terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
NAME
terminfo - terminal capability data base
SYNOPSIS
/usr/share/lib/terminfo/?/*
DESCRIPTION
terminfo is a database produced by tic that describes the
capabilities of devices such as terminals and printers.
Devices are described in terminfo source files by specifying a
set of capabilities, by quantifying certain aspects of the
device, and by specifying character sequences that affect
particular results. This database is often used by screen
oriented applications such as vi and curses programs, as well
as by some UNIX system commands such as ls and more. This
usage allows them to work with a variety of devices without
changes to the programs.
terminfo source files consist of one or more device
descriptions. Each description consists of a header
(beginning in column 1) and one or more lines that list the
features for that particular device. Every line in a terminfo
source file must end in a comma (,). Every line in a terminfo
source file except the header must be indented with one or
more white spaces (either spaces or tabs).
Entries in terminfo source files consist of a number of
comma-separated fields. White space after each comma is
ignored. Embedded commas must be escaped by using a
backslash. The following example shows the format of a
terminfo source file.
alias1 | alias2 | . . . | aliasn | longname,
<white space> am, lines #24,
<white space> home=\Eeh,
The first line, commonly referred to as the header line, must
begin in column one and must contain at least two aliases
separated by vertical bars. The last field in the header line
must be the long name of the device and it may contain any
string. Alias names must be unique in the terminfo database
and they must conform to UNIX system file naming conventions
[see tic(1M)]; they cannot, for example, contain white space
or slashes.
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 1
terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
Every device must be assigned a name, such as vt100. Device
names (except the long name) should be chosen using the
following conventions. The name should not contain hyphens
because hyphens are reserved for use when adding suffixes that
indicate special modes.
These special modes may be modes that the hardware can be in,
or user preferences. To assign a special mode to a particular
device, append a suffix consisting of a hyphen and an
indicator of the mode to the device name. For example, the -w
suffix means ``wide mode''; when specified, it allows for a
width of 132 columns instead of the standard 80 columns.
Therefore, if you want to use a vt100 device set to wide mode,
name the device vt100-w. Use the following suffixes where
possible.
Suffix Meaning Example
-w Wide mode (more than 80 columns) 5410-w
-am With auto. margins (usually default) vt100-am
-nam Without automatic margins vt100-nam
-n Number of lines on the screen 2300-40
-na No arrow keys (leave them in local) c100-na
-np Number of pages of memory c100-4p
-rv Reverse video 4415-rv
The terminfo reference manual page is organized in two
sections: ``DEVICE CAPABILITIES'' and ``PRINTER
CAPABILITIES.''
PART 1: DEVICE CAPABILITIES
Capabilities in terminfo are of three types: Boolean
capabilities (which show that a device has or does not have a
particular feature), numeric capabilities (which quantify
particular features of a device), and string capabilities
(which provide sequences that can be used to perform
particular operations on devices).
In the following table, a Variable is the name by which a C
programmer accesses a capability (at the terminfo level). A
Capname is the short name for a capability specified in the
terminfo source file. It is used by a person updating the
source file and by the tput command. A Termcap Code is a
two-letter sequence that corresponds to the termcap capability
name. (Note that termcap is no longer supported.)
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 2
terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
Capability names have no real length limit, but an informal
limit of five characters has been adopted to keep them short.
Whenever possible, capability names are chosen to be the same
as or similar to those specified by the ANSI X3.64-1979
standard. Semantics are also intended to match those of the
ANSI standard.
All string capabilities listed below may have padding
specified, with the exception of those used for input. Input
capabilities, listed under the ``Strings'' section in the
following tables, have names beginning with key_. The #i
symbol in the description field of the following tables refers
to the ith parameter.
Booleans
Cap- Termcap
Variable name Code Description
auto_left_margin bw bw cub1 wraps from column 0 to
last column
auto_right_margin am am Terminal has automatic margins
back_color_erase bce be Screen erased with background color
can_change ccc cc Terminal can re-define existing color
ceol_standout_glitch xhp xs Standout not erased by overwriting (hp)
col_addr_glitch xhpa YA Only positive motion for hpa/mhpa caps
cpi_changes_res cpix YF Changing character pitch changes
resolution
cr_cancels_micro_mode crxm YB Using cr turns off micro mode
eat_newline_glitch xenl xn Newline ignored after 80 columns
(Concept)
erase_overstrike eo eo Can erase overstrikes with a blank
generic_type gn gn Generic line type (e.g., dialup, switch)
hard_copy hc hc Hardcopy terminal
hard_cursor chts HC Cursor is hard to see
has_meta_key km km Has a meta key (shift, sets parity bit)
has_print_wheel daisy YC Printer needs operator to change
character set
has_status_line hs hs Has extra ``status line''
hue_lightness_saturation hls hl Terminal uses only HLS color
notation (Tektronix)
insert_null_glitch in in Insert mode distinguishes nulls
lpi_changes_res lpix YG Changing line pitch changes resolution
memory_above da da Display may be retained above the screen
memory_below db db Display may be retained below the screen
move_insert_mode mir mi Safe to move while in insert mode
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 3
terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
Cap- Termcap
Variable name Code Description
move_standout_mode msgr ms Safe to move in standout modes
needs_xon_xoff nxon nx Padding won't work, xon/xoff required
no_esc_ctlc xsb xb Beehive (f1=escape, f2=ctrl C)
non_dest_scroll_region ndscr ND Scrolling region is
nondestructive
non_rev_rmcup nrrmc NR smcup does not reverse rmcup
no_pad_char npc NP Pad character doesn't exist
over_strike os os Terminal overstrikes on hard-copy
terminal
prtr_silent mc5i 5i Printer won't echo on screen
row_addr_glitch xvpa YD Only positive motion for vpa/mvpa caps
semi_auto_right_margin sam YE Printing in last column causes cr
status_line_esc_ok eslok es Escape can be used on the status line
dest_tabs_magic_smso xt xt Destructive tabs, magic smso char (t1061)
tilde_glitch hz hz Hazeltine; can't print tilde (~)
transparent_underline ul ul Underline character overstrikes
xon_xoff xon xo Terminal uses xon/xoff handshaking
Numbers
Cap- Termcap
Variable name Code Description
bit_image_entwining bitwin Yo Number of passes for each bit-map row
bit_image_type bitype Yp Type of bit image device
buffer_capacity bufsz Ya Number of bytes buffered before printing
buttons btns BT Number of buttons on the mouse
columns cols co Number of columns in a line
dot_vert_spacing spinv Yb Spacing of pins vertically in pins per inch
dot_horz_spacing spinh Yc Spacing of dots horizontally in dots per inch
init_tabs it it Tabs initially every # spaces
label_height lh lh Number of rows in each label
label_width lw lw Number of columns in each label
lines lines li Number of lines on a screen or a page
lines_of_memory lm lm Lines of memory if > lines; 0 means varies
magic_cookie_glitch xmc sg Number of blank characters left by
max_attributes ma ma Maximum combined video attributes terminal can display
smso or rmso
max_colors colors Co Maximum number of colors on the screen
maximum_windows Wnum MW Maximum number of definable
windows
max_micro_address maddr Yd Maximum value in micro_..._address
max_micro_jump mjump Ye Maximum value in parm_..._micro
max_pairs pairs pa Maximum number of color-pairs on the
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 4
terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
Cap- Termcap
Variable name Code Description
screen
micro_col_size mcs Yf Character step size when in micro mode
micro_line_size mls Yg Line step size when in micro mode
no_color_video ncv NC Video attributes that can't be used
with colors
number_of_pins npins Yh Number of pins in print-head
num_labels nlab Nl Number of labels on screen (start at 1)
output_res_char orc Yi Horizontal resolution in units per character
output_res_line orl Yj Vertical resolution in units per line
output_res_horz_inch orhi Yk Horizontal resolution in units per inch
output_res_vert_inch orvi Yl Vertical resolution in units per inch
padding_baud_rate pb pb Lowest baud rate where padding needed
print_rate cps Ym Print rate in characters per
inch
virtual_terminal vt vt Virtual terminal number (UNIX system)
wide_char_size widcs Yn Character step size when in double
wide mode
width_status_line wsl ws Number of columns in status line
Strings
The following table lists the general string values. The
strings sent by specific keys are listed in the ``Key
Strings'' section following this one.
