G)
parm_right_cursor cuf 1 Move cursor right #1 spaces (G*)
parm_right_micro mcuf B Like parmrightcursor for micro
adjustment (G)
parm_rindex rin 1 Scroll backward #1 lines (G)
parm_up_cursor cuu 1 Move cursor up #1 lines (G*)
parm_up_micro mcuu B Like parmupcursor for micro
adjustment (G)
pc_term_options pctrm E PC terminal options
pkey_key pfkey 7 Program PFkey #1 to type #2 (G)
pkey_local pfloc 7 Program PFkey #1 to execute #2 (G)
pkey_plab pfxl 7 Prog key #1 to xmit string #2 and
show string #3
pkey_xmit pfx 7 Program PFkey #1 to transmit #2 (G)
plab_norm pln 7 Program soft label #1 to show #2 (G)
print_screen mc0 13 Print contents of screen
prtr_non mc5p 13 Enable printer for #1 bytes
prtr_off mc4 13 Disable printer
prtr_on mc5 13 Enable printer
pulse pulse 13 Select pulse dialing
quick_dial qdial 13 Dial phone number #1, without
progress detection
remove_clock rmclk 13 Remove time-of-day clock
repeat_char rep 13 Repeat character #1 #2 times (G*)
req_for_input rfi 13 Send next input character (for ptys)
req_mouse_pos reqmp 13 Request mouse position report
reset_1string rs1 8 Device full reset string 1
reset_2string rs2 8 Device full reset string 2
reset_3string rs3 8 Device full reset string 3
reset_file rf 8 Name of file containing reset string
restore_cursor rc 4,10 Move cursor to position of last sc
row_address vpa 2 Vertical position to row #1 (G)
save_cursor sc 4,10 Save cursor position for next rc
scancode_escape scesc E Escape for scancode emulation
scroll_forward ind 1 Scroll text up one line
scroll_reverse ri 1 Scroll text down one line
select_char_set scs E Select character set #1 (G)
set0_des_seq s0ds E Shift into codeset 0 (EUC set 0)
set1_des_seq s1ds E Shift into codeset 1
set2_des_seq s2ds E Shift into codeset 2
set3_des_seq s3ds E Shift into codeset 3
set_a_background setab 12 Set background color using ANSI esc
set_a_foreground setaf 12 Set foreground color using ANSI esc
set_attributes sgr 6 Define video attributes #1-#9 (G)
set_background setb 12 Set active background color to #1 (G)
set_bottom_margin smgb C Set bottom margin at current line
set_bottom_margin_parm smgbp C Set bottom margin at line #1 or
#2 lines from bottom (G)
set_clock sclk 13 Set time-of-day clock
set_color_band setcolor 12 Change to ribbon color #1
set_color_pair scp 12 Set current color-pair to #1 (G)
set_foreground setf 12 Set active foreground color to #1 (G)
set_left_margin smgl 8 Set soft left margin
set_left_margin_parm smglp C Set left margin at column #1
(right margin at #2) (G)
set_lr_margin smglr 8 Sets both left and right margins
set_page_length slines J Set page length to #1 lines (G)
set_right_margin smgr 8 Set soft right margin
set_right_margin_parm smgrp C Set right margin at column #1 (G)
set_tab hts 8 Set tab in all rows, current column
set_tb_margin smgtb C Sets both top and bottom margins
set_top_margin smgt C Set top margin at current line
set_top_margin_parm smgtp C Set top margin at line #1
(bottom margin at line #2) (G)
set_window wind 4 Set current window to lines #1-#2,
columns #3-#4 (G)
start_bit_image sbim F Start printing bit image graphics,
#1 dots wide (G)
start_char_set_def scsd E Start defining character set #1,
containing #2 characters (G)
stop_bit_image rbim F End printing bit image graphics
stop_char_set_def rcsd E End defining character set #1 (G)
subscript_characters subcs D ``Subscript-able'' characters
superscript_characters supcs D ``Superscript-able'' characters
tab ht 8 Tab to next hardware tab stop
these_cause_cr docr B Any of these characters causes cr
to_status_line tsl 10 Go to status line, column #1 (G)
tone tone 13 Select touch tone dialing
underline_char uc 6 Underscore character and move past
up_half_line hu 13 Move up one half-line
(reverse 1/2 linefeed)
user0 u0 13 User string 0
user1 u1 13 User string 1
user2 u2 13 User string 2
user3 u3 13 User string 3
user4 u4 13 User string 4
user5 u5 13 User string 5
user6 u6 13 User string 6
user7 u7 13 User string 7
user8 u8 13 User string 8
user9 u9 13 User string 9
wait_tone wait 13 Wait for dial tone
xoff_character xoffc 13 XOFF character
xon_character xonc 13 XON character
zero_motion zerom B No motion for subsequent character
PREPARING A TERMINFO DESCRIPTION
At a minimum for a terminal, a terminfo source file should specify
capabilities to do the following:
- Clear the screen
- Specify screen size
- Specify how to scroll the screen
- Specify how to move the cursor to any point on the screen
- Display whatever graphic embellishments are available (e.g.,
reverse video)
- Specify whether the cursor wraps around when it reaches the end of
a line
- Specify a scrolling region, if possible
- Insert and delete lines and characters, if available
- Save and restore the cursor position, if possible
- Describe special keys, if any
- Specify how to handle special cases of terminal behavior, if any
The most effective way to prepare a new device description is by
imitating the description of a similar device in terminfo and
building up the new description gradually, testing whether vi(1)
works with the compiled description. That is, first create a
terminfo source file that includes what you have determined to be the
minimum set of capabilities needed for the new device. Next, compile
the source with the tic(1M) command. Use vi(1) and determine whether
the device displays what it is supposed to display. Make alterations
or add more advanced capabilities to the source file as appropriate,
recompile the source, and repeat the test. Repeat this cycle until
the description is complete and correct.
You can obtain the source description for a given device by using the
-I option of infocmp(1M). You may copy and edit this description to
accurately describe the device that you wish to enter into the
terminfo database. Most reference manuals for terminals and printers
list the codes that make the device perform specific operations. Use
these codes to describe capabilities of the new device.
To test a new device description, set the environment variable
TERMINFO to the pathname of a directory containing the compiled
description. Programs will then search that directory for terminal
information instead of /usr/lib/terminfo. To get the padding for
insert-line correct on a terminal (if the manufacturer did not
document it) a severe test is to comment out xon, edit a large file
at 9600 baud with vi(1), delete 16 or so lines from the middle of the
screen, then hit the u key several times quickly. If the display is
corrupted, more padding is usually needed. An analogous test can be
used for insert-character.
Be aware that a very unusual device may expose deficiencies in the
ability of terminfo to describe it or the ability of programs such as
vi(1) to work with that device.
Similar Devices
If there are two very similar devices, one can be defined as being
just like the other with certain exceptions. The string capability
use can be given with the name of the similar device. The
capabilities given before use override those in the device type
included by use.
More than one use capability may be specified. Statements that
contain use exhibit left-to-right precedence. That is, the earliest
use statement has priority when more than one statement defines the
same capability.
A capability can be canceled by placing @ to the left of the
capability definition. For example:
att4424-2|Teletype 4424 in display function group ii,
rev@, sgr@, smul@, use=att4424,
defines an AT&T 4424 terminal that does not have the rev, sgr, and
smul capabilities, and hence cannot do highlighting. This is useful
for different modes of a device, or for different user preferences.
Parameterized Strings
Cursor addressing and other strings requiring parameters for the
device are described by a parameterized string capability, with
printf(3S)-like escapes (%x) in it. The parameter mechanism uses a
stack and special % codes to manipulate it in the manner of a Reverse
Polish Notation (postfix) calculator.
Typically a sequence pushes one of the parameters onto the stack and
then prints it in some format. When a sequence pushes a value, the
value is placed onto the top of the terminfo stack, leaving the
source unchanged. The complement to a "push" is the "pop", which
removes the topmost value from the terminfo stack, storing it
elsewhere or using it in the current calculation.
Stack and Variable Manipulation
Parameterized strings can access arguments passed to tparm(). The
arguments are referenced positionally, by number from 1 to 9.
Terminfo also provides 52 variables that parameterized strings can
use. The variables are referenced by letter from a to z and from A
to Z. The lowercase variable names represent automatic variables
that do not retain their values between parameterized strings. The
uppercase variable names represent static variables that do retain
their values.
%p[1-9] Push the indicated parameter.
%'c' Push the character constant 'c'.
%{n} Push the one or two digit decimal number constant n.
%P[a-zA-Z] Pop the stack into the indicated variable.
%g[a-zA-Z] Push the current contents of the indicated variable.
Printing Operations
The following escapes print a value in a specified format.
%% Print the `%' character.
%c Pop the stack and print the value without interpretation, that
is, as a single character.
%[[:]flags][width[.precision]][doxXs]
Pop the stack and print the value as a formatted string,
converting to decimal (d), octal (o), lowercase hexadecimal
(x), uppercase hexadecimal (X), or character (s) data as
indicated. For information on the flags, width, and precision
fields, and more information on the conversions, consult
printf(3S). (The flags supported are -, +, #, and the space
character.)
NOTE: The - flag must be preceded by a colon (:) to
differentiate the flag from the %- escape described below.
Arithmetic Operations
The following escapes pop one or two operands off the stack, perform
some arithmetic operation, and then push the result onto the stack.
Binary operations are in postfix form and expect the first operand to
be on the top of the stack.
NOTE: Whether arithmetic is signed or unsigned is unspecified.
%+ Push the sum of the two topmost values on the stack.
%- Push the difference of the two topmost values on the stack.
%* Push the product of the two topmost values on the stack.
%/ Push the quotient of the two topmost values on the stack.
%m Push the modulus of the two topmost values on the stack.
%& Push the bitwise AND of the two topmost values on the stack.
%| Push the bitwise OR of the two topmost values on the stack.
%^ Push the bitwise exclusive OR of the two topmost values on the
stack.
%~ Bitwise complement the topmost value on the stack.