Cap- Termcap
Variable name Code Description
acs_chars acsc ac Graphic charset pairs aAbBcC
alt_scancode_esc scesca S8 Alternate escape for scancode emulation
(default is for vt100)
back_tab cbt bt Back tab
bell bel bl Audible signal (bell)
bit_image_carriage_return bicr Yv Move to beginning of same row (use tparm)
bit_image_newline binel Zz Move to next row of the bit image (use tparm)
bit_image_repeat birep Zy Repeat bit-image cell #1 #2 times (use tparm)
carriage_return cr cr Carriage return
change_char_pitch cpi ZA Change number of characters per inch
change_line_pitch lpi ZB Change number of lines per inch
change_res_horz chr ZC Change horizontal resolution
change_res_vert cvr ZD Change vertical resolution
change_scroll_region csr cs Change to lines #1 through #2 (vt100)
char_padding rmp rP Like ip but when in replace mode
char_set_names csnm Zy List of character set names
clear_all_tabs tbc ct Clear all tab stops
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 5
terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
Cap- Termcap
Variable name Code Description
clear_margins mgc MC Clear all margins (top, bottom,
and sides)
clear_screen clear cl Clear screen and home cursor
clr_bol el1 cb Clear to beginning of line, inclusive
clr_eol el ce Clear to end of line
clr_eos ed cd Clear to end of display
code_set_init csin ci Init sequence for multiple codesets
color_names colornm Yw Give name for color #1
column_address hpa ch Horizontal position absolute
command_character cmdch CC Terminal settable cmd character
in prototype
create_window cwin CW Define win #1 to go from #2, #3 to #4, #5
cursor_address cup cm Move to row #1 col #2
cursor_down cud1 do Down one line
cursor_home home ho Home cursor (if no cup)
cursor_invisible civis vi Make cursor invisible
cursor_left cub1 le Move left one space.
cursor_mem_address mrcup CM Memory relative cursor addressing
cursor_normal cnorm ve Make cursor appear normal
(undo vs/vi)
cursor_right cuf1 nd Non-destructive space (cursor or
carriage right)
cursor_to_ll ll ll Last line, first column (if no cup)
cursor_up cuu1 up Upline (cursor up)
cursor_visible cvvis vs Make cursor very visible
define_bit_image_region defbi Yx Define rectangular bit-image region
(use tparm)
define_char defc ZE Define a character in a character set
delete_character dch1 dc Delete character
delete_line dl1 dl Delete line
device_type devt dv Indicate language/codeset support
dial_phone dial DI Dial phone number #1
dis_status_line dsl ds Disable status line
display_clock dclk DK Display time-of-day clock
display_pc_char dispc S1 Display PC character
down_half_line hd hd Half-line down (forward 1/2 linefeed)
ena_acs enacs eA Enable alternate character set
end_bit_image_region endbi Yy End a bit-image region (use tparm)
enter_alt_charset_mode smacs as Start alternate character set
enter_am_mode smam SA Turn on automatic margins
enter_blink_mode blink mb Turn on blinking
enter_bold_mode bold md Turn on bold (extra bright) mode
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 6
terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
Cap- Termcap
Variable name Code Description
enter_ca_mode smcup ti String to begin programs that use cup
enter_delete_mode smdc dm Delete mode (enter)
enter_dim_mode dim mh Turn on half-bright mode
enter_doublewide_mode swidm ZF Enable double wide printing
enter_draft_quality sdrfq ZG Set draft quality print
enter_insert_mode smir im Insert mode (enter)
enter_italics_mode sitm ZH Enable italics
enter_leftward_mode slm ZI Enable leftward carriage motion
enter_micro_mode smicm ZJ Enable micro motion capabilities
enter_near_letter_quality snlq ZK Set near-letter quality print
enter_normal_quality snrmq ZL Set normal quality print
enter_pc_charset_mode smpch S2 Enter PC character display mode
enter_protected_mode prot mp Turn on protected mode
enter_reverse_mode rev mr Turn on reverse video mode
enter_scancode_mode smsc S4 Enter PC scancode mode
enter_secure_mode invis mk Turn on blank mode
(characters invisible)
enter_shadow_mode sshm ZM Enable shadow printing
enter_standout_mode smso so Begin standout mode
enter_subscript_mode ssubm ZN Enable subscript printing
enter_superscript_mode ssupm ZO Enable superscript printing
enter_underline_mode smul us Start underscore mode
enter_upward_mode sum ZP Enable upward carriage motion
enter_xon_mode smxon SX Turn on xon/xoff handshaking
erase_chars ech ec Erase #1 characters
exit_alt_charset_mode rmacs ae End alternate character set
exit_am_mode rmam RA Turn off automatic margins
exit_attribute_mode sgr0 me Turn off all attributes
exit_ca_mode rmcup te String to end programs that use cup
exit_delete_mode rmdc ed End delete mode
exit_doublewide_mode rwidm ZQ Disable double wide printing
exit_insert_mode rmir ei End insert mode
exit_italics_mode ritm ZR Disable italics
exit_leftward_mode rlm ZS Enable rightward (normal)
carriage motion
exit_micro_mode rmicm ZT Disable micro motion capabilities
exit_pc_charset_mode rmpch S3 Disable PC character display mode
exit_scancode_mode rmsc S5 Disable PC scancode mode
exit_shadow_mode rshm ZU Disable shadow printing
exit_standout_mode rmso se End standout mode
exit_subscript_mode rsubm ZV Disable subscript printing
exit_superscript_mode rsupm ZW Disable superscript printing
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 7
terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
Cap- Termcap
Variable name Code Description
exit_underline_mode rmul ue End underscore mode
exit_upward_mode rum ZX Enable downward (normal)
carriage motion
exit_xon_mode rmxon RX Turn off xon/xoff handshaking
fixed_pause pause PA Pause for 2-3 seconds
flash_hook hook fh Flash the switch hook
flash_screen flash vb Visible bell (may not move cursor)
form_feed ff ff Hardcopy terminal page eject
from_status_line fsl fs Return from status line
get_mouse getm Gm Curses should get button events
goto_window wingo WG Goto window #1
hangup hup HU Hang-up phone
init_1string is1 i1 Terminal or printer initialization string
init_2string is2 is Terminal or printer initialization string
init_3string is3 i3 Terminal or printer initialization string
init_file if if Name of initialization file
init_prog iprog iP Path name of program for initialization
initialize_color initc Ic Initialize the definition of color
initialize_pair initp Ip Initialize color-pair
insert_character ich1 ic Insert character
insert_line il1 al Add new blank line
insert_padding ip ip Insert pad after character inserted
keypad_local rmkx ke Out of ``keypad-transmit'' mode
keypad_xmit smkx ks Put terminal in ``keypad-transmit'' mode
lab_f0 lf0 l0 Labels on function key f0 if not f0
lab_f1 lf1 l1 Labels on function key f1 if not f1
lab_f10 lf10 la Labels on function key f10 if not f10
lab_f2 lf2 l2 Labels on function key f2 if not f2
lab_f3 lf3 l3 Labels on function key f3 if not f3
lab_f4 lf4 l4 Labels on function key f4 if not f4
lab_f5 lf5 l5 Labels on function key f5 if not f5
lab_f6 lf6 l6 Labels on function key f6 if not f6
lab_f7 lf7 l7 Labels on function key f7 if not f7
lab_f8 lf8 l8 Labels on function key f8 if not f8
lab_f9 lf9 l9 Labels on function key f9 if not f9
label_format fln Lf Label format
label_off rmln LF Turn off soft labels
label_on smln LO Turn on soft labels
meta_off rmm mo Turn off ``meta mode''
meta_on smm mm Turn on ``meta mode'' (8th bit)
micro_column_address mhpa ZY Like column_address for micro
adjustment
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 8
terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
Cap- Termcap
Variable name Code Description
micro_down mcud1 ZZ Like cursor_down for micro adjustment
micro_left mcub1 Za Like cursor_left for micro adjustment
micro_right mcuf1 Zb Like cursor_right for micro
adjustment
micro_row_address mvpa Zc Like row_address for micro adjustment
micro_up mcuu1 Zd Like cursor_up for micro adjustment
mouse_info minfo Mi Mouse status information
newline nel nw Newline (behaves like cr followed
by lf)
order_of_pins porder Ze Matches software bits to print-head pins
orig_colors oc oc Set all color(-pair)s to the original ones
orig_pair op op Set default color-pair to the original one
pad_char pad pc Pad character (rather than null)
parm_dch dch DC Delete #1 chars
parm_delete_line dl DL Delete #1 lines
parm_down_cursor cud DO Move down #1 lines.
parm_down_micro mcud Zf Like parm_down_cursor for micro
adjust.
parm_ich ich IC Insert #1 blank chars
parm_index indn SF Scroll forward #1 lines.
parm_insert_line il AL Add #1 new blank lines
parm_left_cursor cub LE Move cursor left #1 spaces
parm_left_micro mcub Zg Like parm_left_cursor for micro
adjust.
parm_right_cursor cuf RI Move right #1 spaces.
parm_right_micro mcuf Zh Like parm_right_cursor for micro
adjust.
parm_rindex rin SR Scroll backward #1 lines.
parm_up_cursor cuu UP Move cursor up #1 lines.
parm_up_micro mcuu Zi Like parm_up_cursor for micro adjust.
pc_term_options pctrm S6 PC terminal options
pkey_key pfkey pk Prog funct key #1 to type string #2
pkey_local pfloc pl Prog funct key #1 to execute string #2
pkey_plab pfxl xl Prog key #1 to xmit string #2 and show string #3
pkey_xmit pfx px Prog funct key #1 to xmit string #2
plab_norm pln pn Prog label #1 to show string #2
print_screen mc0 ps Print contents of the screen
prtr_non mc5p pO Turn on the printer for #1 bytes
prtr_off mc4 pf Turn off the printer
prtr_on mc5 po Turn on the printer
pulse pulse PU Select pulse dialing
quick_dial qdial QD Dial phone number #1, without progress detection
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 9
terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
Cap- Termcap
Variable name Code Description
remove_clock rmclk RC Remove time-of-day clock
repeat_char rep rp Repeat char #1 #2 times
req_for_input rfi RF Send next input char (for ptys)
req_mouse_pos reqmp RQ Request mouse position report
reset_1string rs1 r1 Reset terminal completely to sane modes
reset_2string rs2 r2 Reset terminal completely to sane modes
reset_3string rs3 r3 Reset terminal completely to sane modes
reset_file rf rf Name of file containing reset string
restore_cursor rc rc Restore cursor to position of last sc
row_address vpa cv Vertical position absolute
save_cursor sc sc Save cursor position
scancode_escape scesc S7 Escape for scancode emulation
scroll_forward ind sf Scroll text up
scroll_reverse ri sr Scroll text down
select_char_set scs Zj Select character set
set0_des_seq s0ds s0 Shift into codeset 0 (EUC set 0, ASCII)
set1_des_seq s1ds s1 Shift into codeset 1
set2_des_seq s2ds s2 Shift into codeset 2
set3_des_seq s3ds s3 Shift into codeset 3
set_a_background setab AB Set background color using ANSI escape
set_a_foreground setaf AF Set foreground color using ANSI escape
set_attributes sgr sa Define the video attributes #1-#9
set_background setb Sb Set current background color
set_bottom_margin smgb Zk Set bottom margin at current line
set_bottom_margin_parm smgbp Zl Set bottom margin at line #1 or #2
lines from bottom
set_clock sclk SC Set time-of-day clock.
set_color_band setcolor Yz Change to ribbon color #1
set_color_pair scp sp Set current color-pair
set_foreground setf Sf Set current foreground color1
set_left_margin smgl ML Set left margin at current line
set_left_margin_parm smglp Zm Set left (right) margin at column #1 (#2)
set_lr_margin smglr ML Sets both left and right margins
set_page_length slines YZ Set page length to #1 lines (use tparm)
set_pglen_inch slength YI Set page length to #1 hundredths of an inch (use tparm)
set_right_margin smgr MR Set right margin at current column
set_right_margin_parm smgrp Zn Set right margin at column #1
set_tab hts st Set a tab in all rows, current column
set_tb_margin smgtb MT Sets both top and bottom margins
set_top_margin smgt Zo Set top margin at current line
set_top_margin_parm smgtp Zp Set top (bottom) margin at line #1 (#2)
set_window wind wi Current window is lines #1-#2 cols #3-#4
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 10
terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
Cap- Termcap
Variable name Code Description
start_bit_image sbim Zq Start printing bit image graphics
start_char_set_def scsd Zr Start definition of a character set
stop_bit_image rbim Zs End printing bit image graphics
stop_char_set_def rcsd Zt End definition of a character set
subscript_characters subcs Zu List of ``subscript-able'' characters
superscript_characters supcs Zv List of ``superscript-able'' characters
tab ht ta Tab to next 8-space hardware tab stop
these_cause_cr docr Zw Printing any of these chars causes cr
to_status_line tsl ts Go to status line, col #1
tone tone TO Select touch tone dialing
underline_char uc uc Underscore one char and move past it
up_half_line hu hu Half-line up (reverse 1/2 linefeed)
user0 u0 u0 User string 0
user1 u1 u1 User string 1
user2 u2 u2 User string 2
user3 u3 u3 User string 3
user4 u4 u4 User string 4
user5 u5 u5 User string 5
user6 u6 u6 User string 6
user7 u7 u7 User string 7
user8 u8 u8 User string 8
user9 u9 u9 User string 9
wait_tone wait WA Wait for dial tone.
xoff_character xoffc XF X-off character
xon_character xonc XN X-on character
zero_motion zerom Zx No motion for the subsequent character
Key Strings
The ``key_'' strings are sent by specific keys. The ``key_''
descriptions include the macro, defined in curses.h, for the
code returned by the curses routine getch when the key is
pressed [see curs_getch(3curses)].
Cap- Termcap
Variable name Code Description
key_a1 ka1 K1 KEY_A1, upper left of keypad
key_a3 ka3 K3 KEY_A3, upper right of keypad
key_b2 kb2 K2 KEY_B2, center of keypad
key_backspace kbs kb KEY_BACKSPACE, sent by backspace key
key_beg kbeg @1 KEY_BEG, sent by beg(inning) key
key_btab kcbt kB KEY_BTAB, sent by back-tab key
key_c1 kc1 K4 KEY_C1, lower left of keypad
key_c3 kc3 K5 KEY_C3, lower right of keypad
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 11
terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
Cap- Termcap
Variable name Code Description
key_cancel kcan @2 KEY_CANCEL, sent by cancel key
key_catab ktbc ka KEY_CATAB, sent by clear-all-tabs key
key_clear kclr kC KEY_CLEAR, sent by clear-screen or
erase key
key_close kclo @3 KEY_CLOSE, sent by close key
key_command kcmd @4 KEY_COMMAND, sent by cmd (command)
key
key_copy kcpy @5 KEY_COPY, sent by copy key
key_create kcrt @6 KEY_CREATE, sent by create key
key_ctab kctab kt KEY_CTAB, sent by clear-tab key
key_dc kdch1 kD KEY_DC, sent by delete-character key
key_dl kdl1 kL KEY_DL, sent by delete-line key
key_down kcud1 kd KEY_DOWN, sent by terminal
down-arrow key
key_eic krmir kM KEY_EIC, sent by rmir or smir in
insert mode
key_end kend @7 KEY_END, sent by end key
key_enter kent @8 KEY_ENTER, sent by enter/send key
key_eol kel kE KEY_EOL, sent by clear-to-end-of-line
key
key_eos ked kS KEY_EOS, sent by clear-to-end-of-screen
key
key_exit kext @9 KEY_EXIT, sent by exit key
key_f0 kf0 k0 KEY_F(0), sent by function key f0
key_f1 kf1 k1 KEY_F(1), sent by function key f1
key_f2 kf2 k2 KEY_F(2), sent by function key f2
key_f3 kf3 k3 KEY_F(3), sent by function key f3
key_f4 kf4 k4 KEY_F(4), sent by function key f4
key_f5 kf5 k5 KEY_F(5), sent by function key f5
key_f6 kf6 k6 KEY_F(6), sent by function key f6