Logical Operations
The following escapes are like arithmetic operations except that they
return boolean values. They pop one or two operands off the stack,
perform some logical operation, and then push the result onto the
stack. Possible results are 0 for FALSE, or 1 for TRUE.
NOTE: For logical operands, any nonzero value is considered TRUE.
%= Push TRUE if the two topmost operands are numerically equal.
%> Push TRUE if the second operand is greater than the topmost
operand.
%< Push TRUE if the second operand is less than the topmost
operand.
%A Push TRUE if the two topmost operands are both logically TRUE
(AND).
%O Push TRUE if either of the two topmost operands are logically
TRUE (OR).
%! Logically invert the topmost operand (NOT).
Miscellaneous Operations
%l Pop the stack, then push the length of the string indicated by
that value. This escape is similar to strlen(3C).
%i Add one to the first two parameters passed to tparm(), or to
the single parameter if just one was passed. This is useful
for ANSI terminals, which number cursor positions starting
from one instead of zero.
%?expr%tthen%;
%?expr%tthen%eelse%;
"If-Then" and "If-Then-Else" (conditional) statements. Expr,
then, and else are all parameterized substrings. In
operation, terminfo evaluates expr and then pops the stack.
If the popped value is logically TRUE, then is evaluated.
Otherwise, if else was provided, else is evaluated. (expr
typically calculates some logical expression, and then and
else typically print corresponding strings.)
"If-Then-ElseIf" conditionals can be written as a string of
"If-Then-Else" statements ala Algol 68, that is:
%? c1 %t b1 %e c2 %t b2 ... %e cN %t bN %e E %;
where c[1-N] are conditionals like expr, b[1-N] are bodies
like then, and E is a body like else.
A Sample Entry
The following entry, which describes the Concept-100 terminal, is
among the more complex entries in the terminfo file as of this
writing. It is provided here to illustrate the form and content of a
terminfo entry, and to provide a point of reference for the text that
follows.
concept100|c100|concept|c104|c100-4p|concept 100,
am, db, eo, in, mir, ul, xenl,
cols#80, lines#24, pb#9600, vt#8,
bel=^G, blank=\EH, blink=\EC, clear=^L$<2*>, cnorm=\Ew, cr=^M$9,
cub1=^H, cud1=^J, cuf1=\E=, cup=\Ea%p1%' '%+%c%p2%' '%+%c,
cuu1=\E;, cvvis=\EW, dch1=\E^A$<16*>, dim=\EE, dl1=\E^B$<3*>,
ed=\E^C$<16*>, el=\E^U$16, flash=\Ek$<20>\EK, ht=\t$8,
il1=\E^R$<3*>, .ind=^J$9, ind=^J, ip=$<16*>,
is2=\EU\Ef\E7\E5\E8\El\ENH\EK\E\0\Eo&\0\Eo\47\E, kbs=^h,
kcub1=\E>, kcud1=\E<, kcuf1=\E=, kcuu1=\E;, kf1=\E5, kf2=\E6,
kf3=\E7, khome=\E?, prot=\EI, rep=\Er%p1%c%p2%' '%+%c$<.2*>,
rev=\ED, rmcup=\Ev\s\s\s\s$<6>\Ep\r\n, rmir=\E\0, rmkx=\Ex,
rmso=\Ed\Ee, rmul=\Eg, rmul=\Eg, sgr0=\EN\0,
smcup=\EU\Ev\s\s8p\Ep\r, smir=\E^P, smkx=\EX, smso=\EE\ED,
smul=\EG,
Entries may continue onto multiple lines by placing white space at
the beginning of each line except the first. Lines beginning with
``#'' are interpreted as comments.
How to Describe Device Capabilities
In the example, the boolean capabilities appear in the second line.
The numeric capabilities appear in the line that follows the
booleans. The remainder of the entry consists of string
capabilities.
The fact that a device has ``automatic margins'' (that is, an
automatic return and linefeed when the end of a line is reached) is
indicated by the boolean capability am. Thus, the device description
simply gives am. Numeric capabilities are followed by the character
`#' and then the value assigned. Thus cols, which indicates the
number of columns the device has, specifies the value 80 for the
Concept 100 as cols#80. The value may be specified in decimal,
octal, or hexadecimal using normal C conventions. Finally, string-
valued capabilities, such as bel (sound an audible alarm) are
specified by the two- to five-character capability name, or capname
for short, an `=', and then a string ending at the next following
comma. The concept 100 responds to <Ctrl-G> by sounding its bell, so
the description specifies bel=^G.
A delay in milliseconds may appear anywhere in a string capability,
bracketed by $<..>, as in el=\EK$<3>. Padding characters are
supplied by tputs() (see curses(3X)) to provide this delay. The
delay can be either a number (for example, 20); or a number followed
by an `*' (for example, 3*), a `/' (for example, 5/), or both (for
example, 10*/). 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. This is always 1 unless the terminal has in defined and
the software uses it.) When an `*' is specified, it is sometimes
useful to give a delay of the form 3.5 to specify a delay per unit to
tenths of milliseconds. (Only one decimal place is allowed.) A `/'
indicates that the padding is mandatory. Otherwise, if the device
has xon defined, the padding information is advisory and is only used
for cost estimates or when the device is in raw mode. Mandatory
padding is transmitted regardless of the setting of xon.
A number of escape sequences are provided in the string valued
capabilities for easy encoding of characters there. Both \E and \e
map to an ESCAPE character, ^x maps to a <Ctrl-x> for any appropriate
x, and the sequences \n, \l, \r, \t, \b, \f, and \s give a newline,
linefeed, return, tab, backspace, formfeed, and space, respectively.
Other escapes include: \^ for caret (^); \\ for backslash (\); \, for
comma (,); \: for colon (:); and \0 for null. (\0 actually produces
\200, which does not terminate a string but behaves as a null
character on most devices.) Finally, characters may be given as
three octal digits after a backslash (e.g., \123).
Sometimes individual capabilities must be commented out. To do this,
put a period before the capability name. For example, see the first
ind in the example above. Note that when capabilities are defined
more than once, a prior definition overrides a later definition.
TERMINFO TERMINAL CAPABILITIES
The following subsections describe terminfo terminal capabilities in
detail. Subsections are numbered for cross-reference to the table
that appears earlier in this man page.
1. Basic Capabilities
The number of columns on each line for the terminal is given by the
cols numeric capability. If the terminal has a screen, then the
number of lines on the screen is given by the lines capability. If
the terminal cursor wraps around to the beginning of the next line
when it reaches the right margin, then the am capability should be
given. 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 overstrikes (rather than clearing a position when a
character is overwritten) 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 the
Tektronix 4010 series, as well as hardcopy 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 is carriage return, ^M.) If
there is a code to produce an audible signal (bell, beep, etc) give
this as bel. If the terminal uses the XON-XOFF flow control
protocol, like most terminals, specify the boolean capability xon.
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=\s
because the space would erase the character moved over.
It is important to remember that the local cursor motions encoded in
terminfo are undefined at the left and top edges of a screen
terminal. Programs should never attempt to backspace around the left
edge, unless bw is specified, and should never attempt to move the
cursor up locally off the top.
To scroll text up, a program moves the cursor to the bottom left
corner of the screen and sends the ind (index) string. To scroll
text down, a program moves the cursor to the top left corner of the
screen and sends the ri (reverse index) string. The strings ind and
ri are undefined when the cursor is 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 at the appropriate corners 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 moves to the right edge of the previous row. If bw is not
given, the effect is undefined. bw 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 column 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 hardcopy and screen terminals.
Thus the model 33 teletype is described as follows:
33|tty33|tty|model 33 teletype,
bel=^G, cols#72, cr=^M, cud1=^J, hc, ind=^J, os,
The Lear Siegler ADM-3 is described as follows:
adm3|lsi adm3,
am, bel=^G, clear=^Z, cols#80, cr=^M, cub1=^H,
cud1=^J, ind=^J, lines#24,
2. Cursor Motions
If the terminal has a fast way to home the cursor (to the very upper
left corner of the 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 corner of the screen, not of memory. (Thus,
the \EH sequence on Hewlett-Packard terminals cannot be used for home
without losing some of the other features on the terminal.)
If the terminal has a way to move the cursor to any selected position
on the screen, specify this with the cup string capability, which
takes two parameters: the row and column of the new cursor position.
(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
by the string capability mrcup.
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 Hewlett-Packard 2645) and can be used in preference to cup.
If there are parameterized 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, as with the Tektronix 4025.
3. Area Clears
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
available.)
4. Insert/delete line
If the terminal can open a new blank line before the line containing
the cursor, 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 destructive programmable scrolling region (like
the VT100), the command to set the region can be described with the
csr string capability, which takes two parameters: the top and bottom
lines of the scrolling region. It is possible to get the effect of
insert or delete line using this command -- the sc and rc (save and
restore cursor) string capabilities are also useful. The cursor
position is, alas, undefined after using this command. It must be
reset using other terminfo capabilities such as cup, home, or rc.
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.
To determine whether a terminal has destructive scrolling regions or
non-destructive scrolling regions, create a scrolling region in the
middle of the screen, place data on the bottom line of the scrolling
region, move the cursor to the top line of the scrolling region, and
do a reverse index (ri) followed by a delete line (dl1) or index
(ind). If the data that was originally on the bottom line of the
scrolling region was restored into the scrolling region by the dl1 or
ind, then the terminal has non-destructive scrolling regions.
Otherwise, it has destructive scrolling regions. Do not specify csr
if the terminal has non-destructive scrolling regions, unless ind,
ri, indn, rin, dl, and dl1 all simulate destructive scrolling.
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 boolean
capability should be given; if display memory can be retained below,
then db should be given. These indicate that deleting a line or
scrolling a full screen may bring non-blank lines up from below or
that scrolling back with ri may bring down non-blank lines.