key_f7 kf7 k7 KEY_F(7), sent by function key f7
key_f8 kf8 k8 KEY_F(8), sent by function key f8
key_f9 kf9 k9 KEY_F(9), sent by function key f9
key_f10 kf10 k; KEY_F(10), sent by function key f10
key_f11 kf11 F1 KEY_F(11), sent by function key f11
key_f12 kf12 F2 KEY_F(12), sent by function key f12
key_f13 kf13 F3 KEY_F(13), sent by function key f13
key_f14 kf14 F4 KEY_F(14), sent by function key f14
key_f15 kf15 F5 KEY_F(15), sent by function key f15
key_f16 kf16 F6 KEY_F(16), sent by function key f16
key_f17 kf17 F7 KEY_F(17), sent by function key f17
key_f18 kf18 F8 KEY_F(18), sent by function key f18
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 12
terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
Cap- Termcap
Variable name Code Description
key_f19 kf19 F9 KEY_F(19), sent by function key f19
key_f20 kf20 FA KEY_F(20), sent by function key f20
key_f21 kf21 FB KEY_F(21), sent by function key f21
key_f22 kf22 FC KEY_F(22), sent by function key f22
key_f23 kf23 FD KEY_F(23), sent by function key f23
key_f24 kf24 FE KEY_F(24), sent by function key f24
key_f25 kf25 FF KEY_F(25), sent by function key f25
key_f26 kf26 FG KEY_F(26), sent by function key f26
key_f27 kf27 FH KEY_F(27), sent by function key f27
key_f28 kf28 FI KEY_F(28), sent by function key f28
key_f29 kf29 FJ KEY_F(29), sent by function key f29
key_f30 kf30 FK KEY_F(30), sent by function key f30
key_f31 kf31 FL KEY_F(31), sent by function key f31
key_f32 kf32 FM KEY_F(32), sent by function key f32
key_f33 kf33 FN KEY_F(13), sent by function key f13
key_f34 kf34 FO KEY_F(34), sent by function key f34
key_f35 kf35 FP KEY_F(35), sent by function key f35
key_f36 kf36 FQ KEY_F(36), sent by function key f36
key_f37 kf37 FR KEY_F(37), sent by function key f37
key_f38 kf38 FS KEY_F(38), sent by function key f38
key_f39 kf39 FT KEY_F(39), sent by function key f39
key_f40 kf40 FU KEY_F(40), sent by function key f40
key_f41 kf41 FV KEY_F(41), sent by function key f41
key_f42 kf42 FW KEY_F(42), sent by function key f42
key_f43 kf43 FX KEY_F(43), sent by function key f43
key_f44 kf44 FY KEY_F(44), sent by function key f44
key_f45 kf45 FZ KEY_F(45), sent by function key f45
key_f46 kf46 Fa KEY_F(46), sent by function key f46
key_f47 kf47 Fb KEY_F(47), sent by function key f47
key_f48 kf48 Fc KEY_F(48), sent by function key f48
key_f49 kf49 Fd KEY_F(49), sent by function key f49
key_f50 kf50 Fe KEY_F(50), sent by function key f50
key_f51 kf51 Ff KEY_F(51), sent by function key f51
key_f52 kf52 Fg KEY_F(52), sent by function key f52
key_f53 kf53 Fh KEY_F(53), sent by function key f53
key_f54 kf54 Fi KEY_F(54), sent by function key f54
key_f55 kf55 Fj KEY_F(55), sent by function key f55
key_f56 kf56 Fk KEY_F(56), sent by function key f56
key_f57 kf57 Fl KEY_F(57), sent by function key f57
key_f58 kf58 Fm KEY_F(58), sent by function key f58
key_f59 kf59 Fn KEY_F(59), sent by function key f59
key_f60 kf60 Fo KEY_F(60), sent by function key f60
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 13
terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
Cap- Termcap
Variable name Code Description
key_f61 kf61 Fp KEY_F(61), sent by function key f61
key_f62 kf62 Fq KEY_F(62), sent by function key f62
key_f63 kf63 Fr KEY_F(63), sent by function key f63
key_find kfnd @0 KEY_FIND, sent by find key
key_help khlp %1 KEY_HELP, sent by help key
key_home khome kh KEY_HOME, sent by home key
key_ic kich1 kI KEY_IC, sent by ins-char/enter
ins-mode key
key_il kil1 kA KEY_IL, sent by insert-line key
key_left kcub1 kl KEY_LEFT, sent by terminal left-arrow
key
key_ll kll kH KEY_LL, sent by home-down key
key_mark kmrk %2 KEY_MARK, sent by mark key
key_message kmsg %3 KEY_MESSAGE, sent by message key
key_mouse kmous Km Mouse event has occurred
key_move kmov %4 KEY_MOVE, sent by move key
key_next knxt %5 KEY_NEXT, sent by next-object key
key_npage knp kN KEY_NPAGE, sent by next-page key
key_open kopn %6 KEY_OPEN, sent by open key
key_options kopt %7 KEY_OPTIONS, sent by options key
key_ppage kpp kP KEY_PPAGE, sent by previous-page key
key_previous kprv %8 KEY_PREVIOUS, sent by previous-object
key
key_print kprt %9 KEY_PRINT, sent by print or copy key
key_redo krdo %0 KEY_REDO, sent by redo key
key_reference kref &1 KEY_REFERENCE, sent by ref(erence) key
key_refresh krfr &2 KEY_REFRESH, sent by refresh key
key_replace krpl &3 KEY_REPLACE, sent by replace key
key_restart krst &4 KEY_RESTART, sent by restart key
key_resume kres &5 KEY_RESUME, sent by resume key
key_right kcuf1 kr KEY_RIGHT, sent by terminal
right-arrow key
key_save ksav &6 KEY_SAVE, sent by save key
key_sbeg kBEG &9 KEY_SBEG, sent by shifted beginning key
key_scancel kCAN &0 KEY_SCANCEL, sent by shifted cancel key
key_scommand kCMD *1 KEY_SCOMMAND, sent by shifted
command key
key_scopy kCPY *2 KEY_SCOPY, sent by shifted copy key
key_screate kCRT *3 KEY_SCREATE, sent by shifted create key
key_sdc kDC *4 KEY_SDC, sent by shifted delete-char key
key_sdl kDL *5 KEY_SDL, sent by shifted delete-line key
key_select kslt *6 KEY_SELECT, sent by select key
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 14
terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
Cap- Termcap
Variable name Code Description
key_send kEND *7 KEY_SEND, sent by shifted end key
key_seol kEOL *8 KEY_SEOL, sent by shifted clear-line key
key_sexit kEXT *9 KEY_SEXIT, sent by shifted exit key
key_sf kind kF KEY_SF, sent by scroll-forward/down
key
key_sfind kFND *0 KEY_SFIND, sent by shifted find key
key_shelp kHLP #1 KEY_SHELP, sent by shifted help key
key_shome kHOM #2 KEY_SHOME, sent by shifted home key
key_sic kIC #3 KEY_SIC, sent by shifted input key
key_sleft kLFT #4 KEY_SLEFT, sent by shifted left-arrow
key
key_smessage kMSG %a KEY_SMESSAGE, sent by shifted message
key
key_smove kMOV %b KEY_SMOVE, sent by shifted move key
key_snext kNXT %c KEY_SNEXT, sent by shifted next key
key_soptions kOPT %d KEY_SOPTIONS, sent by shifted options
key
key_sprevious kPRV %e KEY_SPREVIOUS, sent by shifted prev
key
key_sprint kPRT %f KEY_SPRINT, sent by shifted print key
key_sr kri kR KEY_SR, sent by scroll-backward/up
key
key_sredo kRDO %g KEY_SREDO, sent by shifted redo key
key_sreplace kRPL %h KEY_SREPLACE, sent by shifted replace
key
key_sright kRIT %i KEY_SRIGHT, sent by shifted
right-arrow key
key_srsume kRES %j KEY_SRSUME, sent by shifted resume
key
key_ssave kSAV !1 KEY_SSAVE, sent by shifted save key
key_ssuspend kSPD !2 KEY_SSUSPEND, sent by shifted suspend
key
key_stab khts kT KEY_STAB, sent by set-tab key
key_sundo kUND !3 KEY_SUNDO, sent by shifted undo key
key_suspend kspd &7 KEY_SUSPEND, sent by
suspend key
key_undo kund &8 KEY_UNDO, sent by undo key
key_up kcuu1 ku KEY_UP, sent by terminal up-arrow key
Sample Entry
The following entry, which describes the WyseO 30 terminal, is
among the more complex entries in the terminfo file as of this
writing.
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 15
terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
# The following terminfo entries are directly from:
# Wyse Technology
# 3571 North First Street
# San Jose, CA 95134
#
# WYSE
wy30|wyse30|Wyse 30,
acsc=0wa_h[jukslrmqnxqzttuyv]wpxv, am, bel=^G, blink=EG2, bw,
cbt=EI, civis=E`0, clear=E*$<80>, cnorm=E`1, cols#80, cr=^M,
cub1=^H, cud1=^J, cuf1=^L, cup=E=%p1%' '%+%c%p2%' '%+%c, cuu1=^K,
dch1=EW$<10>, dim=EGp, dl1=ER$<1>, dsl=EF^M,
ed=Ey$<80>, el=Et, fsl=^M,
home=^^, hs, ht=^I$<1>, hts=E1,
.ich1=EQ, il1=EE$<2>, ind=^J$<2>, invis=EG1, ip=$<2>,
is2=E'E(E3E`9^N^T,
kbs=^H, kcbt=EI, kcub1=^H, kcud1=^J, kcuf1=^L, kcuu1=^K, kdch1=EW,
kdl1=ER, kent=E7, ked=EY, kel=ET, kf1=^A@^M, kf2=^AA^M,
kf3=^AB^M, kf4=^AC^M, kf5=^AD^M, kf6=^AE^M, kf7=^AF^M, kf8=^AG^M,
kHOM=E{, khome=^^, kich1=EQ, kil1=EE, knp=EK, kpp=EJ, krpl=Er,
lh#1, lines#24, ll=^^^K, lw#8,
mc0=EP, mc4=^T, mc5=^R, mir, nel=^M^J, nlab#8,
pfx=Ez%p1%'?'%+%c%p2%s177, pln=Ez%p1%'/'%+%c%p2%s^M, prot=EG0E),
rev=EG4, ri=Ej$<3>, rmacs=EG0EH^C, rmir=Er, rmln=EA11,
rmso=EG0, rmul=EG0,
sgr=EG%'0'%?%p2%p6%|%t%{8}%|%;%?%p1%p3%|%p6%|%t%{4}%|%;%?%p4%t%{2}%|%;%?
%p5%t%{64} %|%;%?%p7%t%{1}%|%;%c%?%p8%tE)%eE(%;%?%p9%tEH^B%eEH^C%;,
sgr0=EG0E(EH^C, smacs=EG0EH^B, smir=Eq, smln=EA10, smso=EG4,
smul=EG8, tbc=E0, tsl=EF, wsl#45, xmc#1, xon,
# The manditory pause used by flash does not work with
# older versions of terminfo. If you see this effect then
# unset xon and delete the / from the delay.
# i.e. change $<100/> to $<100>
wy30-vb|wyse30-vb|wyse 30 Visible bell,
flash=E`8$<100/>E`9, use=wy30,
wy30n|wy30nam|wy30-nam|Wyse 30 with no auto margins,
am@, use=wy30,
#
Types of Capabilities in the Sample Entry
The sample entry shows the formats for the three types of
terminfo capabilities listed: Boolean, numeric, and string.
All capabilities specified in the terminfo source file must be
followed by commas, including the last capability in the
source file. In terminfo source files, capabilities are
referenced by their capability names (as shown in the previous
tables).
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 16
terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
Boolean capabilities are specified simply by their comma
separated Capnames.
Numeric capabilities are followed by the character `#' and
then a positive integer value. (Values for numeric
capabilities may be specified in decimal, octal, or
hexadecimal, using normal C programming language conventions.)
Finally, string-valued capabilities such as el (clear to end
of line sequence) are listed by a two- to five-character
capname, an `=', and a string ended by the next occurrence of
a comma. A delay in milliseconds may appear anywhere in such
a capability, preceded by $ and enclosed in angle brackets, as
in el=\EK$<3>. Padding characters are supplied by tput. The
delay can be any of the following: a number, a number followed
by an asterisk, such as 5*, a number followed by a slash, such
as 5/, or a number followed by both, such as 5*/. A `*' shows
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
characters, the factor is still the number of lines affected.
This is always 1 unless the device has in and the software
uses it.) When a `*' 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. If a device
has xon defined, the padding information is advisory and will
only be used for cost estimates or when the device is in raw
mode. Mandatory padding will be transmitted regardless of the
setting of xon. If padding (whether advisory or mandatory) is
specified for bel or flash, however, it will always be used,
regardless of whether xon is specified.
terminfo offers notation for encoding special characters.
Both \E and \e map to an ESCAPE character, ^x maps to a
control 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 will actually
produce \200, which does not terminate a string but behaves as
a null character on most devices, providing CS7 is specified.
[See stty(1).] Finally, characters may be given as three
octal digits after a backslash (for example, \123).
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 17
terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
Sometimes individual capabilities must be commented out. To
do this, put a period before the capability name. For
example, see the second ind in the example above. Note that
capabilities are defined in a left-to-right order and,
therefore, a prior definition will override a later
definition.
Preparing Descriptions
The most effective way to prepare a device description is by
imitating the description of a similar device in terminfo and
building up a description gradually, using partial
descriptions with vi to check that they are correct. Be aware
that a very unusual device may expose deficiencies in the
ability of the terminfo file to describe it or the inability
of vi to work with that device. To test a new device
description, set the environment variable TERMINFO to the
pathname of a directory containing the compiled description
you are working on and programs will look there rather than in
/usr/share/lib/terminfo. To get the padding for insert-line
correct (if the device manufacturer did not document it) a
severe test is to comment out xon, edit a large file at 9600
baud with vi, delete 16 or so lines from the middle of the
screen, and then press the u key several times quickly. If
the display is corrupted, more padding is usually needed. A
similar test can be used for insert-character.
Section 1-1: Basic Capabilities
The number of columns on each line for the device is given by
the cols numeric capability. If the device has a screen, then
the number of lines on the screen is given by the lines
capability. If the device wraps around to the beginning of
the next line when it reaches the right margin, then it should
have the am capability. If the terminal can clear its screen,
leaving the cursor in the home position, then this is given by
the clear string capability. If the terminal overstrikes
(rather than clearing a position when a character is struck
over) then it should have the os capability. If the device is
a printing terminal, with no soft copy unit, specify both hc
and os. If there is a way to move the cursor to the left edge
of the current row, specify this as cr. (Normally this will
be carriage return, control M.) If there is a way to produce
an audible signal (such as a bell or a beep), specify it as
bel. If, like most devices, the device uses the xon-xoff
flow-control protocol, specify xon.
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 18
terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
If there is a way to move the cursor one position to the left
(such as backspace), that capability should be given as cub1.
Similarly, sequences to move to the right, up, and down should
be given as cuf1, cuu1, and cud1, respectively. These local
cursor motions must 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.
A very important point here is 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 go up locally off the top. To scroll text up, a
program goes to the bottom left corner of the screen and sends
the ind (index) string.
To scroll text down, a program goes to the top left corner of
the screen and sends the ri (reverse index) string. The
strings ind and ri are undefined when not on their respective
corners of the screen.
Parameterized versions of the scrolling sequences are indn and
rin. These versions have the same semantics as ind and ri,
except that they take one parameter and scroll the number of
lines specified by that parameter. They are also undefined
except at the appropriate edge of the screen.
The am capability tells whether the cursor sticks at the right
edge of the screen when text is output, but this does not
necessarily apply to a cuf1 from the last column. Backward
motion from the left edge of the screen is possible only when
bw is specified. In this case, cub1 will move to the right
edge of the previous row. If bw is not given, the effect is
undefined. This is useful for drawing a box around the edge
of the screen, for example. If the device has switch
selectable automatic margins, am should be specified in the
terminfo source file. In this case, initialization strings
should turn on this option, if possible. If the device has a
command that 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 device has no cr and lf it may still be possible to craft
a working nel out of one or both of them.
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 19
terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
These capabilities suffice to describe hardcopy and screen
terminals. Thus the AT&T 5320 hardcopy terminal is described
as follows:
5320|att5320|AT&T 5320 hardcopy terminal,
am, hc, os,
cols#132,
bel=^G, cr=\r, cub1=\b, cnd1=\n,
dch1=\E[P, dl1=\E[M,
ind=\n,
while the Lear Siegler ADM-3 is described as
adm3|lsi adm3,
am, bel=^G, clear=^Z, cols#80, cr=^M, cub1=^H,
cud1=^J, ind=^J, lines#24,
Section 1-2: Parameterized Strings
Cursor addressing and other strings requiring parameters are
described by a parameterized string capability, with printf-
like escapes (%x) in it. For example, to address the cursor,
the cup capability is given, using two parameters: the row and
column to address to. (Rows and columns are numbered from
zero and refer to the physical screen visible to the user, not
to any unseen memory.) If the terminal has memory relative
cursor addressing, that can be indicated by mrcup.