5. Insert/Delete Character
There are two basic kinds of intelligent terminals with respect to
insert/delete character operations which can be described using
terminfo. The most common insert/delete character operations affect
only the characters on the current line and shift characters off the
end of the line rigidly (i.e., all characters to the right of the
insertion or deletion shift as a unit). 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 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
second type of terminal, and thus you should define the boolean
capability in, which stands for ``insert null''. While these are two
logically separate attributes (one line versus multiline 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 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 do not specify
ich1; terminals which send a sequence to open a screen position
should specify it here. (If your terminal has both, insert mode is
usually preferable to ich1. Do not give both unless the terminal
actually requires both to be used in combination.)
If post-insert padding is needed, give this as a number of
milliseconds padding in ip (a string capability). Any other sequence
that 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 are
used.
The ich capability, with one parameter, n, repeats the effects of
ich1 n times.
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 affects only speed. Some terminals (notably
Datamedia's) must not have mir because of the way their insert mode
works.
Finally, you can give dch1 to delete a single character, dch with one
parameter, n, to delete n characters, and 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
without explicitly moving the cursor) can be given as ech with one
parameter.
6. Highlighting, Underlining, and Visible Bells
If your terminal has one or more kinds of display attributes (graphic
embellishments to text), these can be represented in a number of
different ways. You should choose one display form as ``standout
mode'' (see curses(3X)), 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; however, different users have different
preferences on different terminals.) 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 on the TVI 912 and the Teleray 1061, 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 Micro-Term 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 mode), and rmacs (exit alternate-character-set mode).
Turning on any of these modes singly may or may not turn off other
modes. If a command is necessary before alternate character set mode
is entered, give the sequence in enacs (enable alternate-character-
set mode).
If there is a sequence to set arbitrary combinations of modes, this
should be given as sgr (set attributes), taking nine parameters.
Each parameter is either zero or non-zero, as the corresponding
attribute is on or off. The nine parameters are, in order: standout,
underline, reverse, blink, dim, bold, invisible, protected, and
alternate character set. Not all modes need be supported by sgr,
only those for which corresponding separate attribute commands exist.
(See the example at the end of this section.)
Terminals with the ``magic cookie'' glitch (xmc) deposit special
``cookies'' when they receive mode-setting sequences, rather than
having extra attribute bits for each character. These ``cookies''
affect the display algorithm to provide video attributes, but also
take up (blank) space on the screen.
Some terminals, such as the Hewlett-Packard 2621, automatically leave
standout mode when the cursor is moved to a new line or 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 not move the cursor. A good flash can be done by changing the
screen into reverse video, padding for 200 ms, then returning the
screen to normal video.
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 cvvis. The boolean chts should also be given. If
there is a way to make the cursor completely invisible, give that as
civis. The capability cnorm should be given which undoes the effects
of either of these modes.
If the terminal needs to be in a special mode when running a program
that uses terminfo 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-100 with more than one page of memory. If
the terminal has only memory relative cursor addressing and not
screen relative cursor addressing, a window the size of the screen
must be fixed into the terminal for cursor addressing to work
properly. This is also used for the Tektronix 4025, where smcup sets
the command character to the one used by terminfo. If the smcup
sequence does not restore the screen after an rmcup sequence is
output (to the state prior to outputting rmcup), specify the boolean
capability nrrmc.
If your terminal generates underlined characters by using the
underline character (with no special codes needed) even though it
does not otherwise overstrike characters, then you should give the
capability ul. For terminals where a character overstriking another
leaves both characters on the screen, give the capability os. If
overstrikes are erasable with a blank, then this should be indicated
by giving eo.
Here is an example of highlighting: assume that a terminal needs the
following escape sequences to turn on various modes.
tparm attribute escape sequence
parameter
none \E[0m
p1 standout \E[0;4;7m
p2 underline \E[0;3m
p3 reverse \E[0;4m
p4 blink \E[0;5m
p5 dim \E[0;7m
p6 bold \E[0;3;4m
p7 invis \E[0;8m
p8 protect not available
p9 altcharset ^O (off) ^N(on)
Note that each escape sequence requires a 0 to turn off other modes
before turning on its own mode. Combinations of attributes are
allowed by appending a digit that represents each attribute,
separated by a semicolon. For instance, underline + blink needs the
sequence \E[0;3;5m. Note that, as suggested above, standout is set
up to be the combination of reverse and dim. Also, since this
terminal has no bold mode, bold is set up as the combination of
reverse and underline. The terminal doesn't have protect mode,
either, but that cannot be simulated in any way, so p8 is ignored.
The altcharset mode is different in that it requires either <Ctrl-O>
or <Ctrl-N> depending on whether it is to be turned off or on. If
all modes were to be turned on, the sequence would be
\E[0;3;4;5;7;8m^N.
Now look at the cases in which different sequences are output. For
example, ;3 is output when either p2 or p6 is true, that is, if
either underline or bold modes are turned on. Writing out the above
sequences, along with their dependencies, gives the following:
sequence when to output terminfo translation
\E[0 always \E[0
;3 if p2 or p6 %?%p2%p6%|%t;3%;
;4 if p1 or p3 or p6 %?%p1%p3%|%p6%|%t;4%;
;5 if p4 %?%p4%t;5%;
;7 if p1 or p5 %?%p1%p5%|%t;7%;
;8 if p7 %?%p7%t;8%;
m always m
^N or ^O if p9 ^N, else ^O %?%p9%t^N%e^O%;
Putting this all together into the sgr sequence gives:
sgr=\E[0%?%p2%p6%|%t;3%;%?%p1%p3%|%p6%|%t;4%;%?%p5%t;5%;
%?%p1%p5%|%t;7%;%?%p7%t;8%;m%?%p9%t^N%e^O%;,
7. Keypad
If the terminal has a keypad that transmits codes when special keys
are pressed, this information can be given. Note that it is not
possible to handle terminals where the keypad only works in local
mode (this applies, for example, to the unshifted Hewlett-Packard
2621 keys). If the keypad can be set to transmit or not transmit,
give these codes as smkx and rmkx. Otherwise 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
respectively. If there are function keys such as F0, F1, ..., F63,
the codes they send can be given as kf0, kf1, ..., kf63. If the
first 11 keys have labels other than the default F0 through F10, the
labels can be given as lf0, lf1, ..., lf10. Note that function key
definitions should appear in order and you should not skip key
definitions. If you need to skip a key definition, dummy entries can
be included (e.g. kf16=\0).
The codes transmitted by certain other special keys can be given: kll
(home down), kbs (backspace), ktbc (clear all tabs), kctab (clear the
tab stop in this column), kclr (clear screen or erase), kdch1 (delete
character), kdl1 (delete line), krmir (exit insert mode), kel (clear
to end of line), ked (clear to end of screen), kich1 (insert
character or enter insert mode), kil1 (insert line), knp (next page),
kpp (previous page), kind (scroll forward/down), kri (scroll
backward/up), 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 directional pad
are needed. Further keys are defined above in the capabilities list.
Strings to program function keys can be given as pfkey, pfloc, and
pfx. A string to program their soft screen labels can be given 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 the given key to act as if the user had typed
the given string; pfloc causes the string to be executed by the
terminal in local mode; and pfx causes the string to be transmitted
to the computer. The capabilities nlab, lw, and lh define how many
soft labels there are and how wide and high they are. If there are
commands to turn the labels on and off, give them as smln and rmln.
smln is normally output after one or more pln sequences to make sure
that the change becomes visible.
8. Tabs and Initialization
If the terminal has hardware tabs, the command to advance to the next
tab stop can be given as ht (usually Ctrl-I). A ``backtab'' command
which moves leftward to the previous tab stop can be given as cbt.
By convention, if the terminal driver 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.
If the terminal has hardware tabs which are initially set every n
spaces when the terminal is powered up, the numeric parameter it
should be given, showing the number of spaces n to which the tabs are
set. This is normally used by tput init (see tput(1)) to determine
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 nonvolatile
memory, the terminfo description can assume that they are properly
set. 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).
Other capabilities include: is1, is2, and is3, initialization strings
for the terminal; iprog, the path name of a program to run to
initialize the terminal; 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 must be sent to the terminal each time the user
logs in and be output in the following order: run the program iprog;
output is1; output is2; set the margins using mgc, smgl, and smgr;
set the tabs using tbc and hts; print the file if; and finally output
is3. This is usually done using the init option of tput(1); see
profile(4).
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. Sequences that do a harder
reset from a totally unknown state can be given as rs1, rs2, rf, and
rs3, analogous to is1, is2, if, and is3. (The method using files, if
and rf, is used for a few terminals, from /usr/lib/tabset/*; however,
the recommended method is to use the initialization and reset
strings.) These strings are output by tput reset, 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 a terminal into 80-column mode would normally be part
of is2, but on some terminals it causes an annoying glitch on the
screen and is not normally needed since the terminal is usually
already in 80-column mode.
If a more complex sequence is needed to set the tabs than can be
described by using tbc and hts, the sequence can be placed in is2 or
if.
If there are commands to set and clear margins, they can be given as
mgc (clear all margins), smgl (set left margin), and smgr (set right
margin).
9. Delays
Certain capabilities control padding in the terminal driver (see
termio(7) and ttcompat(7)). These are primarily needed by hardcopy
terminals, and are used by tput init to set terminal driver modes
appropriately. Delays embedded in the capabilities cr, ind, cub1,
ff, and tab can be used to set the appropriate delay bits in the
terminal driver. If pb (padding baud rate) is given, these values
can be ignored at baud rates below the value of pb.
10. Status Lines
If the terminal has an extra ``status line'' that is not normally
used by software, this fact can be indicated. If the status line is
viewed as an extra line below the bottom line, into which a program
can cursor address normally (such as the Heathkit h19's 25th line, or
the 24th line of a VT100 which is set to a 23-line scrolling region),
the capability hs should be given. Special strings that go to a
given column of the status line and return from the status line can
be given as tsl and fsl. (fsl must leave the cursor position in the
same place it was before tsl. If necessary, the sc and rc strings
can be included in tsl and fsl to get this effect.) The capability
tsl takes one parameter, which is the column number of the new cursor
position in the status line.