The parameter mechanism uses a stack and special % codes to
manipulate the stack in the manner of Reverse Polish Notation
(postfix). Typically a sequence will push one of the
parameters onto the stack and then print it in some format.
Often more complex operations are necessary. Operations are
in postfix form with the operands in the usual order. That
is, to subtract 5 from the first parameter, one would use
%p1%{5}%-.
The % encodings have the following meanings:
%% outputs `%'
%[[:]flags][width[.precision]][doxXs]
as in printf, flags are [-+#] and space
%c print pop gives %c
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 20
terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
%p[1-9] push ith parm
%P[a-z] set dynamic variable [a-z] to pop
%g[a-z] get dynamic variable [a-z] and push it
%P[A-Z] set static variable [a-z] to pop
%g[A-Z] get static variable [a-z] and push it
%'c' push char constant c
%{nn} push decimal constant nn
%l push strlen(pop)
%+ %- %* %/ %m
arithmetic (%m is mod): push(pop integer2 op pop
integer1) where integer1 is the top of the stack
%& %| %^ bit operations: push(pop integer2 op pop integer1)
%= %> %< logical operations: push(pop integer2 op pop
integer1)
%A %O logical operations: and, or
%! %~ unary operations: push(op pop)
%i (for ANSI terminals) add 1 to first parm, if one
parm present, or first two parms, if more than one
parm present
%? expr %t thenpart %e elsepart %;
if-then-else; %e elsepart is optional; else-if's
are possible ala Algol 68:
%? c1 %t b1 %e c2 %t b2 %e c3 %t b3 %e c4 %t b4 %e b5%;
ci are conditions, bi are bodies.
If the ``-'' flag is used with ``%[doxXs]'', then a colon (:)
must be placed between the ``%'' and the ``-'' to
differentiate the flag from the binary ``%-'' operator, for
example, ``%:-16.16s''.
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 21
terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
Consider the Hewlett-Packard 2645, which, to get to row 3 and
column 12, needs to be sent \E&a12c03Y padded for 6
milliseconds. Note that the order of the rows and columns is
inverted here, and that the row and column are zero-padded as
two digits. Thus its cup capability is:
cup=\E&a%p2%2.2dc%p1%2.2dY$<6>
The Micro-Term ACT-IV needs the current row and column sent
preceded by a ^T, with the row and column simply encoded in
binary, ``cup=^T%p1%c%p2%c''. Devices that use ``%c'' need to
be able to backspace the cursor (cub1), and to move the cursor
up one line on the screen (cuu1). This is necessary because
it is not always safe to transmit \n, ^D, and \r, as the
system may change or discard them. (The library routines
dealing with terminfo set tty modes so that tabs are never
expanded, so \t is safe to send. This turns out to be
essential for the Ann Arbor 4080.)
A final example is the LSI ADM-3a, which uses row and column
offset by a blank character, thus
``cup=\E=%p1%'\s'%+%c%p2%'\s'%+%c''. After sending ``\E='',
this pushes the first parameter, pushes the ASCII value for a
space (32), adds them (pushing the sum on the stack in place
of the two previous values), and outputs that value as a
character. Then the same is done for the second parameter.
More complex arithmetic is possible using the stack.
Section 1-3: Cursor Motions
If the terminal has a fast way to home the cursor (to very
upper left corner of screen) then this can be given as home;
similarly a fast way of getting to the lower left-hand corner
can be given as ll; this may involve going up with cuu1 from
the home position, but a program should never do this itself
(unless ll does) because it can make no assumption about the
effect of moving up from the home position. Note that the
home position is the same as addressing to (0,0): to the top
left 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 device 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
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 22
terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
local motions (for example, 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 device does not have cup, such as the Tektronix
4025.
If the device needs to be in a special mode when running a
program that uses these capabilities, the codes to enter and
exit this mode can be given as smcup and rmcup. This arises,
for example, from terminals, such as the Concept, with more
than one page of memory. If the device has only memory
relative cursor addressing and not screen relative cursor
addressing, a one screen-sized window must be fixed into the
device for cursor addressing to work properly. This is also
used for the Tektronix 4025, where smcup sets the command
character to be the one used by terminfo. If the smcup
sequence will not restore the screen after an rmcup sequence
is output (to the state prior to outputting rmcup), specify
nrrmc.
Section 1-4: 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.)
Section 1-5: Insert/Delete Line
If the terminal can open a new blank line before the line
where the cursor is, this should be given as il1; this is done
only from the first position of a line. The cursor must then
appear on the newly blank line. If the terminal can delete
the line which the cursor is on, then this should be given as
dl1; this is done only from the first position on the line to
be deleted. Versions of il1 and dl1 which take a single
parameter and insert or delete that many lines can be given as
il and dl.
If the terminal has a settable destructive scrolling region
(like the VT100) the command to set this can be described with
the csr capability, which takes two parameters: the top and
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 23
terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
bottom lines of the scrolling region. The cursor position is,
alas, undefined after using this command. It is possible to
get the effect of insert or delete line using this command -
the sc and rc (save and restore cursor) commands are also
useful. 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
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.
Section 1-6: 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.
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
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 24
terminfo(4) terminfo(4)
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
should give the 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 that have an insert mode
and terminals which send a simple sequence to open a blank
position on the current line. Give as smir the sequence to
get into insert mode. Give as rmir the sequence to leave
insert mode. Now give as ich1 any sequence needed to be sent
just before sending the character to be inserted. Most
terminals with a true insert mode will not give ich1;
terminals that send a sequence to open a screen position
should give 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 option). Any other
sequence which may need to be sent after an insert of a single
character may also be given in ip. If your terminal needs
both to be placed into an `insert mode' and a special code to
precede each inserted character, then both smir/rmir and ich1
can be given, and both will be used. The ich capability, with
one parameter, n, will insert n blanks.
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 (for example, 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
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mir will affect only speed. Some terminals (notably
Datamedia's) must not have mir because of the way their insert
mode works.
Finally, you can specify dch1 to delete a single character,
dch with one parameter, n, to delete n characters, and delete
mode by giving smdc and rmdc to enter and exit delete mode
(any mode the terminal needs to be placed in for dch1 to
work).
A command to erase n characters (equivalent to outputting n
blanks without moving the cursor) can be given as ech with one
parameter.
Section 1-7: Highlighting, Underlining, and Visible Bells
Your device may have one or more kinds of display attributes
that allow you to highlight selected characters when they
appear on the screen. The following display modes (shown with
the names by which they are set) may be available: a blinking
screen (blink), bold or extra-bright characters (bold), dim or
half-bright characters (dim), blanking or invisible text
(invis), protected text (prot), a reverse-video screen (rev),
and an alternate character set (smacs to enter this mode and
rmacs to exit it). (If a command is necessary before you can
enter alternate character set mode, give the sequence in enacs
or ``enable alternate-character-set'' mode.) Turning on any
of these modes singly may or may not turn off other modes.
sgr0 should be used to turn off all video enhancement
capabilities. It should always be specified because it
represents the only way to turn off some capabilities, such as
dim or blink.
You should choose one display method as standout mode [see
curses(3curses)] and use it to highlight error messages and
other kinds of text to which you want to draw attention.
Choose a form of display that provides strong contrast but
that is easy on the eyes. (We recommend reverse-video plus
half-bright or reverse-video alone.) The sequences to enter
and exit standout mode are given as smso and rmso,
respectively. If the code to change into or out of standout
mode leaves one or even two blank spaces on the screen, as the
TVI 912 and Teleray 1061 do, then xmc should be given to tell
how many spaces are left.
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Sequences to begin underlining and end underlining can be
specified as smul and rmul , respectively. If the device has
a sequence to underline the current character and to move the
cursor one space to the right (such as the Micro-Term MIME),
this sequence can be specified as uc.
Terminals with the ``magic cookie'' glitch (xmc) deposit
special ``cookies'' when they receive mode-setting sequences,
which affect the display algorithm rather than having extra
bits for each character. Some terminals, such as the
Hewlett-Packard 2621, automatically leave standout mode when
they move to a new line or the cursor is addressed. Programs
using standout mode should exit standout mode before moving
the cursor or sending a newline, unless the msgr capability,
asserting that it is safe to move in standout mode, is
present.
If the terminal has a way of flashing the screen to indicate
an error quietly (a bell replacement), then this can be given
as flash; it must not move the cursor. A good flash can be
done by changing the screen into reverse video, pad for 200
ms, then return 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 your terminal generates underlined characters by using the
underline character (with no special sequences needed) even
though it does not otherwise overstrike characters, then you
should specify the capability ul. For devices on which a
character overstriking another leaves both characters on the
screen, specify the capability os. If overstrikes are
erasable with a blank, then this should be indicated by
specifying eo.
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 0 or non-zero, as the
corresponding attribute is on or off. The nine parameters
are, in order: standout, underline, reverse, blink, dim, bold,
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blank, protect, alternate character set. Not all modes need
to be supported by sgr; only those for which corresponding
separate attribute commands exist should be supported. For
example, let's assume that the terminal in question needs the
following escape sequences to turn on various modes.
tparm
parameter attribute escape sequence
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. Also note that, as
suggested above, standout is set up to be the combination of
reverse and dim. Also, because this terminal has no bold
mode, bold is set up as the combination of reverse and
underline. In addition, to allow combinations, such as
underline+blink, the sequence to use would be \E[0;3;5m. 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 is either ^O or ^N, depending on
whether it is 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 when 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%;
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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%;,
Remember that sgr and sgr0 must always be specified.
Section 1-8: Keypad
If the device has a keypad that transmits sequences when the
keys are pressed, this information can also be specified.
Note that it is not possible to handle devices where the
keypad only works in local (this applies, for example, to the
unshifted Hewlett-Packard 2621 keys). If the keypad can be
set to transmit or not transmit, specify these sequences as
smkx and rmkx. Otherwise the keypad is assumed to always
transmit.
The sequences 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 sequences they send can be
specified 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. 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 key), 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 specified as pfkey,
pfloc, and pfx. A string to program screen labels should be
specified as pln. Each of these strings takes two parameters:
a function key identifier and a string to program it with.
pfkey causes pressing the given key to be the same as the user
typing the given string; pfloc causes the string to be
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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 the number of programmable screen
labels and their width and height. If there are commands to
turn the labels on and off, give them in smln
and rmln. smln is normally output after one or more pln
sequences to make sure that the change becomes visible.
Section 1-9: Tabs and Initialization
If the device has hardware tabs, the command to advance to the
next tab stop can be given as ht (usually control I). A
``backtab'' command that moves leftward to the next tab stop
can be given as cbt. By convention, if tty modes show that
tabs are being expanded by the computer rather than being sent
to the device, programs should not use ht or cbt (even if they
are present) because the user may not have the tab stops
properly set. If the device has hardware tabs that are
initially set every n spaces when the device is powered up,
the numeric parameter it is given, showing the number of
spaces the tabs are set to. 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 device 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 device; iprog, the path name of a program to
be run to initialize the device; and if, the name of a file
containing long initialization strings. These strings are
expected to set the device into modes consistent with the rest
of the terminfo description. They must be sent to the device
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.
Most initialization is done with is2. Special device 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 reset from a totally unknown state can be
given as rs1, rs2, rf, and rs3, analogous to is1, is2, is3,
and if. (The method using files, if and rf, is used for a few
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terminals, from /usr/share/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 because 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.
Any margin can be cleared with mgc. (For instructions on how
to specify commands to set and clear margins, see ``Margins''
below under ``PRINTER CAPABILITIES.'')
Section 1-10: Delays
Certain capabilities control padding in the tty driver. These
are primarily needed by hard-copy terminals, and are used by
tput init to set tty modes appropriately. Delays embedded in
the capabilities cr, ind, cub1, ff, and tab can be used to set
the appropriate delay bits to be set in the tty driver. If pb
(padding baud rate) is given, these values can be ignored at
baud rates below the value of pb.
Section 1-11: 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 one 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 status line the cursor is to be moved to.
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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, for example, 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.
Section 1-12: Line Graphics
If the device 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.
vt100+
glyph name 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 te_ (|) v
|) w top tee (
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vertical line x
bullet ~
The best way to describe a new device's line graphics set is
to add a third column to the above table with the characters
for the new device that produce the appropriate glyph when the
device is in the alternate character set mode. For example,
vt100+ new tty
glyph name 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.''.
In addition, terminfo allows you to define multiple character
sets. See Section 2-5 for details.
Section 1-13: 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 user 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 user cannot define the foreground independently of
the background, or vice-versa. Instead, the user 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 of
terminals.
The numeric variables 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 ccc (can change
color). To change the definition of a color (Tektronix 4200
method), use initc (initialize color). It requires four
arguments: color number (ranging from 0 to colors-1) and three
RGB (red, green, and blue) values or three HLS colors (Hue,
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Lightness, Saturation). Ranges of RGB and HLS values are
terminal dependent.
Tektronix 4100 series terminals only use HLS color notation.
For such terminals (or dual-mode terminals to be operated in
HLS mode) one must define a boolean variable hls; that would
instruct the curses init_color routine to convert its RGB
arguments to HLS before sending them to the terminal. The
last three arguments to the initc string would then be HLS
values.
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.
To set current foreground or background to a given color, use
setaf (set ANSI foreground) and setab (set ANSI background).
They 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 (range=0 to pairs-1), and six RGB values: three for the
foreground followed by three for the background. (Each of
these groups of three should be in the order RGB.) When initc
or initp are 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 scp (set
color-pair). It takes one parameter, the number of a color-
pair.
Some terminals (for example, most color terminal emulators for
PCs) erase areas of the screen with current background color.
In such cases, bce (background color erase) should be defined.
The variable op (original pair) contains a sequence for
setting the foreground and the background colors to what they
were at the terminal start-up time. Similarly, oc (original
colors) contains a control 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 color terminals substitute color for video attributes.
Such video attributes should not be combined with colors.
Information about these video attributes should be packed into
the ncv (no color video) variable. There is a one-to-one
correspondence between the nine least significant bits of that
variable and the video attributes. The following table
depicts this correspondence.
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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 variable, 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).
Section 1-14: Miscellaneous
If the terminal requires other than a null (zero) character as
a pad, then this can be given as pad. Only the first
character of the pad string is used. If the terminal does not
have a pad character, specify npc.
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 control L).
If there is a command to repeat a given character a given
number of times (to save time transmitting a large number of
identical 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(repeat_char, 'x', 10) is the same
as xxxxxxxxxx.
If the terminal has a settable command character, such as the
Tektronix 4025, this can be indicated with cmdch. A prototype
command character is chosen which is used in all capabilities.
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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 device uses xon/xoff handshaking for flow control, give
xon. Padding information should still be included so that
routines can make better decisions about costs, but actual pad
characters will not be 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 ^S and ^Q, they
may be specified with xonc and xoffc.
If the terminal has a ``meta key'' which acts as a shift key,
setting the 8th bit of any character transmitted, this fact
can be indicated with km. Otherwise, software will assume
that the 8th bit is parity and it will usually be cleared. If
strings exist to turn this ``meta mode'' on and off, they can
be given as smm and rmm.
If the terminal has more lines of memory than will fit on the
screen at once, the number of lines of memory can be indicated
with lm. A value of lm#0 indicates that the number of lines
is not fixed, but that there is still more memory than fits on
the screen.
Media copy strings which control an auxiliary printer
connected to the terminal can be given as mc0: print the
contents of the screen, mc4: turn off the printer, and mc5:
turn on the printer. When the printer is on, all text sent to
the terminal will be sent to the printer. 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
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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.
Section 1-15: 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 that cannot display tilde (~) characters, such as
certain Hazeltine terminals, should indicate hz.
Terminals that ignore a linefeed immediately after an am wrap,
such as the Concept 100, should indicate xenl. Those
terminals whose cursor remains on the right-most column until
another character has been received, rather than wrapping
immediately upon receiving the right-most character, such as
the VT100, should also indicate xenl.
If el is required to get rid of standout (instead of writing
normal text on top of it), xhp should be given.
Those Teleray terminals whose tabs turn all characters moved
over to 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 necessary, instead, to use
delete and insert line.
Those Beehive Superbee terminals which do not transmit the
escape or control-C characters, should specify xsb, indicating
that the f1 key is to be used for escape and the f2 key for
control C.
Section 1-16: Similar Terminals
If there are two very similar terminals, 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
terminal. The capabilities given before use override those in
the terminal type invoked by use. A capability can be
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canceled by placing xx@ to the left of the capability
definition, where xx is the capability. For example, the
entry
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 for a terminal, or for different
user preferences. More than one use capability may be given.