If escape sequences and other special commands, such as tab, work
while in the status line, the flag eslok can be given. A string
which turns off the status line (or otherwise erases its contents)
should be given as dsl. If the terminal has commands to save and
restore the position of the cursor, give them as sc and rc. The
status line is normally assumed to be the same width as the rest of
the screen, e.g., cols. If the status line is a different width
(possibly because the terminal does not allow an entire line to be
loaded) the width, in columns, can be indicated with the numeric
parameter wsl.
11. Line Graphics
If the terminal has a line drawing alternate character set, the
mapping of glyph to character would be given in acsc. The definition
of this string is based on the alternate character set used in the
DEC VT100 terminal, extended slightly with some characters from the
AT&T 4410v1 terminal.
glyph name vt100+
character
arrow pointing right +
arrow pointing left ,
arrow pointing down .
solid square block 0
lantern symbol I
arrow pointing up -
diamond `
checker board (stipple) a
degree symbol f
plus/minus g
board of squares h
lower right corner j
upper right corner k
upper left corner l
lower left corner m
plus n
scan line 1 o
horizontal line q
scan line 9 s
left tee (†) t
right tee (-|) u
bottom tee (|) v
top tee w
vertical line x
bullet ~
The best way to describe a new terminal's line graphics set is to add
a third column to the above table with the characters for the new
terminal that produce the appropriate glyphs when the terminal is in
the alternate character set mode. For example,
glyph name vt100+ new tty
char char
upper left corner l R
lower left corner m F
upper right corner k T
lower right corner j G
horizontal line q ,
vertical line x .
Now write down the characters left to right, as in acsc=lRmFkTjGq\,x.
12. Color Manipulation
Let us define two methods of color manipulation: the Tektronix
method and the HP method. The Tektronix method uses a set of N
predefined colors (usually 8) from which a program can select
"current" foreground and background colors. Thus a terminal can
support up to N colors mixed into N*N color-pairs to be displayed on
the screen at the same time. When using an HP method the program
cannot define the foreground independently of the background, or
vice-versa. Instead, the program must define an entire color-pair at
once. Up to M color-pairs, made from 2*M different colors, can be
defined this way. Most existing color terminals belong to one of
these two classes.
The numeric capabilities colors and pairs define the number of colors
and color-pairs that can be displayed on the screen at the same time.
If a terminal can change the definition of a color (for example, the
Tektronix 4100 and 4200 series terminals), this should be specified
with the boolean capability ccc (can change color). To change the
definition of a color (Tektronix method), use the parameterized
string capability initc (initialize color). It requires four
parameters: color number (ranging from 0 to colors-1) and three RGB
(red, green, and blue) values (ranging from 0 to 1000).
Tektronix 4100 series terminals use a type of color notation called
HLS (Hue Lightness Saturation) instead of RGB color notation. For
such terminals one must define a boolean capability hls. The last
three parameters of the initc string would then be HLS values: H,
ranging from 0 to 360; and L and S, ranging from 0 to 100.
To set the current foreground or background to a given color, use
parameterized string capabilities setf (set foreground) and setb (set
background). They each require one parameter: the number of the
color. To initialize a color-pair (HP method), use initp (initialize
pair). It requires seven parameters: the number of a color-pair
(ranging from 0 to pairs-1), and six RGB values: three for the
foreground followed by three for the background. (When initc or
initp is used, RGB or HLS arguments should be in the order "red,
green, blue" or "hue, lightness, saturation", respectively.) To make
a color-pair current, use the parameterized string capability scp
(set color-pair). It takes one parameter, the number of a color-
pair.
If a terminal can change the definitions of colors, but uses a color
notation different from RGB and HLS, a mapping to either RGB or HLS
must be developed and encoded in the initc and initp capabilities.
Some terminals (for example, most color terminal emulators for PCs)
erase areas of the screen using the current background color. In
such cases, the boolean capability bce (background color erase)
should be defined. The string capability op (original pair) contains
a sequence for setting the foreground and background colors to what
they were at the terminal start-up time. Similarly, oc (original
colors) contains a sequence for setting all colors (for the Tektronix
method) or color-pairs (for the HP method) to the values they had at
the terminal start-up time.
Some video attributes on some color terminals should not be combined
with colors. For instance, some color terminals substitute color for
video attributes, so each attribute can be displayed in only one
color. Information about these video attributes should be packed
into the numeric capability ncv (no color video). There is a one-to-
one correspondence between the nine least significant bits of this
capability and the video attributes. The following table depicts
this correspondence.
Bit Decimal
Attribute Position Value
----------------------------------
A_STANDOUT 0 1
A_UNDERLINE 1 2
A_REVERSE 2 4
A_BLINK 3 8
A_DIM 4 16
A_BOLD 5 32
A_INVIS 6 64
A_PROTECT 7 128
A_ALTCHARSET 8 256
When a particular video attribute should not be used with colors, the
corresponding ncv bit should be set to 1; otherwise it should be set
to zero. To determine the information to pack into the ncv
capability, you must add together the decimal values corresponding to
those attributes that cannot coexist with colors. For example, if
the terminal uses colors to simulate reverse video (bit number 2 and
decimal value 4) and bold (bit number 5 and decimal value 32), the
resulting value for ncv will be 36 (4 + 32).
13. Miscellaneous
If the terminal requires any character other than a null (zero) 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.
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 useful for superscripts and subscripts on hardcopy
terminals. If a hardcopy terminal can eject to the next page (form
feed), give this as ff (usually ^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
characters) 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(repeatchar, 'x', 10)
produces the same effect as xxxxxxxxxx.
If the terminal has a programmable 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 supported on some UNIX systems: If the
environment variable CC exists, all occurrences of the prototype
character are replaced with the character in CC.
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 is one of those supported by the UNIX
system virtual terminal protocol, the terminal number can be given as
vt. A line-turn-around sequence to be transmitted before doing reads
should be specified in rfi.
If the terminal uses XON/XOFF handshaking for flow control, define
xon. Padding information should still be included so that routines
can make better decisions about costs, but actual pad characters are
not transmitted. Sequences to turn on and off XON/XOFF handshaking
may be given in smxon and rmxon. If the characters used for
handshaking are not <Ctrl-S> and Ctrl-Q, they may be specified with
xonc and xoffc.
If the terminal has a ``meta key'' which acts as a shift key, setting
the eighth bit of any character transmitted, this can be specified
with the boolean capability km. Otherwise, software assumes that the
eighth bit is parity and it is usually cleared. If strings exist to
turn this ``meta mode'' on and off, they can be specified as smm and
rmm.
If the terminal has more lines of memory than can fit on the screen
at once, the number of lines of memory can be indicated with lm. A
value of zero for lm indicates that the number of lines is not fixed,
but that there is still more memory than fits on the screen.
If the terminal cursor can wrap around to the beginning of the next
line when it reaches the right margin, this can be specified with the
boolean capability am. If a string exists to enable this wrapping,
specify it as smam. A string to make the cursor stick in the last
column of a line is specified as rmam.
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 is sent to the printer.
A variation, mc5p, takes one parameter, and leaves the printer on for
as many characters as the value of the parameter, then turns the
printer off. The parameter should not exceed 255. If the text is
not displayed on the terminal screen when the printer is on, specify
mc5i (silent printer). All text, including mc4, is transparently
passed to the printer while an mc5p is in effect.
For terminals which provide modem support, the following terminfo
capabilities can be specified. Touch tone dialing can be indicated
with the capability tone and pulse tone with pulse. The dial phone
number sequence is given with dial, and the hangup phone is defined
with hup. You can indicate a flash to the hook with the capability
hook, pause for 2-3 seconds with pause, and wait for a dial tone with
wait.
If an application requires capabilities that are not defined in the
standard terminfo capability set, then user defined sequences can be
specified. Up to 10 user defined strings can be indicated with the
capabilities u0-u9.
14. Special Cases
The working model used by terminfo fits most terminals reasonably
well. However, some terminals do not completely match that model,
requiring special support by terminfo. These are not meant to be
construed as deficiencies in the terminals; they are just differences
between the working model and the actual hardware. They may be
unusual devices or, for some reason, do not have all the features of
the terminfo model implemented.
Terminals which cannot display tilde (~) characters, such as certain
Hazeltine terminals, should indicate hz.
Terminals which ignore a linefeed immediately after an am wrap, such
as the Concept-100, should indicate xenl. Those terminals whose
cursor remains on the rightmost column until another character has
been received, rather than wrapping immediately upon receiving the
rightmost character, such as the VT100, should also indicate xenl.
If el is required to get rid of standout mode (instead of writing
normal text on top of it), xhp should be given.
Those Teleray terminals whose tabs overwrite blanks should indicate
xt (destructive tabs). This capability is also taken to mean that it
is not possible to position the cursor on top of a ``magic cookie'';
therefore, to erase standout mode, it is instead necessary to use
delete and insert line.
Those Beehive Superbee terminals which do not transmit the <ESC> or
<Ctrl-C> characters should specify xsb, indicating that the F1 key is
to be used for <ESC> and the F2 key for Ctrl-C.
Most terminals can use padding as an alternative to XON-XOFF flow
control. Some terminals, though, require XON-XOFF flow control. For
these, specify the boolean capability nxon.
TERMINFO PRINTER CAPABILITIES
The terminfo database allows you to define capabilities of printers
as well as terminals. To find out what capabilities are available
for printers as well as for terminals, see the table in the "Device
Capabilities" section. Most subsections below are lettered for
cross-reference to that table.
Rounding Values
Because parameterized string capabilities work only with integer
values, we recommend that terminfo designers create strings that
expect numeric values that have been rounded. Application designers
should note this and should always round values to the nearest
integer before using them with a parameterized string capability.
Printer Resolution
A printer's resolution is defined to be the smallest spacing of
characters it can achieve. In general printers have independent
resolution horizontally and vertically. Thus the vertical resolution
of a printer can be determined by measuring the smallest achievable
distance between consecutive printing baselines, while the horizontal
resolution can be determined by measuring the smallest achievable
distance between the leftmost edges of consecutive printed,
identical, characters. (The terms ``smallest distance'' and
``smallest step'' will be used later to refer to these smallest
achievable distances.)