PART 2: 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
two lists under ``DEVICE CAPABILITIES'' that list capabilities
by variable and by capability name.
Section 2-1: 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.
Section 2-2: 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 left-most edges of consecutive printed, identical,
characters.
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.)
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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 able to print characters as close
together as the horizontal and vertical resolutions suggest,
but also of ``moving'' to a position an integral multiple of
the smallest distance away 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.
Section 2-3: 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:
Specification of Printer Resolution
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.
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Specification of Printer Resolution
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.
Specification of Printer Resolution
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:
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Specification of Printer Resolution
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 are each used with a
single argument, the pitch in columns (or characters) and
lines per inch, respectively. The chr and cvr string
capabilities are each used with a single argument, 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.
Programs that use cpi, lpi, chr, or cvr should recalculate the
printer resolution (and should recalculate other values-see
``Effect of Changing Printing Resolution'' under ``Dot-Mapped
Graphics'').
Specification of Printer Resolution
Effects of Changing the Character/Line Pitches
__________________________________________________________
Before After
__________________________________________________________
Using cpi with cpix clear:
orhi orhi
orc' orc = orhi/Vcpi
Using cpi with cpix set:
orhi' orhi = orc x Vcpi
orc' orc
Using lpi with lpix clear:
orvi' orvi
orl' orl = orvi/Vlpi
Using lpi with lpix set:
orvi' orvi = orl x Vlpi
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orl' orl
Using chr:
orhi' orhi
orc' Vchr
Using cvr:
orvi' orvi
orl' Vcvr
Using cpi or chr:
widcs' widcs = widcs' x (orc/orc')
mcs' mcs = mcs' x (orc/orc')
Vcpi, Vlpi, Vchr, and Vcvr are the arguments used with cpi,
lpi, chr, and cvr, respectively. The prime marks (') indicate
the old values.
Section 2-4: 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 Motion
__________________________________
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 are each used with a single argument,
N.
Sometimes the motion is limited 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
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capabilities for specifying these limits.
Limits to Motion
__________________________________________________
mjump Limit on use of mcub1, mcuf1, mcuu1, mcud1
maddr Limit on use of mhpa, mvpa
xhpa If set, hpa and mhpa can't move left
xvpa If set, vpa and mvpa can't 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 contain the control sequence to enter
and exit this mode. A boolean is available for those printers
where using a carriage return causes an automatic return to
normal mode.
Entering/Exiting Micro Mode
_________________________________
smicm Enter micro mode
rmicm Exit micro mode
crxm 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.
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.
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Entering/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
right-most 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 right-most 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 ``line-feed'' or ``form-feed,''
are used. The other is used for the capability of suspending
the motion that normally occurs after printing a character.
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Miscellaneous Motion Strings
________________________________________________________________
docr List of control characters causing cr
zerom Prevent auto motion after printing next single character
Margins
terminfo provides two strings for setting margins on
terminals: one for the left and one for the right margin.
Printers, however, have two additional margins, for the top
and bottom margins of each page. Furthermore, some printers
require not using motion strings to move the current position
to a margin and then fixing the margin there, but 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.
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 are used with one or more arguments that
give the position of the margin or margins to set. If both of
smglp and smgrp are set, each is used with a single argument,
N, that gives the column number of the left and right margin,
respectively. If both of smgtp and smgbp are set, each is
used to set the top and bottom margin, respectively: smgtp is
used with a single argument, N, the line number of the top
margin; however, smgbp is used with two arguments, N and M,
that 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 styles of specifying
the bottom margin in different manufacturers' printers. 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.
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If only one of smglp and smgrp is set, then it is used with
two arguments, the column number of the left and right
margins, in that order. Likewise, if only one of smgtp and
smgbp is set, then it is used with two arguments 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 should be left blank.
When writing an application that uses these string
capabilities, the pairs should be first checked to see if each
in the pair is set or only one is set, and should then be used
accordingly.
In counting lines or columns, line zero is the top line and
column zero is the left-most column. A zero value for the
second argument with smgbp means the bottom line of the page.
All margins can be cleared with mgc.
Shadows, Italics, Wide Characters, Superscripts, Subscripts
Five new sets of strings are used to describe the capabilities
printers have of enhancing printed text.
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 is left blank.
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
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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.''
It is assumed that enhanced printing modes are independent
modes, 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 widcs.
If only a subset of the printable ASCII characters can be
printed as superscripts or subscripts, they should be listed
in supcs or subcs strings, respectively. If the ssupm or
ssubm strings contain control sequences, but the corresponding
supcs or
subcs strings are empty, it is assumed that all printable
ASCII characters are available as superscripts or subscripts.
Automatic motion made after printing a superscript or
subscript is assumed to be the same as for regular characters.
Thus, for example, printing any of the following three
examples 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 is 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 end these modes before attempting any motion.
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Section 2-5: Alternate Character Sets
In addition to allowing you to define line graphics (described
in Section 1-12), terminfo lets you define alternate character
sets. The following capabilities cover printers and terminals
with multiple selectable or definable character sets.
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 Printer has manually changed print-wheels
The scs, rcsd, and csnm strings are used with a single
argument, N, a number from 0 to 63 that identifies the
character set. The scsd string is also used with the argument
N and another, M, that gives the number of characters in the
set. The defc string is used with three arguments: 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 is to be used before defining the
character set, and the rcsd is to 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 should
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
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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 under ``Dot-Mapped
Graphics.''
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
implied, 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.
These capabilities are likely to be used only with dot-matrix
printers. If they are not available, the strings should not
be defined. For printers that have manually changed print-
wheels or font cartridges, the boolean daisy is set.
Section 2-6: Dot-Matrix Graphics
Dot-matrix printers typically have the capability of
reproducing ``raster-graphics'' images. Three new numeric
capabilities and three new string capabilities can
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.
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 49
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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 sring is used with a single argument, 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 are used to start and end a dot-
matrix image, respectively. The sbim string is used with a
single argument that gives the width of the dot-matrix in
dots. A sequence of ``image-data bytes'' are sent to the
printer after the sbim string and before the rbim string. The
number of bytes is a integral multiple of the width of the
dot-matrix; the multiple and the form of each byte is
determined by the porder string as described below.
The porder string is a comma separated list of pin numbers
optionally followed by an 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 8-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 8, with the first
position in each group the most significant bit and the last
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position the least significant bit. An application produces
8-bit bytes in the order of the groups in porder.
An application computes the ``image-data bytes'' from the
internal image, mapping vertical dot positions in each print-
head pass into 8-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. 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, skipped 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.
Section 2-7: 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:
Dot-Matrix Graphics
Changing the Character/Line Pitches
___________________________________
cpi Change character pitch
cpix If set, cpi changes spinh
lpi Change line pitch
lpix If set, lpi changes spinv
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Programs that use cpi or lpi should recalculate the dot
spacing:
Dot-Matrix Graphics
Effects of Changing the Character/Line Pitches
____________________________________________________________
Before After
____________________________________________________________
Using cpi with cpix clear:
spinh' spinh
Using cpi with cpix set:
spinh' spinh = spinh' x (orhi/orhi')
Using lpi with lpix clear:
spinv' spinv
Using lpi with lpix set:
spinv' spinv = spinv' x (orhi/orhi')
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.
Section 2-8: 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
strings used to describe these capabilities.
Print Quality
_____________________________________
snlq Set near-letter quality print
snrmq Set normal quality print
sdrfq Set draft quality print
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 blank as appropriate.
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Section 2-9: 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.
Two new numeric capabilities can help a program estimate what
has been printed.
Print Rate/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 knowing
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 to put in 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 the 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
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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.
FILES
/usr/share/lib/terminfo/?/*
compiled terminal description database
/usr/share/lib/tabset/*
tab settings for some terminals, in a
format appropriate to be output to the
terminal (escape sequences that set
margins and tabs)
REFERENCES
curses(3curses), fprintf(3S), fwprintf(3S), ls(1), pg(1),
stty(1), tic(1M), tput(1), tty(1), vi(1)
NOTICES
The most effective way to prepare a terminal description is by
imitating the description of a similar terminal in terminfo
and to build up a description gradually, using partial
descriptions with a screen oriented editor, such as vi, to
check that they are correct. To easily test a new terminal
description the environment variable TERMINFO can be set to
the pathname of a directory containing the compiled
description, and programs will look there rather than in
/usr/share/lib/terminfo.
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 54