All printers are assumed to be capable of printing with a uniform
horizontal and vertical resolution. The view of printing that
terminfo currently presents is one of printing inside a uniform
matrix: All characters are printed at fixed positions relative to
each ``cell'' in the matrix; furthermore, each cell has the same size
given by the smallest horizontal and vertical step sizes dictated by
the resolution. (The cell size can be changed as will be seen
later.)
Many printers are capable of ``proportional printing,'' where the
horizontal spacing depends on the size of the character last printed.
Terminfo does not make use of this capability, although it does
provide enough capability definitions to allow an application to
simulate proportional printing.
A printer must not only be capable of printing characters as close
together as the horizontal and vertical resolutions suggest, but also
of ``moving'' to a position an integral multiple of the resolution
from a previous position. Thus printed characters can be spaced
apart a distance that is an integral multiple of the smallest
distance, up to the length or width of a single page.
Some printers can have different resolutions depending on different
``modes.'' In ``normal mode,'' the existing terminfo capabilities
are assumed to work on columns and lines, just like a video terminal.
Thus the old lines capability would give the length of a page in
lines, and the cols capability would give the width of a page in
columns. In ``micro mode,'' many terminfo capabilities work on
increments of lines and columns. With some printers the micro mode
may be concomitant with normal mode, so that all the capabilities
work at the same time.
A. Specifying Printer Resolution
The printing resolution of a printer is given in several ways. Each
specifies the resolution as the number of smallest steps per
distance:
Numeric Capabilities for Specifying
Characteristic Number of Smallest Steps
----------------------------------------
orhi Steps per inch horizontally
orvi Steps per inch vertically
orc Steps per column
orl Steps per line
When printing in normal mode, each character printed causes movement
to the next column, except in special cases described later; the
distance moved is the same as the per-column resolution. Some
printers cause an automatic movement to the next line when a
character is printed in the rightmost position; the distance moved
vertically is the same as the per-line resolution. When printing in
micro mode, these distances can be different, and may be zero for
some printers.
Numeric Capabilities for Specifying
Automatic Motion after Printing
------------------------------------
Normal Mode:
orc Steps moved horizontally
orl Steps moved vertically
Micro Mode:
mcs Steps moved horizontally
mls Steps moved vertically
Some printers are capable of printing wide characters. The distance
moved when a wide character is printed in normal mode may be
different from when a regular width character is printed. The
distance moved when a wide character is printed in micro mode may
also be different from when a regular character is printed in micro
mode, but the differences are assumed to be related: If the distance
moved for a regular character is the same whether in normal mode or
micro mode (mcs=orc), then the distance moved for a wide character is
also the same whether in normal mode or micro mode. This doesn't
mean the normal character distance is necessarily the same as the
wide character distance, just that the distances don't change with a
change in normal to micro mode. However, if the distance moved for a
regular character is different in micro mode from the distance moved
in normal mode (mcs<orc), the micro mode distance is assumed to be
the same for a wide character printed in micro mode, as the table
below shows.
Numeric Capabilities for Specifying
Automatic Motion after Printing Wide Character
-----------------------------------------------
Normal Mode or Micro Mode (mcs = orc):
widcs Steps moved horizontally
Micro Mode (mcs < orc):
mcs Steps moved horizontally
There may be control sequences to change the number of columns per
inch (the character pitch) and to change the number of lines per inch
(the line pitch). If these are used, the resolution of the printer
changes, but the type of change depends on the printer:
String and Boolean Capabilities for
Changing the Character/Line Pitches
-------------------------------------------------------
cpi Change character pitch
cpix If set, cpi changes orhi, otherwise changes orc
lpi Change line pitch
lpix If set, lpi changes orvi, otherwise changes orl
chr Change steps per column
cvr Change steps per line
The cpi and lpi string capabilities each require a single parameter,
the pitch in columns (or characters) and lines per inch,
respectively. The chr and cvr string capabilities each require a
single parameter, the number of steps per column and line,
respectively.
Using any of the control sequences in these strings will imply a
change in some of the values of orc, orhi, orl, and orvi. Also, the
distance moved when a wide character is printed, widcs, changes in
relation to orc. The distance moved when a character is printed in
micro mode, mcs, changes similarly, with one exception: if the
distance is 0 or 1, then no change is assumed (see items marked with
† in the following table).
Programs that use cpi, lpi, chr, or cvr should recalculate the
printer resolution (and should recalculate other values -- see the
topic "Effect of Changing Printing Resolution" in the section "Dot-
Matrix Graphics").
Specification of Printer Resolution
Effects of Changing the Character/Line Pitches
--------------------------------------------------
Before After
--------------------------------------------------
Using cpi with cpix clear:
orhi ' orhi
orc ' orc=V
oc
rh
pi
Using cpi with cpix set:
orhi ' orhi=orc·Vcpi
orc ' orc
Using lpi with lpix clear:
orvi ' orvi
orl ' orl=V
ol
rp
vi
Using lpi with lpix set:
orvi ' orvi=orl·Vlpi
orl ' orl
Using chr:
orhi ' orhi
orc ' Vchr
Using cvr:
orvi ' orvi
orl ' Vcvr
Using cpi or chr:
widcs ' widcs=widcs 'orcc'
mcs '† mcs=mcs 'orcc'
Vcpi, Vlpi, Vchr, and Vcvr are the parameters required by cpi, lpi,
chr, and cvr, respectively. The ' mark indicates the old value.
B. Capabilities that Cause Movement
In the following descriptions, ``movement'' refers to the motion of
the ``current position.'' With video terminals this would be the
cursor; with some printers this is the carriage position. Other
printers have different equivalents. In general, the current
position is where a character would be displayed if printed.
Terminfo has string capabilities for control sequences that cause
movement a number of full columns or lines. It also has equivalent
string capabilities for control sequences that cause movement a
number of smallest steps.
String Capabilities for Specifying
Single and Multiple Motions
-----------------------------------
mcub1 Move 1 step left
mcuf1 Move 1 step right
mcuu1 Move 1 step up
mcud1 Move 1 step down
mcub Move N steps left
mcuf Move N steps right
mcuu Move N steps up
mcud Move N steps down
mhpa Move N steps from the left
mvpa Move N steps from the top
The latter six strings each require a single parameter, N.
Some printers limit the motion to less than the width or length of a
page. Also, some printers don't accept absolute motion to the left
of the current position. Terminfo has capabilities for specifying
these limits.
Numeric and Boolean Capabilities for
Specifying Limits to Motion
-------------------------------------------------------
mjump Limit on use of mcub1, mcuf1, mcuu1, and mcud1
maddr Limit on use of mhpa and mvpa
xhpa If set, hpa and mhpa cannot move left
xvpa If set, vpa and mvpa cannot move up
If a printer needs to be in a ``micro mode'' for the motion
capabilities described above to work, there are string capabilities
defined to enter and exit this mode. A boolean capability is
available for those printers where using a carriage return causes an
automatic return to normal mode.
String and Boolean Capabilities for
Entering and Exiting Micro Mode
------------------------------------------
smicm Enter micro mode
rmicm Exit micro mode
crxm If set, using cr exits micro mode
The movement made when a character is printed in the rightmost
position varies among printers. Some make no movement, some move to
the beginning of the next line, others move to the beginning of the
same line. Terminfo has boolean capabilities for describing all
three cases.
Boolean Capabilities for Specifying
What Happens After Character
Printed in Rightmost Position
-----------------------------------------------
sam Automatic move to beginning of same line
Some printers can be put in a mode where the normal direction of
motion is reversed. This mode can be especially useful when there
are no capabilities for leftward or upward motion, because those
capabilities can be built from the motion reversal capability and the
rightward or downward motion capabilities. It is best to leave it up
to an application to build the leftward or upward capabilities,
though, and not enter them in the terminfo database. This allows
several reverse motions to be strung together without intervening
wasted steps that leave and reenter reverse mode.
String Capabilities for
Entering and Exiting Reverse Modes
--------------------------------------------
slm Reverse sense of horizontal motions
rlm Restore sense of horizontal motions
sum Reverse sense of vertical motions
rum Restore sense of vertical motions
While sense of horizontal motions reversed:
mcub1 Move 1 step right
mcuf1 Move 1 step left
mcub Move N steps right
mcuf Move N steps left
cub1 Move 1 column right
cuf1 Move 1 column left
cub Move N columns right
cuf Move N columns left
While sense of vertical motions reversed:
mcuu1 Move 1 step down
mcud1 Move 1 step up
mcuu Move N steps down
mcud Move N steps up
cuu1 Move 1 line down
cud1 Move 1 line up
cuu Move N lines down
cud Move N lines up
The reverse motion modes should not affect the mvpa and mhpa absolute
motion capabilities. The reverse vertical motion mode should,
however, also reverse the action of the line ``wrapping'' that occurs
when a character is printed in the rightmost position. Thus printers
that have the standard terminfo capability am defined should
experience motion to the beginning of the previous line when a
character is printed in the rightmost position under reverse vertical
motion mode.
The action when any other motion capabilities are used in reverse
motion modes is not defined; thus, programs must exit reverse motion
modes before using other motion capabilities.
Two miscellaneous capabilities complete the list of new motion
capabilities. One of these is needed for printers that move the
current position to the beginning of a line when certain control
characters, such as ``linefeed'' or ``formfeed,'' are used. The
other is used for the capability of suspending the motion that
normally occurs after printing a character.
String Capabilities for Specifying
Miscellaneous Motion
-----------------------------------------------------------------
docr List of control characters causing cr
zerom Prevent auto motion after printing next single character
C. Margins
Terminfo provides two strings for setting margins on terminals: one
for the left margin and one for the right. Printers, however, have
two additional margins, for the top and bottom of each page.
Furthermore, instead of using motion strings to move the current
position to a margin and then fixing the margin there, some printers
require the specification of where a margin should be regardless of
the current position. Therefore terminfo offers six additional
strings for defining margins with printers.
String Capabilities for
Setting Margins
-------------------------------------------
smgl Set left margin at current column
smgr Set right margin at current column
smgb Set bottom margin at current line
smgt Set top margin at current line
smgbp Set bottom margin at line N
smglp Set left margin at column N
smgrp Set right margin at column N
smgtp Set top margin at line N
The last four strings each require one or more parameters that give
the position of the margin or margins to set. If both of smglp and
smgrp are defined, each requires a single parameter, N, that gives
the column number of the left and right margin, respectively. If
both of smgtp and smgbp are defined, they are used to set the top and
bottom margin, respectively: smgtp requires a single parameter, N,
the line number of the top margin; however, smgbp requires two
parameters, N and M, that each give the line number of the bottom
margin, the first counting from the top of the page and the second
counting from the bottom. This accommodates the two methods used by
different manufacturers to specify the bottom margin. When coding a
terminfo entry for a printer that has a settable bottom margin, only
the first or second parameter should be used, depending on the
printer. When writing an application that uses smgbp to set the
bottom margin, both arguments must be given.
If only one of smglp and smgrp is defined, then it requires two
parameters, the column numbers of the left and right margins, in that
order. Likewise, if only one of smgtp and smgbp is set, then it
requires two parameters that give the top and bottom margins, in that
order, counting from the top of the page. Thus when coding a
terminfo entry for a printer that requires setting both left and
right or top and bottom margins simultaneously, only one of smglp and
smgrp, or smgtp and smgbp, should be defined; the other capability of
the pair should not be included in the entry. When writing an
application that uses these string capabilities, each pair should
first be checked to see if both members of the pair are defined or if
only one is defined; the defined capabilities should then be
instantiated accordingly.
In counting lines or columns, line zero is the top line and column
zero is the leftmost column. A zero value for the second argument
with smgbp means the bottom line of the page.
All margins can be cleared with mgc.
D. Shadows, Italics, Wide Characters, Superscripts, Subscripts
Five new sets of string capabilities are used to describe the methods
printers have of enhancing printed text.
String Capabilities for Specifying
Enhanced Printing
-----------------------------------------------------
sshm Enter shadow-printing mode
rshm Exit shadow-printing mode
sitm Enter italicizing mode
ritm Exit italicizing mode
swidm Enter wide character mode
rwidm Exit wide character mode
ssupm Enter superscript mode
rsupm Exit superscript mode
supcs List of characters available as superscripts
ssubm Enter subscript mode
rsubm Exit subscript mode
subcs List of characters available as subscripts
If a printer requires the sshm control sequence before every
character to be shadow-printed, the rshm string should be left
undefined. Thus programs that find a control sequence in sshm but
none in rshm should use the sshm control sequence before every
character to be shadow-printed; otherwise, the sshm control sequence
should be used once before the set of characters to be shadow-
printed, followed by rshm. The same is also true of each of the
sitm/ritm, swidm/rwidm, ssupm/rsupm, and ssubm/rsubm pairs.
Note that terminfo also has a capability for printing emboldened text
(bold). While shadow printing and emboldened printing are similar in
that they ``darken'' the text, many printers produce these two types
of print in slightly different ways. Generally, emboldened printing
is done by overstriking the same character one or more times. Shadow
printing likewise usually involves overstriking, but with a slight
movement up and/or to the side so that the character is ``fatter.''
Terminfo requires that enhanced printing modes be independent, so
that it would be possible, for instance, to shadow print italicized
subscripts.
As mentioned earlier, the amount of motion automatically made after
printing a wide character should be given in the numeric capability
widcs.
If only a subset of the printable ASCII characters can be printed as
superscripts or subscripts, they should be listed in the supcs or
subcs strings, respectively. If the ssupm (or ssubm) string contains
control sequences, but the corresponding supcs (or subcs) string is
undefined, a program can assume that all printable ASCII characters
are available as superscripts (or subscripts).
Automatic motion made after printing a superscript or subscript must
be the same as for regular characters. Thus, for example, printing
any of the following two-character sequences will result in
equivalent motion: Bi Bi Bi
Note that the existing msgr boolean capability describes whether
motion control sequences can be used while in ``standout mode.''
This capability has been extended to cover the enhanced printing
modes added here. msgr should be set for those printers that accept
any motion control sequences without affecting shadow, italicized,
widened, superscript, or subscript printing. Conversely, if msgr is
not set, a program should exit these modes before attempting any
motion.
E. Alternate Character Sets
In addition to allowing you to define line graphics (described in the
"Line Graphics" section), terminfo lets you define alternate
character sets. The following capabilities cover printers and
terminals with multiple selectable or definable character sets.
String and Boolean Capabilities for Specifying
Alternate Character Sets
----------------------------------------------------------
scs Select character set N
scsd Start definition of character set N, M characters
defc Define character A, B dots wide, descender D
rcsd End definition of character set N
csnm List of character set names
daisy If set, printer has manually changed print wheels
The scs, rcsd, and csnm strings each require a single parameter, N, a
number from 0 to 63 that identifies the character set. The scsd
string also requires the parameter N and another, M, that gives the
number of characters in the set. The defc string requires three
parameters: A gives the ASCII code representation for the character,
B gives the width of the character in dots, and D is zero or one
depending on whether the character is a ``descender'' or not. The
defc string is also followed by a string of ``image data'' bytes that
describe how the character looks (see below).
Character set 0 is the default character set present after the
printer has been initialized. Not every printer has 64 character
sets, of course; using scs with an argument that doesn't select an
available character set should cause a null result from tparm().
If a character set has to be defined before it can be used, the scsd
control sequence must be used before defining the character set, and
rcsd must be used after. They should also cause a null result from
tparm() when used with an argument N that doesn't apply. If a
character set still has to be selected after being defined, the scs
control sequence must follow the rcsd control sequence. By examining
the results of using each of the scs, scsd, and rcsd strings with a
character set number in a call to tparm(), a program can determine
which of the three are needed.
Between use of the scsd and rcsd strings, the defc string should be
used to define each character. To print any character on printers
covered by terminfo, the ASCII code is sent to the printer. This is
true for characters in an alternate set as well as ``normal''
characters. Thus the definition of a character includes the ASCII
code that represents it. In addition, the width of the character in
dots is given, along with an indication of whether the character
should descend below the print line (such as the lower case letter g
in most character sets). The width of the character in dots also
indicates the number of image data bytes that will follow the defc
string. These image data bytes indicate where in a dot-matrix
pattern ink should be applied to ``draw'' the character; the number
of these bytes and their form are defined below in the "Dot-Matrix
Graphics" section.
It's easiest for the creator of terminfo entries to refer to each
character set by number; however, these numbers will be meaningless
to the application developer. The csnm string alleviates this
problem by providing names for each number.
When used with a character set number in a call to tparm(), the csnm
string will produce the equivalent name. These names should be used
as a reference only. No naming convention is specified, although
anyone who creates a terminfo entry for a printer should use names
consistent with the names found in user documents for the printer.
Application developers should allow a user to specify a character set
by number (leaving it up to the user to examine the csnm string to
determine the correct number), or by name, where the application
examines the csnm string to determine the corresponding character set
number.
The boolean daisy indicates printers that have manually changed print
wheels or font cartridges. However, the capabilities described above
are likely to be used only with dot-matrix printers.
F. Dot-Matrix Graphics
Dot-matrix printers typically have the capability of reproducing
``raster graphics'' images. Three new numeric capabilities and three
new string capabilities help a program draw raster graphics images
independent of the type of dot-matrix printer or the number of pins
or dots the printer can handle at one time.
Numeric and String Capabilities for Specifying
Dot-Matrix Graphics
--------------------------------------------------------
npins Number of pins, N, in print head
spinv Spacing of pins vertically in pins per inch
spinh Spacing of dots horizontally in dots per inch
porder Matches software bits to print head pins
sbim Start printing bit image graphics, B bits wide
rbim End printing bit image graphics
The sbim string requires a single parameter, B, the width of the
image in dots.
The model of dot-matrix or raster graphics that terminfo presents is
similar to the technique used for most dot-matrix printers: Each pass
of the printer's print head is assumed to produce a dot-matrix that
is N dots high and B dots wide. This is typically a wide, squat,
rectangle of dots. The height of this rectangle in dots will vary
from one printer to the next; this is given in the npins numeric
capability. The size of the rectangle in fractions of an inch will
also vary; it can be deduced from the spinv and spinh numeric
capabilities. With these three values an application can divide a
complete raster graphics image into several horizontal strips,
perhaps interpolating to account for different dot spacing vertically
and horizontally.
The sbim and rbim strings start and end a dot-matrix image,
respectively. The sbim string requires a single parameter that gives
the width of the dot-matrix in dots. A sequence of ``image data''
bytes is sent to the printer after the sbim string and before the
rbim string. The number of bytes is an integral multiple of the
width of the dot-matrix; the multiple and the form of each byte are
determined by the porder string as described below.
The porder string is a comma-separated list of pin numbers optionally
followed by a numerical offset. The offset, if given, is separated
from the list with a semicolon. The position of each pin number in
the list corresponds to a bit in an eight-bit data byte. The pins
are numbered consecutively from 1 to npins, with 1 being the top pin.
Note that the term ``pin'' is used loosely here; ``ink-jet'' dot-
matrix printers don't have pins, but can be considered to have an
equivalent method of applying a single dot of ink to paper. The bit
positions in porder are in groups of eight; the first position of
each group is the most significant bit and the last position is the
least significant bit. An application produces eight-bit bytes in
the order of the groups in porder.
An application computes the ``image data'' bytes from its internal
image, mapping vertical dot positions in each print head pass into
eight-bit bytes, using a 1 bit where ink should be applied and 0
where no ink should be applied. This can be reversed (0 bit for ink,
1 bit for no ink) by giving a negative pin number in porder. If a
position is skipped in porder, a 0 bit is used. If a position has a
lower case `x' instead of a pin number, a 1 bit is used in the
skipped position. For consistency, a lower case `o' can be used to
represent a 0 filled (no-ink) bit. There must be a multiple of 8 bit
positions used or skipped in porder; if not, 0 bits are used to fill
the last byte in the least significant bits. The offset, if given,
is added to each data byte; the offset can be negative.
Some examples may help clarify the use of the porder string. The
AT&T 470, AT&T 475 and C.Itoh 8510 printers provide eight pins for
graphics. The pins are identified top to bottom by the 8 bits in a
byte, from least significant to most. The porder strings for these
printers would be 8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1. The AT&T 478 and AT&T 479
printers also provide eight pins for graphics. However, the pins are
identified in the reverse order. The porder strings for these
printers would be 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. The AT&T 5310, AT&T 5320, DEC
LA100, and DEC LN03 printers provide six pins for graphics. The pins
are identified top to bottom by the decimal values 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and
32. These correspond to the low six bits in an 8-bit byte, although
the decimal values are further offset by the value 63. The porder
string for these printers would be ,,6,5,4,3,2,1;63, or alternately
o,o,6,5,4,3,2,1;63.
G. Effect of Changing Printing Resolution
If the control sequences to change the character pitch or the line
pitch are used, the pin or dot spacing may change:
String and Boolean Capabilities for
Changing the Character and Line Pitches
----------------------------------------
cpi Change character pitch
cpix If set, cpi changes spinh
lpi Change line pitch
lpix If set, lpi changes spinv
Programs that use cpi or lpi should recalculate the dot spacing:
Dot-Matrix Graphics
Effects of Changing the Character and Line Pitches
----------------------------------------------------
Before After
----------------------------------------------------
Using cpi with cpix clear:
spinh ' spinh
Using cpi with cpix set:
spinh ' spinh=spinh '·orhii'
Using lpi with lpix clear:
spinv ' spinv
Using lpi with lpix set:
spinv ' spinv=spinv '·orhii'
Using chr:
spinh ' spinh
Using cvr:
spinv ' spinv
orhi' and orhi are the values of the horizontal resolution in steps
per inch, before using cpi and after using cpi, respectively.
Likewise, orvi' and orvi are the values of the vertical resolution in
steps per inch, before using lpi and after using lpi, respectively.
Thus, the changes in the dots per inch for dot-matrix graphics follow
the changes in steps per inch for printer resolution.
H. Print Quality
Many dot-matrix printers can alter the dot spacing of printed text to
produce ``near-letter-quality'' printing or ``draft quality''
printing. Usually it is important to be able to choose one or the
other because the rate of printing generally falls off as the quality
improves. There are three new string capabilities used to describe
these print quality levels.
String Capabilities for Specifying
Print Quality
-----------------------------------------
snlq Set near-letter-quality printing
snrmq Set normal quality printing
sdrfq Set draft quality printing
The capabilities are listed in decreasing levels of quality. If a
printer doesn't have all three levels, one or two of the strings
should be left undefined as appropriate.
I. Printing Rate and Buffer Size
Because there is no standard protocol that can be used to keep a
program synchronized with a printer, and because modern printers can
buffer data before printing it, a program generally cannot determine
at any time what has been printed. However, two new numeric
capabilities can help a program estimate what has been printed.
Numeric Capabilities for Specifying
Print Rate and Buffer Size
----------------------------------------------------
cps Nominal print rate in characters per second
bufsz Buffer capacity in characters
cps is the nominal or average rate at which the printer prints
characters; if this value is not given, the rate should be estimated
at one-tenth the prevailing baud rate. bufsz is the maximum number
of subsequent characters buffered before the guaranteed printing of
an earlier character, assuming proper flow control has been used. If
this value is not given it is assumed that the printer does not
buffer characters, but prints them as they are received.
As an example, if a printer has a 1000-character buffer, then sending
the letter a followed by 1000 additional characters is guaranteed to
cause the letter a to print. If the same printer prints at the rate
of 100 characters per second, then it should take 10 seconds to print
all the characters in the buffer, less if the buffer is not full. By
keeping track of the characters sent to a printer, and determining
the print rate and buffer size, a program can synchronize itself with
the printer.
Note that most printer manufacturers advertise the maximum print
rate, not the nominal print rate. A good way to get a value for cps
is to generate a few pages of text, count the number of printable
characters, and then see how long it takes to print the text.
Applications that use these values should recognize the variability
in print rate. Straight text, in short lines, with no embedded
control sequences will probably print at close to the advertised
print rate and probably faster than the rate in cps. Graphics data
with a lot of control sequences, or very long lines of text, will
print at well below the advertised rate and below the rate in cps.
If the application is using cps to decide how long it should take a
printer to print a block of text, the application should pad the
estimate. If the application is using cps to decide how much text
has already been printed, it should shrink the estimate. The
application will thus err in favor of the user, who wants, above all,
to see all the output in its correct place.
J. Setting Lines per Page
Most printers have some way of setting form length, so terminfo
provides a string capability for defining the number of lines per
page.
String Capabilities for Specifying
Lines per Page
-----------------------------------
slines Set N lines per page.
slines requires one parameter N, the number of lines per page.
TERMINFO/TERMCAP CORRESPONDENCE
The table below presents the correspondence between terminfo and
termcap(5) codes. The first two columns correspond to the first two
columns in the previously presented table of terminfo capabilities.
The last column shows the Termcap Code, which is the two-letter code
that corresponds to the termcap(5) capability. The table is sorted
alphabetically by Capname.
Variable Cap- Termcap
name Code
acs_chars acsc ac
auto_right_margin am am
back_color_erase bce be
bell bel bl
bit_image_carriage_return bicr Yv
bit_image_newline binel Zz
bit_image_repeat birep Zy
bit_image_entwining bitwin Yo
bit_image_type bitype Yp
enter_blink_mode blink mb
enter_bold_mode bold md
buttons btns BT
buffer_capacity bufsz Ya
auto_left_margin bw bw
back_tab cbt bt
can_change ccc cc
change_res_horz chr ZC
hard_cursor chts HC
cursor_invisible civis vi
clear_screen clear cl
command_character cmdch CC
cursor_normal cnorm ve
color_names colornm Yw
max_colors colors Co
columns cols co
change_char_pitch cpi ZA
cpi_changes_res cpix YF
print_rate cps Ym
carriage_return cr cr
cr_cancels_micro_mode crxm YB
code_set_init csin ci
char_set_names csnm Zy
change_scroll_region csr cs
parm_left_cursor cub LE
cursor_left cub1 le
parm_down_cursor cud DO
cursor_down cud1 do
parm_right_cursor cuf RI
cursor_right cuf1 nd
cursor_address cup cm
parm_up_cursor cuu UP
cursor_up cuu1 up
change_res_vert cvr ZD
cursor_visible cvvis vs
create_window cwin CW
memory_above da da
has_print_wheel daisy YC
memory_below db db
parm_dch dch DC
delete_character dch1 dc
display_clock dclk DK
define_bit_image_region defbi Yx
define_char defc ZE
device_type devt dv
dial_phone dial DI
enter_dim_mode dim mh
display_pc_char dispc S1
parm_delete_line dl DL
delete_line dl1 dl
these_cause_cr docr Zw
dis_status_line dsl ds
erase_chars ech ec
clr_eos ed cd
clr_eol el ce
clr_bol el1 cb
ena_acs enacs eA
end_bit_image_region endbi Yy
erase_overstrike eo eo
status_line_esc_ok eslok es
form_feed ff ff
flash_screen flash vb
label_format fln Lf
from_status_line fsl fs
get_mouse getm Gm
generic_type gn gn
hard_copy hc hc
down_half_line hd hd
hue_lightness_saturation hls hl
cursor_home home ho
flash_hook hook fh
column_address hpa ch
has_status_line hs hs
tab ht ta
set_tab hts st
up_half_line hu hu
hangup hup HU
tilde_glitch hz hz
parm_ich ich IC
insert_character ich1 ic
init_file if if
parm_insert_line il AL
insert_line il1 al
insert_null_glitch in in
scroll_forward ind sf
parm_index indn SF
initialize_color initc Ic
initialize_pair initp Ip
enter_secure_mode invis mk
insert_padding ip ip
init_prog iprog iP
init_1string is1 i1
init_2string is2 is
init_3string is3 i3
init_tabs it it
key_sbeg kBEG &9
key_scancel kCAN &0
key_scommand kCMD *1
key_scopy kCPY *2
key_screate kCRT *3
key_sdc kDC *4
key_sdl kDL *5
key_send kEND *7
key_seol kEOL *8
key_sexit kEXT *9
key_sfind kFND *0
key_shelp kHLP #1
key_shome kHOM #2
key_sic kIC #3
key_sleft kLFT #4
key_smove kMOV %b
key_smessage kMSG %a
key_snext kNXT %c
key_soptions kOPT %d
key_sprint kPRT %f
key_sprevious kPRV %e
key_sredo kRDO %g
key_srsume kRES %j
key_sright kRIT %i
key_sreplace kRPL %h
key_ssave kSAV !1
key_ssuspend kSPD !2
key_sundo kUND !3
key_a1 ka1 K1
key_a3 ka3 K3
key_b2 kb2 K2
key_beg kbeg @1
key_backspace kbs kb
key_c1 kc1 K4
key_c3 kc3 K5
key_cancel kcan @2
key_btab kcbt kB
key_close kclo @3
key_clear kclr kC
key_command kcmd @4
key_copy kcpy @5
key_create kcrt @6
key_ctab kctab kt
key_left kcub1 kl
key_down kcud1 kd
key_right kcuf1 kr
key_up kcuu1 ku
key_dc kdch1 kD
key_dl kdl1 kL
key_eos ked kS
key_eol kel kE
key_end kend @7
key_enter kent @8
key_exit kext @9
key_f0 kf0 k0
key_f1 kf1 k1
key_f10 kf10 k;
key_f11 kf11 F1
key_f12 kf12 F2
key_f13 kf13 F3
key_f14 kf14 F4
key_f15 kf15 F5
key_f16 kf16 F6
key_f17 kf17 F7
key_f18 kf18 F8
key_f19 kf19 F9
key_f2 kf2 k2
key_f20 kf20 FA
key_f21 kf21 FB
key_f22 kf22 FC
key_f23 kf23 FD
key_f24 kf24 FE
key_f25 kf25 FF
key_f26 kf26 FG
key_f27 kf27 FH
key_f28 kf28 FI
key_f29 kf29 FJ
key_f3 kf3 k3
key_f30 kf30 FK
key_f31 kf31 FL
key_f32 kf32 FM
key_f33 kf33 FN
key_f34 kf34 FO
key_f35 kf35 FP
key_f36 kf36 FQ
key_f37 kf37 FR
key_f38 kf38 FS
key_f39 kf39 FT
key_f4 kf4 k4
key_f40 kf40 FU
key_f41 kf41 FV
key_f42 kf42 FW
key_f43 kf43 FX
key_f44 kf44 FY
key_f45 kf45 FZ
key_f46 kf46 Fa
key_f47 kf47 Fb
key_f48 kf48 Fc
key_f49 kf49 Fd
key_f5 kf5 k5
key_f50 kf50 Fe
key_f51 kf51 Ff
key_f52 kf52 Fg
key_f53 kf53 Fh
key_f54 kf54 Fi
key_f55 kf55 Fj
key_f56 kf56 Fk
key_f57 kf57 Fl
key_f58 kf58 Fm
key_f59 kf59 Fn
key_f6 kf6 k6
key_f60 kf60 Fo
key_f61 kf61 Fp
key_f62 kf62 Fq
key_f63 kf63 Fr
key_f7 kf7 k7
key_f8 kf8 k8
key_f9 kf9 k9
key_find kfnd @0
key_help khlp %1
key_home khome kh
key_stab khts kT
key_ic kich1 kI
key_il kil1 kA
key_sf kind kF
key_ll kll kH
has_meta_key km km
key_mouse kmous Km
key_move kmov %4
key_mark kmrk %2
key_message kmsg %3
key_npage knp kN
key_next knxt %5
key_open kopn %6
key_options kopt %7
key_ppage kpp kP
key_print kprt %9
key_previous kprv %8
key_redo krdo %0
key_reference kref &1
key_resume kres &5
key_refresh krfr &2
key_sr kri kR
key_eic krmir kM
key_replace krpl &3
key_restart krst &4
key_save ksav &6
key_select kslt *6
key_suspend kspd &7
key_catab ktbc ka
key_undo kund &8
lab_f0 lf0 l0
lab_f1 lf1 l1
lab_f10 lf10 la
lab_f2 lf2 l2
lab_f3 lf3 l3
lab_f4 lf4 l4
lab_f5 lf5 l5
lab_f6 lf6 l6
lab_f7 lf7 l7
lab_f8 lf8 l8
lab_f9 lf9 l9
label_height lh lh
lines lines li
cursor_to_ll ll ll
lines_of_memory lm lm
change_line_pitch lpi ZB
lpi_changes_res lpix YG
label_width lw lw
max_attributes ma ma
max_micro_address maddr Yd
print_screen mc0 ps
prtr_off mc4 pf
prtr_on mc5 po
prtr_silent mc5i 5i
prtr_non mc5p pO
micro_col_size mcs Yf
parm_left_micro mcub Zg
micro_left mcub1 Za
parm_down_micro mcud Zf
micro_down mcud1 ZZ
parm_right_micro mcuf Zh
micro_right mcuf1 Zb
parm_up_micro mcuu Zi
micro_up mcuu1 Zd
clear_margins mgc MC
micro_column_address mhpa ZY
mouse_info minfo Mi
move_insert_mode mir mi
max_micro_jump mjump Ye
micro_line_size mls Yg
cursor_mem_address mrcup CM
move_standout_mode msgr ms
micro_row_address mvpa Zc
no_color_video ncv NC
non_dest_scroll_region ndscr ND
newline nel nw
num_labels nlab Nl
no_pad_char npc NP
number_of_pins npins Yh
non_rev_rmcup nrrmc NR
needs_xon_xoff nxon nx
orig_colors oc oc
orig_pair op op
output_res_char orc Yi
output_res_horz_inch orhi Yk
output_res_line orl Yj
output_res_vert_inch orvi Yl
over_strike os os
pad_char pad pc
max_pairs pairs pa
fixed_pause pause PA
padding_baud_rate pb pb
pc_term_options pctrm S6
pkey_key pfkey pk
pkey_local pfloc pl
pkey_xmit pfx px
pkey_plab pfxl xl
plab_norm pln pn
order_of_pins porder Ze
enter_protected_mode prot mp
pulse pulse PU
quick_dial qdial QD
stop_bit_image rbim Zs
restore_cursor rc rc
stop_char_set_def rcsd Zt
repeat_char rep rp
req_mouse_pos reqmp RQ
enter_reverse_mode rev mr
reset_file rf rf
req_for_input rfi RF
scroll_reverse ri sr
parm_rindex rin SR
exit_italics_mode ritm ZR
exit_leftward_mode rlm ZS
exit_alt_charset_mode rmacs ae
exit_am_mode rmam RA
remove_clock rmclk RC
exit_ca_mode rmcup te
exit_delete_mode rmdc ed
exit_micro_mode rmicm ZT
exit_insert_mode rmir ei
keypad_local rmkx ke
label_off rmln LF
meta_off rmm mo
char_padding rmp rP
exit_pc_charset_mode rmpch S3
exit_scancode_mode rmsc S5
exit_standout_mode rmso se
exit_underline_mode rmul ue
exit_xon_mode rmxon RX
reset_1string rs1 r1
reset_2string rs2 r2
reset_3string rs3 r3
exit_shadow_mode rshm ZU
exit_subscript_mode rsubm ZV
exit_superscript_mode rsupm ZW
exit_upward_mode rum ZX
exit_doublewide_mode rwidm ZQ
set0_des_seq s0ds s0
set1_des_seq s1ds s1
set2_des_seq s2ds s2
set3_des_seq s3ds s3
semi_auto_right_margin sam YE
start_bit_image sbim Zq
save_cursor sc sc
scancode_escape scesc S7
alt_scancode_esc scesca S8
set_clock sclk SC
set_color_pair scp sp
select_char_set scs Zj
start_char_set_def scsd Zr
enter_draft_quality sdrfq ZG
set_a_background setab AB
set_a_foreground setaf AF
set_background setb Sb
set_color_band setcolor Yz
set_foreground setf Sf
set_attributes sgr sa
exit_attribute_mode sgr0 me
enter_italics_mode sitm ZH
enter_leftward_mode slm ZI
enter_alt_charset_mode smacs as
enter_am_mode smam SA
enter_ca_mode smcup ti
enter_delete_mode smdc dm
set_bottom_margin smgb Zk
set_bottom_margin_parm smgbp Zl
set_left_margin smgl ML
set_left_margin_parm smglp Zm
set_lr_margin smglr ML
set_right_margin smgr MR
set_right_margin_parm smgrp Zn
set_top_margin smgt Zo
set_tb_margin smgtb MT
set_top_margin_parm smgtp Zp
enter_micro_mode smicm ZJ
enter_insert_mode smir im
keypad_xmit smkx ks
label_on smln LO
meta_on smm mm
enter_pc_charset_mode smpch S2
enter_scancode_mode smsc S4
enter_standout_mode smso so
enter_underline_mode smul us
enter_xon_mode smxon SX
enter_near_letter_quality snlq ZK
enter_normal_quality snrmq ZL
dot_horz_spacing spinh Yc
dot_vert_spacing spinv Yb
enter_shadow_mode sshm ZM
enter_subscript_mode ssubm ZN
enter_superscript_mode ssupm ZO
subscript_characters subcs Zu
enter_upward_mode sum ZP
superscript_characters supcs Zv
enter_doublewide_mode swidm ZF
clear_all_tabs tbc ct
tone tone TO
to_status_line tsl ts
user0 u0 u0
user1 u1 u1
user2 u2 u2
user3 u3 u3
user4 u4 u4
user5 u5 u5
user6 u6 u6
user7 u7 u7
user8 u8 u8
user9 u9 u9
underline_char uc uc
transparent_underline ul ul
row_address vpa cv
virtual_terminal vt vt
wait_tone wait WA
wide_char_size widcs Yn
set_window wind wi
goto_window wingo WG
maximum_windows wnum MW
width_status_line wsl ws
eat_newline_glitch xenl xn
ceol_standout_glitch xhp xs
col_addr_glitch xhpa YA
magic_cookie_glitch xmc sg
xoff_character xoffc XF
xon_xoff xon xo
xon_character xonc XN
no_esc_ctlc xsb xb
dest_tabs_magic_smso xt xt
row_addr_glitch xvpa YD
zero_motion zerom Zx
FILES
/usr/lib/terminfo/?/*
compiled device description database
/usr/src/cmd/terminfo/*.ti
source device descriptions
/usr/lib/tabset/*
tab settings for some devices, in a format appropriate to
be output to the device (escape sequences that set margins
and tabs)
SEE ALSO
curses(3X), printf(3S), term(5), profile(4), termcap(5).
captoinfo(1M), infocmp(1M), tic(1M), termio(7), ttcompat(7).
tput(1).
CAUTIONS
As described in the "Tabs and Initialization" section above, a
device's initialization strings, is1, is2, and is3, if defined, must
be output before a curses(3X) program is run. An available mechanism
for outputting such strings is tput init (see tput(1) and
profile(4)).
If a null character (\0) is encountered in a string, the null and all
characters after it are lost. Therefore it is not possible to code a
null character (\0) in a string capability and send it to a device
(either a terminal or a printer). The suggestion of sending \0200
where \0 (null) is needed can succeed only if the device ignores the
eighth bit. For example, because all eight bits are used in the
standard international ISO character set, devices that adhere to this
standard will treat \0200 differently from \0.
Tampering with entries in /usr/lib/terminfo/?/* (for example,
changing or removing an entry) can affect programs such as vi(1) that
expect the entry to be present and correct. In particular, removing
the description for the dumb terminal causes unexpected problems.
Licensed material--property of copyright holder(s)